Invictus Blog

“Built on Common Purpose and Shared Success”
Written by C.J. Martin – and honorary Invicti Drew Canavero

I had planned to write a “mission accomplished” post detailing the success of the Invictus athletes this weekend. It was, by all measures, an unbelievable weekend. Among the highlights are the following:

• Team Invictus Around the Globe (Aja Barto, Steve Howell, Azadeh Boroumand and Michelle Kinney) – 1st place at SICest of the Southwest – special shout out to Aja Barto on his 345 lb Clean & Jerk with no warm-up
• Team Invictus San Diego (Shane Farmer, Tino Marini, Nichole DeHart and Lauren Fisher) – 3rd place at SICest of the Southwest
• Camille Leblanc-Bazinet – Tied for 1st place individual female at SICest of the Southwest
• Lauren Fisher – Between competition events enters and wins a $3000 cash prize for fastest obstacle course time at fitness expo
• Ryan Moody – Nearly breaks his own world-record with a box jump taller than he is in front of thousands at SICest of the Southwest
• Chazz Rudolph – Phenomenal experience in one of his first large competitions
• Jenny LaBaw – Tied for 1st place in WarriorZ Competition up in Northern California
• Elyse Umeda – Sets new Hawaii state record for Olympic weightlifting and qualifies for American Open in her first sanctioned meet
• Noah Pester – New Clean & Jerk PR of 305 lbs – which is 50 lbs more than when we began working together

So, what could possibly be better than all of that?

Here’s what I consider better . . . a member of our online community capturing exactly what we are about . . . “Invictus truly is a gym—a community—built on common purpose and shared success.”

Drew Canavero has been around our community as an online client, a participant in our training camp, and now a follower of the Invictus Competition blog. We got to hang out with him this weekend as he was competing very well on the team that took second place in the team division of the SICest of the Southwest (the other three were from Wasatch CF in Utah). His performance included a 335 lb Clean & Jerk without much of a warm-up. He posted the following as a blog comment on Sunday, and touches on so many of the aspects of what makes our community special. The results are a side-effect of the character, culture and community we emphasize as the foundation of Invictus. Drew gets that, and says so in a way that is more meaningful than I could have. Thanks Drew, and congratulations on “walking the talk” and performing brilliantly this weekend.

En route back home (2 hours of driving down, 10 to go). Wanted to reflect on the weekend:

1. As nice as bragging rights (and $2000) would have been, I’m beyond pleased with how me and my team performed this weekend. CJ put up some TOUGH competition, and we responded. Watch out for Wasatch CrossFit in the SW Region!

2. Of the 12 individuals who podiumed in the team division (plus a shout out to Camille in RX women!), 9 are Invictus athletes. Despite a rough travel schedule, and ZERO warm up before the 1st event, I felt prepared. In fact, I exceeded expectations. Moreover, my nutrition and recovery schedule—for the first time—were both on point. I finished the day as strong as I started. I attribute most of this to the mindfulness and maturity I’ve developed since following Invictus.

3. What can I say about the Invictus crew? AMAZING athletes, even better people. Positive, supportive, and a lot of fun. They represent the very best of the CF community. It was great to reconnect with some familiar faces, and make some new friends.

4. I’ve known it, and this weekend reaffirmed it: CJ Martin is the best in the business. Superior programming, superior coach, and a alright dude (cue Sam Elliot voice). Whether you follow the blog, receive personal coaching, or have the privilege to regularly train at CF Invictus, rest assured you are in capable hands. I’ve never met a coach so animated by the success of his athletes. If you don’t post regularly, start doing so. Invictus truly is a gym—a community—built on common purpose and shared success. It’s an honor to consider myself some small part of it.

See you all on the other side.