CrossFit Republic

One of my favorite things about our Free Saturdays happened again this past weekend.

A friend of one of our members was in town visiting. She dropped into class, worked out with us, and afterward told one of our coaches that when she got home, she was going to start looking for a CrossFit gym near her.

That's exactly why we do this.

We make Saturdays free because we believe the best way to understand CrossFit is to experience it. You can read about it, watch videos, or hear someone else talk about it, but none of that compares to walking into a class, meeting the people, being coached, and realizing what a good hour can do for you.

If you're thinking about giving CrossFit a shot, here are a few things that'll make your first experience even better:

• Show up a few minutes early.
• Pay attention during the whiteboard brief. We explain the workout, the movements, and the intended stimulus before we ever start.
• Stand with the class. Don't feel like you need to hide in the back, we want you involved.
• If your coach asks you to change a movement or lighten the weight, trust them. That's not a step backward. That's how good coaching works.
• Eat something beforehand and come hydrated.
• Most importantly, come ready to learn. You don't need experience. You don't need to be in shape. You just need to be willing.

CrossFit has a way of changing people's expectations of what a gym can be.

If you've been curious, come see why.

🕗 Free Saturdays
8:00 AM & 9:00 AM
📍 CrossFit Republic

Identity creates habits.

Most people think they need the habit before they can become the person but we think it's the opposite.

Make a decision on who you want to be first. Maybe that sounds something like:

▶ "I'm disciplined."
▶ "I'm strong."
▶ "I'm someone who keeps my word."

Then prove it to yourself.

For instance, strength isn't something you wait to feel. You become strong by doing the things a strong person would do. You become disciplined by making the disciplined decision when no one is watching.

When the alarm goes off, get up. When it's time to train, show up. When it's time to eat, make the better choice.

Every action is a vote for or against the person you want to become.

Eventually, you don't have to convince yourself you're all those things you want to be.

You've collected enough proof that it's simply who you are.

Meet Chris Teed, our July Athlete of the Month!

Chris has been around CFR since 2018, but like a lot of people, life had a way of pulling him in different directions. He'd come for a while, get busy, and eventually fall out of a routine.

Then, in July of 2024, he stepped on the scale.

370 pounds. The heaviest he'd ever been.

That was the moment he knew something had to change.

When Chris came back to CFR in January 2025, he didn't chase a quick fix. He committed to showing up, week after week, workout after workout. He scaled movements when he needed to, embraced being uncomfortable, and trusted the process.

Today, he's down to 282 pounds.

He's dropped from a 46-inch waist to a 38, from a 4XL shirt to a 2XL, improved his health markers across the board, and somehow managed to get stronger while losing nearly 90 pounds.

But what stands out most isn't the number on the scale.

It's that Chris has learned to enjoy the process. He talks about looking forward to training, watching his hard work pay off, and having a community that celebrates every milestone right alongside him.

His advice is simple because he's lived it:

Show up consistently. Push yourself. Scale when you need to. Set goals. Keep moving.

If you've ever wondered what can happen when you stop waiting for the "perfect time" and simply commit, Chris's story is worth reading.

Swipe to read his story. ⬅️

COACH ANNOUNCEMENT

We’re excited to officially welcome Coach Zane Schmeeckle to the CrossFit Republic coaching staff.

Zane is a CrossFit Level 2 Coach, a USA Weightlifting Coach, and has served as a Fitness Trainer in the U.S. Army since 2017. He has been doing CrossFit since 2015, coaching since 2019, and has even had the opportunity to coach CrossFit in three different countries.

On paper, that's an impressive résumé but what stood out to us, though, is the way Zane views coaching.

After more than 17 years participating in different sports and training methods, he believes nothing compares to what CrossFit can do when it's paired with consistency and discipline. He's seen firsthand how it gives people the freedom to move better, become stronger, gain confidence, and live healthier lives. Helping people experience that transformation is what continues to drive him as a coach.

That perspective aligns perfectly with what we're building at CrossFit Republic.

Zane brings a wealth of coaching experience, a strong technical understanding of movement, and the ability to connect with athletes at every stage of their journey. Whether you're learning your first air squat or refining advanced gymnastics and weightlifting skills, he'll meet you where you are and help you continue progressing.

Outside the gym, Zane lives in Republic with his wife, Abi, who also trains CrossFit, their son Azariah, and their dog Fritz. When he's not coaching or training, you'll probably find him enjoying the outdoors, spending time at church, or confidently claiming he'll dominate everyone at board games.

For those wondering:

Favorite movements: Strict Press, Clean & Push Jerk, Handstand Walks, and Double Unders.

Least favorite: Burpees and Deadlifts.

We're grateful Zane chose to be part of our coaching team and excited for our community to learn from someone with his experience, humility, and passion for helping others.

If you see Coach Zane around the gym, make sure to introduce yourself and give him a warm CrossFit Republic welcome.

Summer is winding down.

The vacations are coming to an end and sc chool is about to start back up.

Schedules are quickly becoming routines again for a lot of people.

This is the time of year when people decide how the rest of their year is going to look.

If you've been telling yourself, "I'll get back into it after summer," your opportunity is here.

Start with Free Saturday.

Come take a class, meet our coaches, and experience what CrossFit Republic is all about. If you enjoy it, we'll invite you to our next Learn To course the following week...and we'll give you the first week of that course free, too.

Why?

Because we don't want you to join based on a sales pitch. We want you to experience what it's like to be coached, encouraged, and part of a community that's genuinely invested in your success.

If after a Free Saturday and a free week of Learn To you decide we're not the right fit, that's okay. At least you'll know.

But if we are...

This could be the decision that changes the rest of your year.

🕗 Free Saturday
8:00 AM & 9:00 AM
📍 CrossFit Republic

Bring a friend. We'd love the opportunity to show you what we're about.

Everyone wants the results but very few people decide who they're going to be when things stop going their way.

Because they will.

You'll get busy, miss a workout, or get stuck at a number on the scale.

Life has a way of creating less than optimal conditions but in reality, there are far too many variables in life for the conditions to ever be "perfect."

At some point, you have to just work within the conditions and adapt...and that's where people either get stuck or fail.

However, that should not be the moment to decide whether you're still in.

That decision should already be made long before it finds you.

Take the vacation, eat the dessert, rest when your body needs it, acclimate to the schedule because of the job change.

Then come back.

The people who succeed get knocked off course daily.

But they never mistake a detour for an exit.