Jesse Bowen

Level 1 CrossFit

CrossFit Movement and Mobility

Westside Barbell Powerlifting Certified

Harvey Newton Olympic Lifting Clinic

Whole Nine Life Nutrition

I have always had a passion for fitness. Working out was a way of staying thin and relieving stress that had accumulated throughout the day. Although I remained thin, I never saw myself change. During my pregnancy, my husband introduced me to CrossFit. I was struggling as to what type of exercise I could perform during my pregnancy and CrossFit seemed like a good idea. Instead of being in the gym for an hour and a half, I was in and out in less than thirty minutes. In addition, I could scale the workouts down to my level. I enjoyed CrossFit so much during my pregnancy; I began my post-partum routine three weeks after having my son. Sticking to the CrossFit regime to get my pre-pregnancy body was the best thing I could have ever done. I looked better and was physically in better shape five months after having my son than ever before in my life. I believe in the philosophy of CrossFit and cannot imagine going back to anything else! Just a shout out to all moms’ out there, “It is possible to get a killer body while having children and living a hectic schedule! If you want it…Come and get it!”

Jordon Bowen

Level 2 CrossFit

CrossFit Football

CrossFit Movement and Mobility

Westside Barbell Powerlifting Certified

Harvey Newton Olympic Lifting Clinic

Whole Nine Life Nutrition

2002 US Ju-Jitsu Federation 153lbs National Champion

I spent six years as a Special Tactics Pararescueman.  During my time the question of how to stay "fit" was literally a question of life or death.  Being fit has its true test not only on the battlefield but also in every day life.  It can mean the difference between going home to your family and being brought home to your family.  I found the use of CrossFit was unpaired in the world of fitness.  I definitely had my doubts though.  In the beginning I would say, "there is no way that jacking steel for 20 minutes a day and not doing "cardio" is going to even keep you in shape."  When every guy and girl alike that did CrossFit would take leaps and bounds ahead of me I started paying attention.  Finally I got serious about changing my life forever and began doing CrossFit exclusively.  The results were out of control.  Not only did my "strength", and traditional "cardio" skyrocket, but also I just felt better about everything.  Since then I have never looked back.

Damon "Rudy" Rudish

Level 1 CrossFit

Throughout my life I've always been active. Playing one sport after another year round. Finally, in middle school I found a real interest for weight lifting and football. There I developed a strong base for weight lifting at a young age. From then on it has always been about who could lift the most or who had the fastest '40' time. After graduating high school I'd go to the gym two, maybe three times a week. Becoming more and more demotivated, I would wonder to myself if I would ever get back in shape like I once was. I would hear about "CrossFit" here and there, but think nothing of it. Then one day in the gym I saw a maniac running from one side to the other of the gym to do exercise .  Drenched in sweat, and not stopping to rest in between exercises? I thought this man was a few fries short of a happy meal. Low and behold the crazed man was wearing a CrossFit FWB shirt. So I looked them up and gave it a shot. I was hooked right when I walked through the door. The mix between Olympic Style weight lifting, cardio, and gymnastics was the perfect combination to become a 'BEAST'. With the friendly enviroment, amazing trainers, and ever changing workouts I couldn't imagine working out anywhere else.  CrossFit is my passion.

Medea McLendon

Level 1 CrossFit

One phone call literally changed my life.  A friend called and asked me to watch the Helen demo video which features some prominent female CrossFitters.  My initial response was the typical, “aren’t they cheating on the pullups?”  My friend laughed and explained the total body concept of the move.  Now at 39 years of age, 30 pounds lighter and having been a smoker for 20 years until 2 ½  years ago, I am in the best shape of my life!  I began CrossFit in June of 2008.  October of that year I received my Level 1 certification and began training CrossFit.  In sharing CrossFit with others I found my passion.  I can no longer imagine life without the ability to coach and train others in achieving their own personal physical fitness goals through CrossFit regardless of age or current ability.  Faster, stronger, and better at life……CrossFit!     

Brett Tillman

Level 1 CrossFit

My entire life I have searched for ultimate fitness!  I initially found the gym in middle school with Texas football and the desire to be a better football player.  As years pasted and sports became more intense, I began Powerlifting in the offseason, all the while running and endurance seemed to fall by the wayside.  After high school, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming an Air Force Officer.  ROTC was the obvious answer with a scholarship and a promise of a commission.  After I realized that being a cadet meant a fitness test involving a 1.5 mile run with a minimum time limit, I began to hit the track.  Just like Powerlifting, I was dedicated to maxing out the fitness test.  Before I knew it I traded bulk for endurance and I put a half and full marathon under my belt.  After my marathon, I realized I had really reached both ends of the spectrum with a 450lb bench and a 3:30 marathon with no balance for the real world.  From then on it was my goal to find the best training plan to be prepared for life.  Then I found CrossFit, the only answer to my problem!

Mike Roy

Level 1 CrossFit

Mile after mile.  That was my idea of fitness for years.  I spent most of college trying seriously to be a distance runner.  The majority of my days I would look forward to runs from 4-18 miles long, until…in the fall of 2008 I injured my groin.  I still managed to run on it, and did for six months – till I finished the half-marathon racing season.   Then “it” hit me.  I realized that although I was a pretty good runner – I had shrunk from 180 pounds to less than 160, with no functional strength at all.  I was constantly tired, and feeling weak.  That summer I deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and caught wind of CrossFit through a couple of guys that I thought were nuts.  Instead of taxing my already injured body, I gave CrossFit a try.  I did my best version of Greg Glassman’s “A Beginners Workout.”  Right afterwords I realized I was extremely poor at moving anything besides myself on a track.  I then began my mission to get better at life.  When I got back to the good ole’ U.S. of A., I immediately talked my wife into doing 10 minutes of “Cindy.”  Now she thought I was the one that was nuts.  Not long after, CrossFit Fort Walton Beach opened up.  The first day I came it was a heavy running WOD, however the next day I got a taste of the constantly varied, functional movement, performed at high intensity part of CrossFit FWB. I was sold.  Since then I have been hooked – I received my Level 1 Certification last winter and have been doing my best to share the good word.  Its changed my life and improved it in so many ways.  If you want it, come and get it.

Thomas Stead

Level 1 CrossFit

CrossFit Endurance

CrossFit Nutrition

“I wanna get big! Real BIG!!” That was my train of thought for years when I first joined the Air Force at 20 years old and 160 lbs. I thought that being big was the only way to be strong and fast. Then one day while grinding away in my daily 3 hour weight session in the base gym I talked to one of my buddies, who was getting prepared for Pararescue, about how to stay motivated to work out daily doing the same thing. He then told me about CrossFit and the methodology behind it. I looked up the workout Helen and decided that it looked easy. The next day after being crushed after the first round of Helen with half the weight I looked into a local CrossFit gym. Four years later I am more addicted to it than I have ever been, and am committed to sharing the knowledge and passion that I have with others. I have always hated running. It is that hatred that drove me to get CrossFit Endurance certified. Before employing its training I decided to do a marathon, the Battan Death March to be exact. It was that long punishing run that has pushed me to make running a passion instead of a weakness. I strive daily to, in the words of my first CrossFit coach, “Suck Less!”

"The Fish" Bowen

Apprentice

Fish is new to CrossFit being that he was only born in September of 2008.  He has not yet started doing power cleans or finished a 5k.   However, he has a thirty second dead hang on the pull up bar, crushes burpees, and can knock out some mean tabata squats.