You can’t live the lifestyle, have the mindset, and enjoy overall health if you are hurt, injured, or are not performing the exercises properly.

Meet Al Calvo from Florida

---

Sam Matthews is the best coach with whom I ever trained.  

I came to CFV for the first time in 2012 when I was in Vail for the summer.  Since then, it is a routine I can’t do without.  The Workouts are challenging, the people welcoming and friendly, and the atmosphere is always fun and lively.  However, for me this is about lifestyle, mindset, and health.  You just don’t exercise for a set period of time and then somehow graduate or finish. It is about developing a sustainable plan that will grow and change with you.  It is about more than going to a fitness club and performing a set of exercises.  

Sam Matthews is instrumental in my ability to reach attainable goals for my athletic level and capability.  He has personalized my training, creating a customized regimen focused on my goals and abilities. Since working with him I have seen marked improvements in everything from technique, to performance, to weight management, and even just feeling better and healthier. He is incredibly knowledgeable, dedicated, patient and fun.  Sam is passionate about his trade. He literally eats and breathes fitness.  Whether it was as a Crossfit coach or a personal trainer, this is his life.  Sam has helped me address all the elements of becoming a better athlete - nutrition, programming, technique, mindset, and approach. He has trained athletes at all levels and helped every one of them.

Even when not in Vail, I will reach out to Sam for guidance regarding anything fitness, health, and nutrition.

You can’t live the lifestyle, have the mindset, and enjoy overall health if you are hurt, injured, or are not performing the exercises properly. Sam is the key for anyone looking to lose weight, hit a new PR, or be a competitive athlete.

---

A tight ass is just icing in the cake
​
Meet Lindsey Larson

I started this style of training almost 6 yrs ago.  I got into because a girlfriend of mine, Shannon, started in San Diego and had nothing but great things to say about.  Shannon and I played college soccer together and knew what it meant to train hard, be sore, and give something everything you have.  After we both graduated, we missed the team sport environment.  This is what Shannon kept telling me.  She says "you should try it, it's kinda like being apart of the soccer team again, you will love it".  She was right.

I started at a gym in Glenwood Springs and very quickly was hooked.  I loved the workouts, I loved the variety, and I loved being in a group atmosphere again.  I switched jobs which brought to Vail from Glenwood Springs.  One of the first things I did was look for a new gym - THANKFULLY Sam and Melissa had just opened CFV.  

I went into this sport thinking that all my benefits would be physical.  I would look better in a swimsuit.  I would be able to ski harder and bike faster.  I could wear more skinny jeans.  And all of those things did happen!  I was beating my friends on hard mountain bike climbs, I was still skiing circles around my friends on a powder day.  I would haul up a 70b bag of dog food up a flight of stairs and not even think twice about it.  I would get compliments about my tight bum or strong back.  What I did not anticipate was the mental benefits.  I saw physical improvement but more importantly I had mental improvement.  I was more confident and noticed a higher self esteem.  I could walk into difficult situations in a calm state and not be anxious.  I also felt more resilient, everyday life and stress didn't seem to bother me anymore.  I became a better wife, sister, daughter, and employee.  I was sleeping better and waking up happier.  

I can truthfully say after almost 5 yrs I love going to CFV as much as I did when I started.  I do it for the family that I have there, the friends I see daily that make me laugh, and the mental aspect of crossfit.  I can go into the box crabby from a bad day and leave with a smile on my face.  A tight ass is just icing in the cake now!

I feel anyone could benefit from CFV.  It doesn't matter if you are 15 or 75.  There is something for everyone here whether you are looking to train for a race or just look good in a swimsuit.  

​In this crazy world we all could use the benefits of less stress, a supportive community, and improving our health while we are at.  If you are on the fence, I challenge you to just try it.  Just come to a few classes and then come and tell me that you didn't have fun or go to bed that night feeling just a little more satisfied with yourself.  

THE FIRST STEP IS THE HARDEST

Meet Ashley Perrigaud

She lost 83 Pounds in 12 months at CFV

Article from the Vail Daily by Caramie Schnell: 

Walking through the doors to CFV in Avon for the first time was the hardest part. She was nervous, especially since she’d Googled CrossFit and seen “a bunch of very fit people lifting weights and running,” she said.

“I was the biggest girl there when I walked in,” Perrigaud remembered. “And for any person, it’s hard to walk into a gym when you haven’t been in one for many, many years. But once I came in and met everyone who was so nice and so supportive, I stopped feeling intimidated.

“The first step is the hardest, but once you’re in there and meet everyone, you realize it’s a community and it’s awesome, so you keep coming back,” she continued.

And she kept coming back. Perrigaud was at CFV each morning at 9, six or seven days a week (the trainers recommend a minimum of three days per week, max of six).

The first 45 pounds came off fairly easily for Perrigaud, who at first didn’t change her diet much. But she got stuck at around 190 pounds. “I hit a wall because I wasn’t paying attention to my nutrition,” she said. “I couldn’t get anywhere.”

Now along with working out, Perrigaud counts calories, weighs her food and eats an 80 percent paleo diet — basically vegetables, meat, some fruits and nuts. The hardest thing for her to give up was cheese and pasta, but now Perrigaud has a new favorite vegetable — Brussels sprouts, which she either grills or steams.

ALONG FOR THE JOURNEY

It’s the sense of community at CFV that Perrigaud credits as making the difference.

“Ashley’s experience is the perfect example of why CFV isn’t just for athletes or ultra-athletic people,” said Melissa Matthews, one of the owners and trainers at the gym. “It’s so good for people like Ashley who need accountability. Having everyone know where she started, know where she’s going, and be alongside her on that journey.”

In some cases, literally alongside her. Even when that meant doing burpees, a full body exercise used in strength training that even people in fantastic shape sometimes dread.

“Most people hate burpees. They see it on the board and they instantly complain,” Matthews said.

But after Perrigaud hit her 75-pound weight loss goal, nearly every gym member did 75 burpees to celebrate. “Not only did they not complain, people were smiling,” Matthews said.

‘AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING CHANGE’

Smiling is something that’s always come naturally to Perrigaud, but especially now. A wide grin lit up her face this past weekend when she walked across the stage to accept her Associates of Arts degree.

“I’m happier,” she said. “It’s been an all-encompassing change. Now I’m able to be a better mom, a better student, a better girlfriend. I have a clear head. I can sleep well at night.”

---

Check out this Blogger - Visitor - Gym Traveler's Review! (This is us... Just a different Biz name/location...)

SAM MATTHEWS IS A F*@#ING AMAZING COACH!
        I'm not sure if I have ever taken more away from any hour at any CrossFit gym as I did with my time with that guy.

It has been a wild ride opening my new gym in the highlands.  Between that and school I haven't had a lot of extra time for training or sleeping or breathing for that matter.  Last week was spring break which meant that I got to grab a few hours for myself, how did I use those hours??  I visited other CrossFit gyms of course!  I wanted to get out of town for a day or two and since I have been too busy this season to put any new dents in my Burton I decided to head up to the mountains.  I have been meaning to visit Avon's only CF gym,CrossFit Venture, home of "The burpee Queen" Natalie McLain. 

It is tough dropping into other gyms in the middle of the open since you have no clue what will be asked of you in the coming weeks. The idea of dropping in to a gym that doesn't post their workouts ahead of time is even more dangerous.  I saw that Venture offered an Olympic lifting class and was excited about the idea of not being drug through the mud on a long hero workout the day before the announcement of Open workout 13.4.  

When I walked in I saw Sam on the floor stretching out by himself.  I immediately felt like a shmuck.  I had registered for the class online and even sent an email saying that I was coming but the thought of making the guy go through a class without any of the gyms actual members was not cool.  He told me that one more person was signed up which made me feel better.

Sam explained that we would be working on snatch so he had us grab a PVC pipe and took us through the Burgener warm-up.  With an empty bar he recorded us using an iPad, showing exactly where we were coming up short.  He had us set up a couple of boxes and did a very useful drill with us to help us get under the bar faster.  Now this is usually where I break down the class and talk about results but I am going to stray from my typical format on this one.  Bare with me for a moment but I need to say this, Sam Matthews is a fucking amazing coach!  I'm not sure if I have ever taken more away from any hour at any CrossFit gym as I did with my time with that guy.

The guy has a great eye for human movement and delivers cues in a very easy to understand way.  His excitement and passion for what he does is evident. 

Very very infrequently will I stray from the programming that I have written for my gym, however, I felt like the information that I received from my time at CF Venture was so valuable I didn't want to wait to implement it.  When I got back to Denver the next day's training was simply "Snatch"  Every one of the classes at my gym spent a complete hour working on the skills that I took from Sam.  We had several athletes break long standing personal records as a result.  What I took away from my time at Venture was valuable both as an athlete and a coach. 

This class really shouldn't be missed.  Even if your goal isn't to compete at Olympic lifting or at CrossFit taking this class will absolutely help you understand the movements better.  Bottom line, if you live anywhere near Avon, hell if you live in Denver, and you miss a chance to train with Sam at Venture you are wrong. 

The Score....
A super easy to find location, awesome coaching and the ability to order a shirt online grabs CrossFit Venture a score of...... Top three finish at Regionals!

http://boxjumpjourney.blogspot.com/2013/04/crossfit-venture.html​