Pohaku-Strength & Conditioning — Attraction in Hawaii

I struggle to get to the gym, period. I have bouts of depression and anxiety is my long time friend. Knowing this about myself I decided to join Pohaku-Crossfit for several reasons:

One, it's a class. It's hard enough for me to get to the gym but when I do end up going, I'm stumped on what to do. Having someone there to guide me works best.

Two, CrossFit is high intensity which means I get a great workout and I leave feeling accomplished (and maybe a little sore the next day BUT a good sore!)

Three, lifting weights feels REALLY incredible. I leave feeling strong and empowered. Once you get over the intimidation factor of it all, it really is fun! My fitness goal is NOT to get SWOLL—instead it's to get my butt to the gym, feel good, and move on with my day. I scale the workouts and sometimes I don't put any weight on. That's just where I'm at right now. The coaches Andy, Nate and Ben do not pressure me to try to go heavier with the weights. They encourage me to keep going or suggest a better position but I NEVER feel pressured.

I've been at CF-Pohaku for about 4 month doing 3x a week (sometimes I can only get there 1 or 2x's a week) and no one judges you (or cares!) about where you're at in your fitness journey.

The people who go to this gym are friendly working professionals with positive supportive attitudes. Some even bring their cute puppies and I just love this. I like to think that getting to pet them is my reward after a hard work out :-)

The coaches here Andy, Nate, and Ben, are knowledgable, positive, non-judgemental, helpful, encouraging, and overall bring my mood up every time I leave.

Thank you CF-Puhako,...

As an experienced CF athlete, and one who travels frequently dropping in I found the gym very unwelcoming. I’m a lv1 coach and a recent kidney donor, I found the opening welcome from the owner less than warm and inviting; it felt like I was a burden to disrupt his Normal flow. The core of the CF community is just that “community”. I dropped in on vacation which was a “celebration of life” trip for my family and I as I donated a kidney for my husband so I’ve been out of the intensity of my CF training for a a few Months- as I get back into CF training I wanted to ensure I was not missing trying days on vacation. I asked about the gym; the bars (I’m short) the equipment and if there was “chalk” and I was met with a very poor taste in jokes “ we don’t use chalk that’s what’s grip strength is for”. Needles to day, after the 45+ gyms I have visited this was the very least of professionalism.

With that being said, they have utilized the space well and it’s well kept and clean. The demeanor of the owner, Andy was cocky. When asked if I wanted to join for the week, I opted out to Join another gym around the corner which was superb.

I certainly hope when folks drop into my Gym then don’t...

I dropped into a Saturday morning class a few years ago and after witnessing the energy, camaraderie and community within the Pohaku ohana, and experiencing the challenging but do-able workout (which was modified to my fitness level at the time), I was completely hooked!

Years later, I'm still there, learning new skills and improving existing ones, and the Pohaku ohana is still as strong, welcoming, and supportive as ever. All the coaches are knowledgeable, with a focus on good form and safety so as to prevent injuries. They know when to push you a little more or to dial it back a little. The workouts are varied and constantly challenging me to improve; they can (and usually are) always modified to meet your skill level. But I know I will always get a great workout every time!

Everyone has different reasons and motivations for joining a gym or Crossfit box. But if you are looking to learn new things, challenge yourself, and grow, and doing it in a fun, safe, and supportive environment, then...