Seve Degrand
Coach at CrossFit Iron Horse

Throughout high school, I played a few different sports but I had never touched a barbell. In 2012 my dad brought me into a metal building off West Vickery where I quickly learned the foundational movements of CrossFit. My workout that day consisted of box jumps and push ups and I remember having never felt that exhausted in my life. I was hooked and I’ve been doing CrossFit ever since. The majority of that time has been at Iron Horse. What has stuck with me most over the years is the wide variety of workouts and movements we perform that are all considered CrossFit. I’ve spent many early Saturday mornings drawing up a ridiculous workout that put my friends and I on our backsides afterward. Programming caught my eye first.

Learning how to put together movements to achieve a certain stimulus is not only fascinating but also humbling. I’ve been interested in coaching for most of my fitness journey. I’ve admired so many of my own coaches over the years and have experienced firsthand what a positive impact a good coach can have. I hope to have that same impact on our members’ lives in and out of the gym. Being a part of the Iron Horse community has been one of the pillars in my life for over a decade. I have been fortunate to work out with members past and present in all different phases of life. I have walked alongside them as they have nursed injuries and celebrated PRs, and seen CrossFit remain appropriate in every stage of their fitness journeys as well as in my own.

I fell in love with the community through doing the Open, watching the CrossFit Games, and attending member events where gym friends became friends for life. I walked into this gym over a decade ago as a soft-spoken 18 year old with poor mobility who knew nothing about fitness, nutrition, or wellness. Over the years, the gym is where I’ve gained confidence, become more assertive, and learned how to move better and push myself. To say my time spent doing CrossFit has been life changing is an understatement.