Alex has been a Brand X member for almost 2 years. When he walks in the door of Brand X, he lights up the place with the huge smile on his face. In May of this year, Alex, who turned 36 in June, was diagnosed with a malignant (cancerous) carcinoid tumor. I have had the pleasure of interviewing him about his journey and the impact that CrossFit has had on him with his diagnoses and recovery. Here is his amazing story.....

1. When did you start Crossfitting? How long were you WODing prior to your diagnosis?
I started Crossfitting on December 30, 2008. I remember wanting to start PRIOR to New Years so it wouldn't be a 'resolution' . I was doing the Big Dog WODs a few months after starting Crossfit.


2. What role did Crossfitting play in the diagnosis of your illness?
I was cruising along pretty good the first year at BX. Big Dog WODs. Catching a KravMaga Class prior to doing Saturday WODs. CrossPit with Jason after Crossfit on Mondays. Then I stopped 'PR'ing. My mile time got slower. I didn't have the wind to do more than a couple dozen pull-ups unbroken. My deadlift 1 rep MAX went way down. I remember one week doing 225X21 with Dan S and the next week I couldn't do it 10 times. Then I couldn't even do 50 pushups. Then I was passed by EVERYBODY when running a 400.
Measuring my performance and subsequent decrease in performance let me know something was wrong. Had I been the guy that gets home from work and sits down on the couch, it would have taken much longer to diagnose the problem. I had also been coughing up blood but the doctors told me that was a seasonal bloody nose. HA! It was the measured and documented decrease in performance at BX that forced additional tests. Prior to that I figured I was just in a slump or getting old. At 35, turns out I was wrong.


3. What role did Crossfitting play in managing your surgery and recovery process?
This all started back in March but my surgery wasn't until June 24th in Boston. I had a few months to just sit and get soft. Even then, I think the doctors were surprised to see someone in such 'good' shape in their office. The tumor I had was blocking 85% of my right lung so I was really working with one lung. The doctors think it was growing there for a long time (years) so it was a big surprise that I was able to exercise at all. Turns out that being in good shape isn't all good when it comes to a major surgery. It helps you to have fewer complications and recover much faster but the more muscle they cut through the more it hurts. Ouch.
Even with one lung being almost completely blocked, the blocked lung was still in near perfect condition. Without Crossfit, my blocked lung may not have responded so well to being detached, deflated, having the tumor cut out, being re-attached, then re-inflated. Crossfit forced my lung to stay healthy prior to surgery thereby making recovery easier.
Jeff Martin talks about the 'Fitness Continuum'. Basically, the Fitness Continuum is a Bell curve with Sick, Well, and Fit on the bottom. It says that it you are Fit, you need to go backwards and get Well BEFORE you get sick. I can now agree 100% with this theory because I have seen it in action.
I've come much further in a short amount of time than I could have ever thought. There are 4 things that saved me and gave me my life back.
1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
2. BXCrossfit PRIOR to getting sick and after as Rehab
3. The best thoracic surgeon on the planet, Dr. Lanuti at Mass General
4. The love and support of my Wife Connie. She's the Hero in all of this. Without her, I couldn't have done it.

A lot of people get sick and a lot of people get their chest cut into. Not many are back exercising less than two months afterwards. Here we are 10 weeks after surgery and Jeff (cautiously) has me back in better shape than 90% of the people in America.


4. As you have returned to Crossfit, what benefits do you see to your continued recovery?
It's just awesome being able to do anything physical, let alone my modified Crossfit rehab. A lot of my WODs are modified by Jeff since since I can't do a lot of the movements. Pull-ups and Sit-ups? Forget about it.
As the nerves grow back and my flexibility and strength come back I hope to be doing the Rx WODs soon. Working out with 2 lungs is so cool. I forgot what it felt like to be a young guy. My progress has been faster than I expected because Crossfit demands so much from me physically. Everyday I feel younger and closer to the right side of the Fitness Continuum.

<b>Saturday September 4th

8am CrossFit
9am Krav Maga (in the creek bed)

Monday September 7th Labor Day

closed for all classes
EXCEPT
9am and 6pm CrossFit

Enjoy your holiday!

Here is a review we received from the UK Cert:
August 23, 2010 by FHyatt
Filed under Weight Losing

"This weekend I had the privilege of attending what I believe was the world’s first Crossfit Kids instructor’s certification outside of America, at Crossfit3D in Trafford, Manchester. In attendance were the entire Martin clan, the progenitors of Crossfit for Kids and by that I mean the first instructors and the first students, because Jeff and Mikki Martin first trained their own kids in Crossfit.

I’ve really struggled with where to begin to describe the course, as there was just such a wealth of knowledge imparted by the training team, it’s almost too much to take in. We covered a vast array of material that draws on nearly a decade of experience in teaching children, from as young as 3 through to 17.
Of course there’s the material on what exercises are right for what age range. Including when to add weights, how much and in what increments. How much of a focus to put into form and how to get it across to the right ages for example, you can’t say to a 5 year old who you’re trying to teach the shoulder press to: heels under your shoulders, toes pointing out a bit, hands to shoulders, elbows in, mid section tight, now press, head forward, shoulders to ears etc. But you can tell them to jump up and down a few times, point their elbows at your knees, then push the sky up!
Breadth and depth are the 2 words that best describe the course. Of course we covered the 9 fundamental Crossfit movements: the shoulder press, push press, push jerk, air squat, front squat, thruster, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and the medicine ball clean. But each one taught with a focus on the needs and limitations of three different age groups:
Pre-school: 3 – 5 years
Kids: 5 – 12
Teens: 12 – 17
There were also talks on various topics which included subjects like: the origins and aims of Crossfit Kids; how to structure classes at the different age groups; safety, learning types; coaching cues; various science lectures e.g. about the brain’s development and its relationship to exercise, and scientific research into safety in sport, injury rates and bone density etc; how to fix common mistakes in all the exercises; teaching styles; general nutrition and how to educate the kids and deal with disagreements from parents; programming at various ages; how to motivate kids of all ages, with tricks and tips; trainer ratios; class sizes and even optimal kid placement in classes; a focus on sport specific athletes; internet safety and photography; health issues; business development etc etc etc!!!
You get the point. There was a ton of information which is absolutely invaluable and necessary for anyone who has an interest in teaching fitness to under 18s. I cannot recommend doing a Crossfit Kids certification course enough, it was amazing.
Probably the most amazing was seeing the fruit of Jeff and Mikki’s labours though, in the evidence provided by their 3 fine boys: Connor, Keegan and Duncan, and their friend David. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a group of stronger and fitter teenagers anywhere. These guys epitomise what Crossfit is capable of, in terms of building incredible athletes who can apply themselves to a broad range of physical endeavours. One anecdote about David probably sums it up nicely. It was a long story, so I’ll paraphrase:
David decided he wanted to run a sub 5 minute mile, and a marathon. Coach (Jeff) pointed out that whilst the mile was a good goal, the marathon was stupid, and as he’d already programmed his next 6 weeks of training and wasn’t going to change it. That very weekend, despite having not run more than 800m at any point in the previous 6 months, David decided to do it any, in fact he decided to kill both birds with one stone and ran the first mile of the marathon in 4:47 (or something like that, it was 4: something) and continued to run the rest of the marathon, finishing in 3 hours 29 mins (or similar). Pretty impressive without any marathon training whatsoever, but get this: on Tuesday he was back at the gym doing heavy squats, and continued to achieve personal best lifts at every session for the next 10 days!
Now that’s Crossfit and that’s the kind of fitness that years of Crossfit Kids training can achieve."

Cole is a 14 year old that participates in our CrossFit Kids Teen/Advanced class and also participates in our CrossFit Kids Certs on a monthly basis. He has shown such great motivation in himself and encouragement to his peers in his class. He is a true testament to CrossFit Kids and a role model for others. I recently spoke to him about how CrossFit Kids has impacted him, and this is what Cole had to say.

"I started CrossFit 3 years ago when I was 11 years old to help my endurance and strength for racing cars. I have consistently gone 4-5 times a week. All my hard work has paid off! I have lost 35 pounds and my strength and stamina has increase tremendously. Along with my physical fitness CrossFit has really helped me with my diet and learning about proper nutrition. I have recently achieved two of my CrossFit goals by doing a muscle up and completing Grace as RX’d. My current CrossFit goals are to dead lift 400lbs before I’m 15 and to compete in the sectionals next year. CrossFit has impacted my life in several ways. It has become like a second family to me, I have met several good friends, and it has changed my way of exercising and eating. Mostly it has proven to me that what looks impossible can be achieved with hard work and dedication.
I would like to personally thank Jeff and Mikki Martin for their continued support and sponsorship with racing and for continuing to push me to strive to do my best."

How were you introduced to CrossFit?
My children were involved in CrossFit and I watched them for three years before finally getting involved. My then 5 year old daughter asked me why I didn't exercise with the other mommy's? Her question made me realize how much children learn from watching their parents and I felt is was important for me to start role modeling healthy behavior. Around the same time my then 3 year old daughter told me I had a big bottom so that really pushed me over the edge and got me to start. I had three children at the time and had never lost the weight after having each child.

How long have you been doing CrossFit?
I have been doing CrossFit for almost 2 years. A few weeks after I started CrossFit, I discovered I was pregnant with Baby #4 and continued to CrossFit throughout the entire pregnancy.

What are some goals you have set and accomplished?
1. I wanted to be a role model to my children around exercise and healthy eating habits. We workout together and try to make healthy food choices. They cheer me on during the WOD and it has become a family affair. 2. Another goal was to finally get back in shape after having four children. Finally after 10 years of having children, I have reached my goal weight. 3. I wanted to make a lifelong commitment to exercise. In the past, I hated exercising and would find any excuse to avoid it. Now, I have a better understanding of how finding the exercise environment that is right for you makes a big difference. I also have workout partners that help keep me motivated and walking in the door five days a week.

How did doing CrossFit impact your pregnancy?
Maintaining my commitment to CrossFit throughout my pregnancy was incredible. It made me feel great...even on the days that I didn't feel up to exercising. Everyday I left Brand X, I felt fantastic. I gained 55 pounds with each of my prior pregnancies and while crossfitting I only gained 30 pounds and looked great shortly after giving birth.

What are some future goals you have set for yourselves?
I want to work on my running and decrease my mile time. I would someday like to do a pull-up. I recently conquered box jumps on the tire but I would like to actually jump on the "big box". I would like to maintain my current weight while continuing to build strength.

Anything else you would like to add?
Anyone can do Crossfit. It took me three years of watching to gain enough courage to get out there and start exercising. What a waste of time....wish I had started sooner. I would encourage anyone to just walk in the door and do what the trainers tell you to do. It is really that simple and you can accomplish any goal you set your mind too.

Brand X has the privilege of hosting a CrossFit Level 1 Cert this weekend!
ALL SATURDAY CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT THE PARK at their regular scheduled time.

CrossFit Kids Cert will be held on Monday June 21 and Tuesday, June 22

There will only be CrossFit classes at 8:00 a.m on Monday
and 8:00 a.m and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday
ALL OTHER CLASSES ARE CANCELLED

Regular schedule will resume on Wednesday
Thank you for your support

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Posted by danell on 06/17 at 06:28 AM