Jeff in an unassisted ring support- this has been one of his many accomplishments and like so many skills he is learning and developing, there is always another step to be achieved. We never let our athletes “rest” on their accomplishments! Now he is working on keeping his arms externally rotated and holding the position for longer periods of time. Of all of his other accomplishments, Jeff’s mobility and core strength have been the most noticeable improvements in the gym and these aspects of CrossFit training carry over to all of life’s activities! See what Jeff has to say about being pain free and feeling years younger…
“To modify a quote from John Wayne ‘Getting old is hard and getting old when you are out of shape is even harder!’ I have always looked forward to retirement, when every day will be a Saturday. Now that I’m getting close to it, however, I’m realizing that it now takes 6 days to do what I could do in one Saturday. During the past ten years I have been living the good life and it has taken a toll on my body! I was out of shape, with high everything: blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol. My quality of life was not where I wanted it to be and I had to change!
For the last two years, I have been living with a CrossFit fan(atic)- my wonderful daughter Allison. For two years, Allison bombarded us with the benefits of doing CrossFit, and I’m being nice with using the word bombarded. My wife, Colleen, and I bet her $100 dollars that she could not go ONE HOUR without talking about CrossFit, and she lost! However, Allison told us that one of the goals of CrossFit was to keep us out of the nursing home. I guess that comment sealed the deal for us and we decided to give it a try.
So, we started on our journey in March 2013 at CrossFit PAX to a better life, and we have never looked back! Some of it has been fun, but some of it has been tough. For example, lifting a total of 10000 lbs over my head in one workout, or the 800 meters of lunges- who comes up with this stuff?! But, we always have the quality coaching and the community to help us get it done safely and effectively!
I’m very familiar working out in a gym, having played football for 13 years; but CrossFit is like no other workout that I have done. Attending a workout at CrossFit PAX is like have a personal trainer, and every day is different- different workout, different muscle groups, different time, different equipment… to say this another way, for the last 8 months I have been sore… heck I’m sore right now! But, its working and working well. Here is a short list of the benefits I have reaped in only a few months:
I can run again without my knees hurting,
I have lost thirty pounds
I have lost 3 inches off my waist line,
I have lowered my blood pressure,
I have reduced my cholesterol by 70 points and
I have gained a significant amount of muscle mass.
This month I will get my blood work done again and I will be off the cholesterol medicine!
And all of this in less than nine months, with only a few hours a week in the gym and a few diet changes!
There is more than a good workout required to keep a gym open and operating. As a retired Marine, I love working out in a gym run by Marines, (call me biased, but I know what I like!) What everyone sees at CrossFit PAX is the great teamwork from the Coaches and Patrons. Like any organization this has to come down from the top. No one feels left out and everyone is kind and helpful, no egos! I truly believe that anyone can do CrossFit!
I have made tremendous progress but my journey is no way complete. I still can’t do a muscle up or string more than 2 double unders together, but I am choosing to continue setting and tackling my goals and being thankful for what I CAN do! What I can do is: run, bend over and tie my shoes without my gut getting in the way, squat to pick up my grandchildren, ride my horse longer, pick up my 50 lb. German Shepard puppy, wear all of the clothes in my closet without worrying about how they fit.
So, I am thankful to my wonderful daughter Allison and for loving me enough to get me in the door at CrossFit PAX. to quote Borg from Star Trek “resistance is futile, you will be assimilated”… and I guess I have been, and that is okay with me!
Thanks to all of the Coaches, Workout buddies, and Jade and JD for making this possible.”
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Jeff, what an encouragement this is to us that you’ve seen such progress. We are proud of you for taking such a leap of faith, swallowing your pride, and changing your life for the better. We are so glad to know you and your family and consider ourselves blessed to be a part of this journey.
There aren’t too many grandpa’s that hang out in gyms, but Jeff is one of a few at CrossFit PAX and is leading from the front! He is one cool grandpa, too, and we are glad to have him around!
As our lives and times change, so do our battles. Stay in the fight, Marine, we are all right there with you!
Semper Fi!

Jeff with his beautiful wife, Colleen, and CrossFit fanatic daughter Allison last June, right after Jeff started his journey to better health with CrossFit PAX!