After watching a friend participate in CrossFit for a few months I was very curious based on his progress. I did have a fear that being over weight probably wouldn’t allow me to do some of the exercises. But I decided to give it a try since there was a free workout available.

Kate Ashley – Member of the TitanFit family since June 2012

When I joined TitanFit, I was recovering from some roller derby injuries and was only running a few miles a week to stay in shape. Or what I thought was “in shape” at that time. I had never incorporated weight lifting into my workouts. My perception of fitness has completely changed thanks to Herb.

Herb is a great coach and trainer and has pushed me to do workouts I never thought I could do. I like having a personal trainer in a group atmosphere. I also like that the workouts are already planned for me. I never thought I would enjoy Olympic weight lifting, but now I look forward to it and Herb is a wonderful teacher. I can hardly walk by a mirror without checking out my arms and shoulders! If you are still of the notion that lifting weights will make a woman big and bulky, well get over it. Women with muscles are sexy!

TitanFit is truly more than just a gym. I look forward to seeing everyone there. It is definitely a family atmosphere. Everyone is encouraging no matter how big, how small, or at what level of fitness you are. I am almost 40 years old and am more fit now than I have ever been!
Kate (Big Kate) Ashley

Mike Koenig – Member of the TitanFit family since June 2010

Before I joined TitanFit I was 5′ 10″ and 157 pounds.  I only went initially because of a friend at work.

I didn’t think I needed to go to a gym because I thought I was in good shape (boy was I wrong…).  I had problems spiking in volleyball.  I would take Advil, grin and bear it to get through a game.  I was not that hard of a spiker.

I would run to keep myself in shape.  I had run three half marathons prior to joining.  My personal best was 1:58.  After each of those half marathons I was unable to walk without a lot of pain for at least a week after the race.  Herb put me through a range of exercises and noticed my rotator cuff was not in good shape (I could not fully rotate my shoulder all the way).  After his initial consultation, I really thought I was going to need surgery to correct it, and give up volleyball as a hobby.  Three months later I had full rotation in my shoulder with Herb’s exercises.

Fast forward to today (about two years of going to Titan Fit twice a week).  I no longer have any shoulder pain.  I now have people duck and cover when I go to spike in volleyball.  My half marathon time dropped to 1:41 with absolutely no pain afterward.  In fact I just ran a marathon in 3:52 and had no pain afterward.  I had one small blister on a toe, and that was because my longest training run was 20 miles.  The person I ran with in the marathon, trained by running four times a week, was walking like a 90 year old man afterward.  He actually had to go to the medical tent after he finished and be iced down so he could move.  My running program for the marathon was only twice a week along with TitanFit and volleyball.

Herb has really helped me improve my quality of life.  He has always gone out of his way to tailor specific exercises to help me work on things that I notice in my life.  I can’t say enough about having a good balance of strength and cardio training.  The people at TitanFit are nice, there is a range of ability levels, and Herb is fantastic!
-Mike

Kathy Pugliese - Member of the TitanFit family since December 2011

It took several days of my husband’s convincing for me to try this thing called CrossFit.  After Googling several sites and watching several YouTube videos, I knew for sure that I could never do something like that!  But after a few days of him telling me how he really thought this is what we both needed, I agreed to go to try it with him.  We were both a little nervous going in the first night, but as soon as we walked into TitanFit, we were greeted by Herb who immediately began introducing us to other members.  I have never walked into a gym before and had such a feeling of family and friends so quickly!

We did the baseline the first night and I couldn’t believe how out of shape I was and I had even been “working out” three times a week for several months prior to that night.  I remember while doing some of the basics watching the other female members doing dead lifts and thinking I have never lifted a bar in my life and what in the heck did I get myself into.  That first night I couldn’t do more than 20 air squats.  My husband was totally into it and couldn’t wait to go back the next night.  I agreed to keep going just because I thought everyone was so nice and at least it wasn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be.  I’m so glad we did!  Three months later, I am deadlifting more than what I weigh and I have done workouts that consisted over 100 air squats!

For the first time in my life, I now know what being fit is.  I am a 45 year old mother of three boys and I was never involved in any high school sports – I just liked to watch them!  Herb has been great at pushing me and knowing just how much I can do even if I don’t think I can.  Each week, I’m amazed at how far I have progressed and I can’t wait to see how far I can go!  I’m so glad my husband convinced me to go to TitanFit with him!
-Kathy

Cody Eslick

When I found out I had to move to Indy for a month for some military training I went to my trainer at Crossfit Terre Haute and asked if he had any suggestions. He immediately replied “Go to Titanfit” so I was sold.

On my first day at Titanfit I was welcomed with open arms in typical crossfit fashion with a killer WOD. I was immediately accepted into the Titanfit community. The people who train there are awesome and will really help you push yourself.

Herb is a great trainer. He help me really polish out some problem with my form on some of my lifts and because of that I broke 5 PR’s during my month long stay at Titanfit. Titanfit is a awesome place to crossfit. Thanks Herb and all the Titanfit community. I would definatly reccomend that if your in the area and want to get in a WOD “GO TO TITANFIT!
- Cody

Jeff Helms

As an avid CrossFitter, my first search when headed to a new destination is for the local CrossFit affiliates.  When I heard that I would spend an extended stay in Indianapolis, I knew I’d want more than bodyweight WODs in the hotel “gym.”  Luckily, I found TitanFit. Herb, the trainers, and its members were welcoming, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to be around.

I decided minutes into my first visit that TitanFit was exactly what I was looking for to support my fitness demands.  I enjoyed a month of solid programing, friendly competition, on-point cueing and coaching, and a post-WOD beverage or two with an awesome Titanfit community.  I’m happy to be heading home, but I’ll certainly miss my new box away from home.  To any CrossFitters out there traveling to Indianapolis looking to get their WOD on, I highly recommend TitanFit.  You’ll be happy you found it.  Thanks, Herb!  Thanks, TitanFit!
-Jeff Helms CrossFit Level 1 and Olympic Lift certified

Charlie Hanley – Member of the TitanFit family since March 2011

I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks. Last August I found out that I was Type 2 Diabetic. My A1C (the primary test used to monitor diabetes) was at 8.1, normal is 6.5 or below. Around the first of the year I was at 7.3 and then over the last 3 months since joining Titan Fit I’m at 6.6, 1/10 from normal. Doc said that if this stays the same or lowers even more over the next 6 months then I will be coming off of the meds I take for diabetes.

Also, my blood pressure was lower than it has been since March of ’09.

I attribute a lot of this to the fact that we finally found a gym, a group of people, a trainer and a workout style that fits us and makes us want to continue every day.
In all sincerity, thank you,
-Charlie

Brad Newgent - Member of the TitanFit family since September 2010

Three months ago I was doing nothing but sitting at a desk at work and coming home and sitting on the couch.  At 37 years old, I had to sleep with a CPAP mask on and recent tests at the doctor showed that I had high cholesterol, extremely high triglycerides, and at 202 pounds, was overweight.  At this point my doctor put me on medication for the triglycerides and said cholesterol medicine would be next.  I decided I had to do something.  I had recently read a little bit about Crossfit so I decided to try and find a Crossfit Affiliate in the area and I discovered Titanfit.  I contacted Herb and he scheduled a free visit for me.

I was very nervous and intimidated about my first visit.  It didn’t take long to figure out there was no reason to feel that way.  Everyone was friendly and helpful from the beginning!  After being ran through my first workout I decided I wanted to commit to this for awhile.  It was hard work but I knew this was something that would make a huge difference in my life.

So, I started going in 5-6 days a week.  For the first time ever I found myself looking forward to going to workout!  I was getting a great workout and was having a great time with the other members.  Herb has worked closely with me to insure that I am learning to do all the workouts correctly and safely.

Three months later my clothes fit better than they have in years, I have lost 17 pounds, trimmed 3% of my body-fat, lowered my cholesterol from 255 to 193, stopped sleeping with the CPAP mask, and my doctor has told me I could stop taking the medication for my triglycerides!  I also recently ran my first 5k race!  I’ve learned that Titanfit isn’t just a gym, it is a community of great people.  They have quickly become not just great workout partners but great friends as well.  If you will commit to it, Titanfit will make a difference in your life.
-Brad

John Nail - Member of the TitanFit family since August 2010

I have always considered myself to be in good shape.  I played all the main sports as a kid, and continued playing basketball and golf in high school. Although I didn’t play either sport at the collegiate level, I managed to stay active- typically working out three or four days a week.

My workouts consisted of the usual bench press, curls, front raises, etc. followed by a brief jog.  After I graduated and moved to Indianapolis, I continued this routine.  One of my roommates in Indianapolis had been doing CrossFit for two years and he was constantly telling me I should try it out.  I usually just rolled my eyes as he described some of his workouts.  Movements like “Burpees” and “Thrusters” sounded laughable as I dismissed CrossFit athletes as more or less wannabe sports figures without the talent or special skills required to play a “real” sport.

Two months ago, my roommate convinced me to go with him to a Saturday morning CrossFit workout at his gym.  In my mind, I thought I would do pretty well in the workout.  I’ve never been more wrong in my life.  After a 45 minute team workout and a near vomit experience, I realized this CrossFit thing might have some merit.

That afternoon, I googled “CrossFit gyms in Indianapolis” and found that TitanFit was on my way home from work.  That Monday I stopped in and talked to Herb and on Tuesday I was doing my first workout.  I haven’t looked back since, and I can honestly say that joining TitanFit has been one of the best decisions that I have ever made.  Herb and Kurt are exceptional athletes, and they are better teachers.  After two months at TitanFit, my improvement has been far greater than I could have anticipated.  But that hasn’t been the best part of my TitanFit experience.

When I joined the gym, I expected to be worked hard and to improve my strength and conditioning, but I never expected to make the friends and connections that I have thus far.  Whether it’s a post-workout trip for wings or our TitanFit fantasy football league, there have been many fun social events within the TitanFit group.  For anyone who wants to improve their health and conditioning, I would highly recommend stopping by TitanFit for a workout.  I can guarantee that your first work out will be an eye opening experience, and if you are anything like me, that first workout will tell you everything you need to know about CrossFit.  It has been a fantastic experience.  Thanks Herb.  Thanks Kurt.  And thank you TitanFit.
-John Nail

Jerome Brewster – Former TitanFit member 

At 50 years old and about 40 lbs over weight, I found that I did not have enough energy.  Although I was lazy and uncomfortable, I knew I had to do something to get better.

In an attempt to get better, I talked to a friend about diet and exercise.  He told me about a CrossFit gym where he worked out called TitanFit.  He showed me some of the exercise that he did and I was very intimidated.  I thought and said, “no way can a fat old man like me do these exercises.”

Finally, I got up the nerve to go to 1 session.  The TitanFit trainers built a program of exercises that I was physically able do.  Over the course of a few weeks, I was able to see great improvement.  While the TitanFit trainers scale my workouts for my abilities, I now can perform the same exercises as the younger members.
The exercises are not boring and are always different; the other members of the gym are great, fun to work out with and very encouraging.  I now have more energy, have begun to lose weight; I am wearing pants that did not fit last year.  I am stronger and feel much better as a result.    Thanks to TitanFit

Doug Schetzel – TitanFit member as of December 2009

Before joining Titanfit, I had been working out at your standard “LA Fitness”-type gyms for about 4 years.  I would go 3-4 times a week to lift weights and do cardio.  I felt like I was in great shape since I worked out a lot; even though I never actually seemed to make an visual progress/results.

A friend from college convinced me to try Crossfit so I googled it and went in to Titanfit for a free workout.  After ten minutes of working out with Herb, I realized 2 things.  One, Titanfit is nothing like a normal gym.  And two,  I was not actually in great shape.  Both of these realizations inspired me to explore Crossfit further and sign up.

It has been an awesome journey over the past 8 months working out at Titanfit.  I have lost most of the fat on my body and greatly improved my strength, endurance, and mobility.  And I’m aware this sounds crazy, but I am actually working out less than I was before when I went to a “normal” gym and experiencing exponentially better results.

If you do any sort of research on Crossfit, it’s pretty easy to assume that every gym is filled with meat-head fitness freaks that will scoff at you for not having sweet deltoids.  Not the case at Titanfit.  The Titanfit gang is very diverse and it is a great atmosphere to workout.
- Doug

Seth Wilson – Former TitanFit member 

I have noticed an all around improvement in strength, but conditioning was my weakness when I first started.  I have really noticed an improvement there.  Since I have been working out with Herb, I have noticed the most significant gains and feel that I have received the best all around workouts of my life.