When Austin, better known around CrossFit Dwell as Augie, first walked through the doors in May 2021, fitness was almost entirely absent from his life. At 31 years old, he had reached a point where inactivity no longer felt consistent with the person he believed himself to be. He knew he needed to make a change, but he couldn’t have known at the time just how significantly that decision would influence the years that followed.
“I had zero fitness in my life and wanted to change that,” Augie says. “It wasn’t who I am as a person to stay inactive for so long.” It is a straightforward explanation for a decision that became transformative. There was no elaborate fitness plan or carefully constructed strategy. There was simply the recognition that he wanted something different and the willingness to take the first step.
What began as an effort to become more active has evolved into something much more meaningful. Now 36, Augie has spent more than five years developing strength, building muscle, and improving his physical capabilities. But the most significant transformation hasn’t necessarily been something that can be measured with a barbell or seen in the mirror. Somewhere along the way, fitness became part of his identity and something he genuinely values.
A Completely Unexpected Community
When Augie first considered joining CrossFit, he had very little understanding of what actually happened inside a CrossFit gym. He wasn’t walking in with years of experience or a preconceived notion of what his training should look like. In many ways, he was discovering the entire experience for the first time.
“I was completely unaware of what went on within a CrossFit gym,” he explains. What surprised him most, however, wasn’t the workouts or the equipment. It was the community.
“To my surprise, it was a community environment that I did not expect.”
That realization is significant because the community aspect of CrossFit can be difficult to appreciate from the outside. Someone who has never participated in a class may see barbells, kettlebells, rowers, pull-up rigs, and people working through demanding workouts. What isn’t immediately apparent is the encouragement, camaraderie and relationships that develop within the gym.
Augie discovered that he wasn’t simply walking into a room to exercise. He was becoming part of a group of people who were all pursuing their own goals, confronting their own limitations, and encouraging one another along the way. Everyone brought a different level of experience and ability to class, but everyone had something they were working toward.
That environment helped transform fitness from something that had previously been missing from his life into something he wanted to continue pursuing.
More Than Getting Stronger
There is no question that Augie has experienced substantial physical changes since joining CrossFit Dwell. Interestingly, Augie doesn’t describe his physical transformation as the most important outcome of his journey. Instead, he talks about something much more fundamental: his perspective on fitness has changed.
“Since joining, I’ve noticed a significant increase in muscle mass and overall strength. More importantly, my appreciation for fitness has grown tremendously.”
That shift in perspective may ultimately be more valuable than any individual physical accomplishment. There is a tremendous difference between exercising because you feel obligated to do it and developing a genuine appreciation for what fitness contributes to your life.
“CrossFit has changed the way I look at working out and has made fitness something I genuinely value and enjoy as part of my life.”
That is the kind of change that tends to last. When exercise becomes something you value rather than something you feel compelled to endure, consistency becomes much easier to maintain. Fitness stops being a temporary project and becomes part of the way you live.
For Augie, that’s exactly what has happened.
The Transformation That Extends Beyond the Gym
When asked what he’s most proud of, Augie doesn’t mention a particular personal record or a workout that he conquered. Instead, his answer reveals something deeper about what this journey has meant to him.
“I’m most proud of how much more committed I’ve become to improving myself and continuing to progress. This has transformed other areas of my life.”
That commitment is one of the best benefits of a consistent fitness practice. The gym provides countless opportunities to learn that meaningful progress is rarely immediate. You show up, you practice, you struggle, you make adjustments, and eventually you become capable of things that once seemed difficult or impossible.
Those lessons have a tendency to extend far beyond the hour spent in the gym.
Fitness teaches patience and discipline. It teaches you to embrace incremental progress rather than expecting instant results. It teaches you that discomfort isn’t necessarily a signal to stop and that setbacks don’t have to define the outcome. Most importantly, it teaches you that you are capable of becoming better than you were yesterday.
For Augie, that mindset has influenced other areas of his life. His commitment to improving physically has developed into a broader commitment to personal growth.
And perhaps that’s one of the clearest indications that fitness has become more than just exercise for him.
Learning to Embrace the Harder Parts
Of course, Augie’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. In fact, his biggest challenge has been an area that doesn’t necessarily come as naturally to him: conditioning and endurance.
“Strength has come more naturally to me,” he says, “but pushing through the longer, higher-intensity workouts has been more challenging.”
It’s an experience many people can relate to. We all have aspects of fitness that come more easily and others that require considerably more patience and effort. The temptation can be to gravitate toward what we’re good at and avoid what exposes our weaknesses.
Augie has chosen a different approach.
Rather than allowing conditioning to remain a weakness, he’s continued working on it. Over time, he’s seen measurable improvement. That progress may not always come as quickly as he would like, but it reinforces one of the most important lessons of training: you don’t have to excel at something when you begin in order to become proficient at it.
Sometimes progress is simply the result of repeatedly showing up and being willing to work on the things that challenge you most.
For Augie, becoming better conditioned isn’t about suddenly becoming the best endurance athlete in the gym. It’s about continuing to expand his capabilities and refusing to become complacent with where he is today.
There Is Still Plenty Ahead
After more than five years of training, it would be easy to assume that someone like Augie might feel as though he’s reached the point where he’s simply maintaining what he’s accomplished.
That’s not how he sees it.
His goals remain centered around getting stronger, building more muscle, and improving his overall conditioning. But underneath all of those specific goals is something even more important: consistency.
“More than anything, I want to stay consistent and continue making fitness a long term part of my lifestyle.”
That perspective is what separates a short-term fitness effort from a sustainable lifestyle. There is always another goal to pursue, another skill to develop, another weakness to address and another opportunity to improve.
The objective isn’t to reach some imaginary point where you’ve finally become “fit enough.” It’s to continue investing in your health and physical capabilities throughout the years ahead.
For Augie, the goal is not simply to be fit today. It’s to make sure fitness remains a meaningful part of his life for decades to come.
The Advice He Would Give Himself
If Augie could go back to the beginning of his journey and have a conversation with the person who walked into CrossFit Dwell in 2021, he knows exactly what he would say.
“I would tell myself to start sooner and not overthink it. You don’t have to be in great shape before starting CrossFit—that’s the reason you’re there.”
That advice addresses one of the most common misconceptions about beginning a fitness program. Too many people believe they need to become fit before they are qualified to walk into a gym. They assume they need to lose weight, improve their conditioning, learn the movements or become stronger before they can begin.
But that’s backwards.
You don’t become ready and then start. You start, and the process helps you become ready.
Augie didn’t walk into CrossFit Dwell with an impressive fitness background. He didn’t already possess the strength, conditioning or experience he has today. He developed those qualities because he was willing to begin as a beginner.
His other advice is equally important: “Be consistent, listen to the brilliant coaches, and don’t compare yourself to everyone else.”
That last part can be especially difficult in a group fitness environment. There will always be someone who is stronger, faster, more experienced or further along in their journey. But their progress has nothing to do with yours.
The only meaningful comparison is between who you are today and who you were when you started.
And when you give yourself enough time, the difference can be remarkable.
Five Years Can Change a Lot
In May 2021, Augie walked through the doors of CrossFit Dwell with essentially no fitness background and a desire to change that. He didn’t know exactly what he was getting into, and he certainly didn’t anticipate how much the community would become part of the experience.
Today, he is stronger, more muscular, and more conditioned than the person who began that journey five years ago. More importantly, he has developed an appreciation for fitness that he didn’t have before. He has become more committed to personal growth, and that commitment has influenced other areas of his life.
His story is a reminder that transformation rarely happens all at once. It happens through hundreds of ordinary decisions to show up, put in the work, listen to your coaches, and keep moving forward.
Augie’s journey began because he decided that inactivity was no longer the life he wanted. More than five years later, he has built something that is far more valuable than a collection of impressive numbers. He has built a relationship with fitness that he intends to carry with him for the long term.
What Will Your Story Look Like?
Maybe you are where Augie was when he started. Maybe you’ve realized that you have been inactive for too long and you’re ready to make a change, but you’re unsure where to begin. Perhaps you’ve been telling yourself that you’ll start once you’re in better shape or once life becomes a little less hectic.
Don’t wait for the perfect time or convince yourself that you need to become fit before you walk through the door.
Start where you are.
At CrossFit Dwell, our coaches will meet you at your current fitness level, teach you the movements, provide appropriate modifications and help you progress safely and confidently.
Augie started with zero fitness. What he gained over the next five years wasn’t simply strength and muscle. He gained confidence, discipline, a deeper appreciation for fitness and a commitment to continual improvement.
Your starting point may look completely different from his. But the opportunity is the same.
If you’ve been thinking about starting your fitness journey, stop overthinking it. Schedule a free intro here: FREE INTRO.
Take the first step toward making strength, health, and fitness a lasting part of your life.
