MEMBER STORIES

Rob S. joined the CFR crew in February 2020.  We asked Rob to share his CrossFit story. "I have to say I came into the gym at an interesting time in the world.  I give you (Bill Shiffler, owner) and the coaches a ton of credit for making the best out of this crappy...

I love crossfit and I love Crossfit Renaissance! The coaches keep you focused on your goals and support you throughout the workouts. I almost ALWAYS scale my workouts…..in other words, I scale it down from the prescribed workout. The coaches really help me figure out...

It doesn’t matter what shape you’re in, what age you are, everyone is welcomed with open arms. I decided I needed to do something about my weight. I am not getting any younger and I am the biggest I have ever been in my life. I found myself getting out of breath just...

Best decision I’ve ever made, only regret is not signing up sooner!! I was always under the impression I had to get my butt in shape BEFORE stepping foot in a Crossfit gym and I couldn’t have been more wrong. All works out are scaled to your level but still a...

CrossFit Renaissance has been the best decision I have ever made for my physical fitness and wellness of life. I was at 250 and only 5'10". I've never picked up an Olympic barbell in my life. For years I've struggled with trying to get to the gym and just plain...

1. What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance? Ed (a.k.a. “Hey Ed”) did. I’ve always been into fitness and was always looking for something better and more challenging. He knew I would love it, so he bugged me until I finally caved and came in. He was right….he usually...

What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance? “I came into CrossFit Renaissance significantly over weight. I wanted to gain strength and lose weight the correct way.” What was your first impression? “My first impression of the staff was one that, sadly, I haven’t come...

About me: My name is Marc Jackson, I’m 27 and I currently consider myself a jack-of-all-trades. I am an instrumental Music teacher with the Philadelphia School District. Percussion is my main instrument. I also have a great fondness of motorcycles. I love to ride, I...

1. What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance? “My closest friend, Mary Ann Tobin, had joined several months before I did. She raved about how much better she felt by getting involved with CrossFit Renaissance and I noticed physical changes in her, as well.  I thought:...

“Bill and I have a mutual friend, Matt Duffy. One day I looked at Matt and he just looked younger. He had lost weight before, but this was different. I asked him what he was doing and he told me about how Bill had started his own gym. A few weeks later, I saw Bill and...

“I started CrossFit on April 15th of 2013. I remember seeing it on the Fox 29 morning news program. Jennapher Fredericks was live from there, although Bill and Joyce have no recollection of it  I remember my father telling me to get over there and flip some tires. It...

I found Crossfit Renaissance totally by accident. I was working in a warehouse a couple doors down from CFR’s original location on Collins Street. When I showed up to work the first day my boss Lauren tells me to try to block out the noise from the gym two doors down,...

What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance? “When I was younger, I was always into sports. I was in pretty good shape all the way up into my mid-20’s. About a year ago, my friend asked me to run a 5k with him and I wasn’t able to complete it. I asked him to help me get...

What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance? “I was introduced to CrossFit by a friend. He thought I would be interested in watching a particular video. That video changed my life. Since that moment, I became obsessed with the training lifestyle.” What was your first...

What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance? “I don’t exactly remember the conversation I had with Carrot (Lauren Carotenuto), but I mentioned to her that CrossFit was something that I had been interested in trying for over a year and I was way too intimidated to give it...