CrossFit South Brooklyn in Brooklyn, New York, has 800 members. Among them are Mike Cutaia, 68, and Judy Feldman, 68, who attend personal sessions with affiliate owner David Osorio.
“The tone changes from population to population, but the message is always the same: That you’re welcome here and we’re gonna challenge you to get better,” Osorio says of the various demographics in his box. “I wanted to create an environment where I would’ve felt comfortable walking in and felt like I was taken seriously.”
Cutaia, a pulmonologist, started CrossFit three months after undergoing an aortic-valve replacement. Also a two-time cancer survivor, Cutaia says he desperately needed some physical activity in his life.
“(CrossFit’s) been wonderful and successful,” Cutaia says. “It’s really helped me manage my chronic issues related to chronic disease.”
Feldman, a retired primary-care physician, has noticed a change in her everyday life since starting CrossFit. With three young grandchildren, she needed some energy to keep up.
“I’m pushing this stroller that has a baby in it … and carrying the older one on my hip,” Feldman recalls of a time walking uphill in Brooklyn. “I got to the top of the block and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I actually did that.’”
Video by Michael Dalton.
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