CrossFit Local | Voted #1 Chapel Hill CrossFit — Local services in Chapel Hill

Fifty years ago I was a collegiate wrestler at Furman University. Now, at 68 years of age, I am in my best condition since those happy days, thanks a great deal to the great fitness community at CrossFit Local in Chapel Hill. My resting heart rate is 51 BPM after years (decades!) in the sixties. I can bench 255 pounds, clean and jerk 160, and I can do unbroken sets of 64 pushups. After nine months of working out at CrossFit Local, I placed in the top one third of eleven hundred elderly… um… “masters” athletes worldwide in the Open competition for my age group.

Owners Chad and Kelly Edwards have built a wonderful fitness-oriented community. During special events such as a skills class or the recent CrossFit Open, they provide childcare in the “club house” just outside the gym. Every so often, Kelly sets up and facilitates weight-loss programs, complete with prizes for accomplishments. Chad is always willing to provide one-on-one coaching. You’ll find healthy recipes on their Facebook site, protein and pre-workout supplements in the lobby, and there is always a “Local Hero” working out when you enter the gym… always inspiring!

Differentiating the place even more is the cadre of well educated and certified coaches, always eager to help. All have patiently entertained my questions and provided super insight. I’ve received tips from Coach Paul on power lifting and from Coach Kevin on my techniques and balance. I’ve discussed the cardiovascular system with fabulous distance runner Coach Josh (Hyden). I’ve learned the basics of handstand pushups and wall walks from Coach Grace. I try not to wonder if I remind Grace of her grandfather… I don’t mind being dad-age to the rest of them!

And oh my, the “Local Heroes!” From my perch on a rowing machine, I’ve watched Coach Michael do sets of very impressive “muscle-ups”. If you don’t know what those are, Google it and be amazed! Yes, young Grace can do them too! I’ve also observed Coach Marc load up a barbell with multiple heavy plates to conquer with his dead lifts. And I have followed on Facebook Coach Kristin’s successes in “strong woman” competitions she competes in around the state.

The only coach I don’t know is Josh Fox, but I drew him as a judge for one of my Open workouts and he was kind and forgiving of my poor form, not giving me any of the dreaded “No-reps”. I am sure many of the other old guys were also getting away with what they could, so I don’t feel too bad about it.

And speaking of Local Heroes, Justin Huckaby… “Coach Huck” …. is there almost every evening, working out in preparation for the CrossFit competitions and teaching the rest of us anything we ask about. I just checked Justin’s performance in the 2022 CF open and he is in the top 4-5% of CrossFit athletes worldwide. One thing I’ve observed about Justin is that each day he comes in with a plan, scrawls it on a little white board, and proceeds methodically through the exercises and lifts he’s determined to complete for the day. Several times I’ve seen him accomplish PR’s as he progresses. Not to mention the awe of watching him scamper up the climbing rope!

Finally, there is Coach Spenser Smith. Like many of the coaches and athletes at CrossFit Local here in academically oriented Chapel Hill, Spenser is highly educated… in his case, Spenser is a Doctor of Pharmacy. I’ve leveraged his knowledge several times in addition to taking in inspiration by watching his workouts. As an example, Spenser taught me about the “three energy pathways” employed by us humans to keep ourselves going. The concept is the key to why the “metabolic conditioning” techniques emphasized by all CrossFit gyms produce the best conditioned athletes on the...

My relationship to CrossFit Local has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I started out early on, joining as a member after my personal trainer started to do classes there where I quickly found that it was more than just a place to work out. It was a unique community of diverse folks who all shared one thing in common: a commitment to being the best people we can each be.

For some people, a gym is a place to see and be seen. For others, it's a place to feed an exercise addiction. For still others, it's a something that you do because you're told it's what you have to do. For the members of CrossFit Local, it's a little of all that and more. We come to get cheered on new personal achievements and to witness our friends experiencing the thrill of breaking through. We come because being healthy and getting fitter are simply the benefits of a regimen that ends up making you look your best both in and out of clothes. We come because we know someone will miss us if we don't show up and give it our best.

Above all else, we come to CrossFit Local because nowhere else makes us feel as good as we do when we come, work out, ring the PR bell, and look other members in the eye after a workout and say to one another with complete honesty:

"You inspire me...

Words can't describe how much I have enjoyed CrossFit Local over the past 6 months. Before starting CrossFit Local, I was very nervous and uncertain whether I was ready for the "CrossFit experience". On my first day, I felt welcomed by every coach and member. I remember my first "WOD," or workout out of the day, was unusually hard compared to the normal "WOD". It was called the "12 Days of Christmas". I think I finished 15 minutes after everyone was done, but yet no one left; everybody stayed to cheer me on. I will never forget that day! Every coach at CrossFit cares about about your safety and makes sure you are doing each movement correctly. The coaches also care about you reaching your goals. The owners, Kelly and Chad, make CrossFit Local way more personalized than any gym I have ever been to. I love the events they put together to make us feel like a family. I would recommend CrossFit Local to anyone of all skill levels. No matter where you are fitness-wise, you will see...