Denise Chavez
Coach at CrossFit Iron Horse

I have always led a pretty active lifestyle. Playing sports and dancing in school which led to traveling to teach dance to high-schoolers for a couple summers after I graduated. Once I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter, my fitness went a little stale. I let myself get lazy and just couldn’t find anything that excited me enough to stick with, then came CrossFit. I kept hearing about it and somehow, I talked my coworker (current CFIH member Iris) into joining a “6-week challenge” and never looked back. 7 years later, I finally stepped out on a ledge with the help of a few people to make it known that I wanted more. That I wanted a more in-depth relationship with CFIH and CrossFit as Coach.

Thankfully, I didn’t let any of you down! And I do it because I remember everything about how I felt when I started CrossFit. The intimidation, the fear, the “I could never do that”… The list goes on and on. The community that surrounds this sport is the driving factor. I love it not only because it allows me to keep up with my teenage daughter, but also watching others reach beyond those self-inflicted barriers to reach and exceed their goals just hypes me up. Seeing someone hit their first box jump, muscle up, that weight they have been chasing on a back squat… Being a part of that, it’s incredibly special.