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Meet Dale

Have you met Dale?

Dale in his early days at CrossFit Hale

Dale in his early days at Hale

Dale is a Sr Director of Development at UC Berkeley. He walked in the doors just over a year ago, six months after a terrible bike accident.

When he started, he hadn’t done much weight training, and was looking for a way to get back in shape that didn’t involve cycling. He was not only recovering from his accident, but had big concerns about previous back problems, and whether CrossFit Hale would even work for him at all.

He started by just showing up on a regular basis, hitting the 6am class with a few of the regulars 3 days per week. Progress was slow, but steady. He gradually got more and more comfortable with weights, and started looking after his diet.

A year later, he’s made some amazing progress.

Some of his accomplishments:

  • He’s lost over 25 lbs
  • He’s added over 100lbs to his deadlift
  • He finished a half marathon almost 11 mins faster (1:56 to 1:45) with NO running specific training
  • He was able to stop taking all of his medications! Stomach acid, prescription strength Ibuprofen and a pain pill

Dale nowadays

Dale nowadays

Dale does things now that he wouldn’t have imagined doing a year ago (like competing with the coaches in a CrossFit competition), and is dreaming up new challenges to take on in the future (mountain climbing?).

His goal isn’t to be the strongest or fastest at the gym (although I wouldn’t want to race him in a 5k), but he is an amazing athlete who gets better every day. Best of all, he pairs that with an equally amazing attitude which brightens up our day each time he comes in.

Check out his story in the video above.

If you have a question for Dale, reply in the comments below.

Thanks Dale, and keep up the good work!

Announcements:
One more day to sign up for the No Excuses Challenge – check it out here

Skills:
Wall balls

Workout of the Day:
For time:
40 unbroken wall balls 20/14
400m run
30 unbroken wall balls
300m run
20 unbroken wall balls
200m run
10 unbroken wall balls
100m run

Coaches’ notes:
Unbroken means that if you miss or if you drop, you’ll have to restart at 0. Scale this up if you are advanced (heavier ball), scale it down if necessary for beginner

Intermediate and advanced are not allowed to stop or rest at any point during the unbroken wall balls, this means no dropping, no holding and leaning, you MUST KEEP MOVING. Beginners can stop, but cannot put the ball down…however, if you are a beginner and can handle wall balls DO NOT STOP!

Use a lighter weight if you must, but if you are used to doing wall balls with 20/14, DO NOT SCALE DOWN. This will be a challenge, will you accept?

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Nick and Laura’s Story

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Husband and wife Nick and Laura worked out using at-home DVDs and while they lost some weight, they didn’t gain much strength or definition.

It also started to become too impractical to do truly intense or heavy training within the confines of their apartment (and their nice carpet!).

They came to CrossFit Hale wanting to ramp up their training and develop more overall strength. They found that, and more, since joining. Nick has developed more upper body strength, Laura has learned proper technique on movements such as squats and pull-ups, and by working out together and sharing the same CrossFit training experience, they are easily able to support each other and share in each other’s accomplishments.

Since joining, Nick and Laura have:

  • Lost 25lbs.
  • Achieved more definition
  • Developed more upper body strength
  • Learned how to squat properly and developed core strength
  • Made new friends

Let’s hear from Nick and Laura directly in their testimonial video:

Learn how to get results like Nick & Laura

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Ken’s Story

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Ken was happy working out in his home gym and figured that was all he needed. But after checking us out, he learned there is more to it than just the workout of the day.

Working out on his own wasn’t cutting it anymore for Ken. He was choosing workouts that favored his strengths, wasn’t pushing past his comfort zones, and as a result he was hitting plateaus and not increasing his performance.

After joining CrossFit Hale, he quickly learned how important it was to have a coach available to help him correct and improve his technique.

He found the community environment at CrossFit Hale to be and essential part in getting results. By working out at CrossFit Hale, he has workout partners that help motivate and challenge him to get better, and push him out his comfort zones more often. Also, he is able provide the same encouragement and motivation to others.

Since joining CrossFit Hale, Ken has:

  • Lost 15 lbs while improving his strength
  • Set personal records on his squat, deadlift, snatch, and nearly every other lift
  • Reduced the amount of injuries he used to sustain working out by himself
  • Hit 49 straight pull ups!

Not to mention, he also recently got engaged! (His fiancee & their dog also join our classes!)

Ken realized that by joining the community at CrossFit Hale, he was able to experience a fun, competitive, and athletic sport he hadn’t felt since his high school varsity days. With CrossFit Hale as part of this daily routine, Ken is able to combine fitness with competition, camaraderie, and learning. All of these things help round out his sense of fulfillment in life.

Learn how to get results like Ken

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Nancy’s Story

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Nancy started CrossFit when she was fifty-eight years old. Scared at first, she has found CrossFit Hale to be about so much more than being physically fit.

Nancy didn’t think she could do ANY of the movements when she started CrossFit. She thought it was for younger athletes, people who played sports and were strong already.

Every workout was hard (and still is).  However, she found that she had an inner athlete that started to come out each time she walked into the gym. With encouragement, she kept showing up 3 days per week, and has changed her life and the lives of the people around her.

Nancy has:

  • Lost 25 lbs
  • Gone from never running more than a mile to finishing a half marathon
  • Gotten her first handstand
  • Dead lifted over 200 pounds
  • Went from doing push ups against the wall, to doing 20+ full push ups on her toes

Nancy is a constant source of inspiration for us.  She proves that you’re never too old to start, never too unfit to get better, and that nothing worth having in life is easy.

Learn how to get results like Nancy

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Mike’s Story

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Mike was looking for a program that would allow him to improve his overall strength but keep his speed and agility.

With a background in tennis, swimming, and soccer, Mike came to CrossFit Hale as a fast and agile athlete.  Having dabbled in powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and competitive kettlebells in the past he wanted to increase his strength but didn’t have a lot of extra time to spend in the gym focused exclusively on those disciplines.  He also didn’t want to sacrifice his any of his speed in exchange for that strength.

Since joining, Mike has:

  • Gained 7-8 pounds of muscle while dropping body fat by 2-3%
  • Added an average of 20 pounds to the weight he’s lifting in most of his workouts
  • Learned over 7 new skills (headstand, double-unders, muscle up, handstand pushup to name a few)

Mike credits our coaching and programming with his ability to get stronger and more technically proficient without losing any speed.  By consistently doing our workouts, he is able to closely measure his progress and push himself to gain more strength all within 5-6 hours a week.

Learn how you can get results like Mike.

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Candice’s Story

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When Candice joined us, she didn’t consider herself athletic and she wasn’t getting any results from her cardio dance classes.

She knew she needed something different to get real results and was also interested in strength training, as recommended by her doctor.

Having focused on academics as a young person, Candice didn’t have much exposure to playing sports or athletics. Her fitness routine as an adult was limited to basic cardio and cardio dance classes but that wasn’t making much of a dent in her weight management or endurance.

When some low-lying health issues issues became more of a concern and her weight continued to creep up, Candice knew she needed to find a fitness program that was more challenging to get the results she needed.

Candice started CrossFit Hale as a complete beginner to weight-training and gymnastics, and with a limited capacity for metabolic conditioning.

With coaching, she practiced weightlifting movements with a very light bar, practicing technique and form until she was skilled and strong enough to progress to a weighted barbell. She continues to work on her gymnastics skills, doing scaled versions of push-ups, pull-ups, and handstands that are very challenging for her but well within her capabilities.

Since joining Cross Fit Hale, Candice has:

  • Lost over twenty pounds
  • Run her first timed mile and first 5k (ever, in her entire life!)
  • Has learned Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting skills
  • Gone indoor rock climbing
  • Has found a second family in the community that is welcoming and supportive of her husband (also a CrossFit Hale athlete!) and young daughter

Most recently, Candice has been practicing drills to enable herself to kick into a freestanding handstand, something that she never would have imagined she could learn to do as an adult!

She has overcome the fear, intimidation, and misconceptions about what it means to be and feel athletic. As Candice says in her video, if she can do it, you can definitely do it. She proves that it doesn’t matter if you were athletic as a young person; it is never to late to learn new skills and open the doors to so many more possibilities in life!

Learn how you can get results like Candice.

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David T’s Story

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David had a hard time sticking to a routine. After starting CrossFit and adopting healthier habits, he’s lost 70 pounds and changed his life!

David had been stuck in a rut. He worked at a job he hated, carried an extra seventy pounds of body fat, and had recently ended a long-term relationship.

But rather than feel sorry for himself, he decided to take control of his life.  He started by writing a list of all the things he wanted to accomplish in life and got to work achieving them.

One of those things on his list was to lose weight and, specifically, look good on the beach. This path led him to CrossFit and eventually CrossFit Hale.

When he started CrossFit, he found the workouts difficult and sometimes intimidating, but he showed up consistently and his body began to change. The extra weight started coming off and the success he was having changed his outlook on other important areas of his life.

Since David began CrossFit, he:

  • Lost 70 pounds!
  • Found a new job working less hours for more money
  • Has learned to enjoy dating
  • Has learned several new athletic skills, including gymnastics, Olympic lifting, power lifting, and kettlebell training

Now, David’s friends can hardly recognize him! And his story doesn’t end here. He is exploring the idea of starting his own business and continues to check items off his bucket list. He has told us that without the energy, confidence, community, and vitality he has gained from the time he spends at CrossFit Hale, he never would have been able to imagine himself achieving so many of his goals.

Learn how to get results like David’s.

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Kim’s Story

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When Kim joined us she was a new mom with a two-month old baby. She was ready to ramp up her activity level and build strength but wasn’t sure what to do or how to do it.

One thing she was confident about was her goal: get stronger and be active as a new mom!

When she started with training with us, Kim expected to take things things slow and go at her own pace. She scaled movements to her ability: her push-ups were against a weight bench and on her knees. Pull-ups and chin-ups were scaled to ring rows or jumping pull-ups. Her stamina and endurance were also limited post-pregnancy, but she never gave up during a workout and gave it her best each time.

As a result, in a matter of months, Kim:

  • Is nearly back to her pre-pregnancy weight and measurements
  • Can now do twenty strict push-ups (on her toes!)
  • Has beaten her fastest (pre-pregnancy) 1-mile run time by a full minute
  • Is able to do multiple pull-ups in a workout


Your days as an athlete don’t end after you have kids. Kim (and all of the other moms here at CrossFit Hale) has proved to us that it’s possible to get into better shape after pregnancy than you were before!

Learn how to get results like Kim’s.

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