by Kelley Laxton

Aaron Evans first stepped into a CrossFit gym in 2014 after Nicole Christensen persuaded him to try it out. He completed his Foundations Course but decided not to pursue it, letting the excuse of his injuries and the stress of childcare keep him from committing. Two years passed by before Evans was convinced to join the group classes and has not looked back since. In the three years he has been a member at CrossFit Roots, he has lost 20 pounds, significantly increased his muscle mass, and is an overall better version of himself. 

After visiting physical therapy, Evans was told it was his lack of core strength that was making his back injuries worse. So, once he started CrossFit, his initial goal was to heal, and he began to feel better after the frequent ab-mat and toes-to-bar exercises in the workouts 

“It sounds counterintuitive,” he said, “Everyone tells you, ‘don’t do CrossFit, you’re going to get hurt,’ but my injuries got better.”

Class Attendance Makes a Difference

It took about six-months for him to start seeing results. Once he began to make progress, it made him want to do it even more. 

“That’s CrossFit, right?” he said. 

At the start, Evans was coming to class two to four times a week, which is not unusual for a beginner. However, he noticed that all of the fittest athletes at the gym were coming in almost every day and that pushed him to come in consistently five times a week. In 2018, he lost eight percent body fat and saw a steady increase of muscle mass. 

Nutrition as the Foundation

Coming to class alone does not ensure results. Nutrition is just as important, and Evans experienced the impact it has on your health. Before CrossFit, he ate pretty healthy, but never measured his calories or macros. Along with fruits and vegetables, he ate the occasional pizza and late-night snack with his kids. Once he joined the gym, Evans started to participate in the nutrition challenges where he learned the importance of measuring your calories and tracking your macros. He realized that he was not getting enough protein in his diet after the 800-gram challenge and had to double his intake. That is what made him stronger in the gym. After he began to eat more protein, his deadlift increased from 300 pounds to 380. 

“Nutrition is really detrimental to your overall fitness (if it is poor quality),” Evans said.  

For those interested in trying CrossFit, Evans says to get off the couch and do it. He went two years before he fully committed and has seen a transformation of the body and mind since he began.  

At the moment, Evans hopes to maintain his strength because he has already reached his goals. Besides feeling better physically, he believes CrossFit has helped him mentally. He feels more patient with his kids, more focused at his job, and just happier. 

“I’m in a better place all around,” Evans said. 

Kelley Laxton is a senior at the University of Colorado and is majoring in journalism with a minor in sports media. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus CU Boulder and an avid CrossFitter. Kelley also works on the Front Desk Team at CrossFit Roots.