Member of the Month

Congratulations to our July Member of the Month, Jose Torres!! Jose joined CrossFit HCC this past January and has made tremendous strides!! The once shy and quiet guy is now a staple in the 6:30PM class cracking jokes and laughing along with the other athletes! Jose is one of our most inspiring members and despite not having any exercise or sports experience, he is not intimidated and is always willing to do whatever it takes – both inside and outside of the gym including nutrition! Jose always had the dream of joining the United States Army but never thought he would be able to join because he felt out of shape. Well fast forward six months later and Jose has lost over 65 pounds & has reached his goal! Jose will be leaving us soon for training and even though he will be greatly missed, we could not be more proud of him & all his accomplishments!! If you truly dedicate yourself, reaching your goals is possible & Jose’s dedication and work ethic has been a prime example of that!!

Why do you do CrossFit? I chose to do CrossFit for a better and healthier life. I saw it as a new thing I can try and maybe can help me reach my goals! I fell in love with it immediately and stuck to it ever since! It’s not just a sport for me it’s a part of me that’s going to stick for a long time!

Favorite Move: My favorite move is the Back Squat! I feel the strongest when I know I’m using my legs to lift some heavy weight. When I see back squats for the weight lifting portion I get excited and know it’s going to be a good workout. 
 
What makes you stay at CrossFit HCC? It’s not like anything I’ve seen or any gym I walked into. From the first day I walked in and met Ariel it’s been a pleasure. Everyone welcomes you with open arms and doesn’t judge that you have no background of athletics or CrossFit. When I walked in for my first class I was extremely out of my comfort zone and felt like I was out of my league! The staff and the members quickly showed me otherwise! I love how every day the workouts change, things stay interesting, we never do the same thing and I like that. Sticking to the same routine everyday wasn’t for me! I also stay because it has helped me lose 65+ pounds and has open so many other doors for me just by helping me with fitness and motivation from the staff! 
 
Future Goals: My future goals as of right now is to enlist in the military and serve my country, while perusing a career in the medical field and putting my self in a position to tackle the world! 
 
Advice for newbies? Advice for newbies, hmmm… my advice would be to stay motivated, never take your foot off the throttle to push yourself within a safe limit and not to feel discouraged when you don’t know a movement or feel like you are the least fit in the box! There’s going to be tough workouts where you feel like you suck and you need to take that feeling and work at it until you don’t suck at it anymore! Also, you can rely on the coaches and classmates! No question is a stupid question in CrossFit and we all want you to get in the best shape of your life while staying safe and knowledgeable!
 
Tell us a fun fact or something you do outside of CrossFit?  Fun fact about me is something you wouldn’t be able to tell from the bare eye! I love to read and write poetry. A life long goal is to become a published! I’m also a coffee guy. I love the aroma of coffee ‪at 4am‬, it gets me motivated and makes me feel warm and ready for the day. During the summer time I love the outdoors. I try to hike as much as possible as well as being by the water!
Words from Jose:  I would like to give a special thanks to HCC as a whole! From the day I walked into that box my life has changed tremendously. I wouldn’t, better yet I couldn’t have done this without you guys and I’m glad I found your ad on social media because that ad helped me find the best box in New Haven! If I could take all the global gyms, I would trade them in just for HCC! I would like to thank Ariel and Sharon as well! Ariel has pushed me and believed in me even when I didn’t. When I walked in and my head wasn’t all there she made me lock in even on our one on one days, she pushed me like I was training for something more and never expected less of me and I came to appreciate that! She is a really good coach and I wouldn’t trade her for the world she is one of the big reasons I still come to train even on days I don’t want too! I want to thank Sharon as well because she is another one that always checked in with me even if she wasn’t coaching that day. She’s very well rounded and has worked well with me. She showed me mobility movements and stretched to get better and when something didn’t feel right, she had a answer for me and that is a good quality of her that I like! She also is the coach I would talk to about things outside of CrossFit and she always gave me motivation. At a time when I wanted to give up, I’ll never forget what she said, “If you really want it you have to do what you have to do, just jump through all the hoops you need too” and that stuck with me! I also want to thank all of my fellow box members! Everyone here is awesome and I’m glad I get to work out with you guys!