Growing up, Reshad Asgarali, a 28-year-old digital marketer from Miami, Florida, did whatever he could to avoid sports and exercise. “I just felt like my more feminine qualities and mannerisms would make me a clear target to get picked on more so than I already was,” he said. But over time, avoiding exercise became a “lifestyle” that contributed to extreme weight gain.
Remarkably, Asgarali lost over 100 pounds through a healthy diet and exercising alone in his room. Even after this transformation, he was still too intimidated to set foot in a traditional gym setting. Eventually, he gained the courage to give CrossFit Dynamix a try. “There I was, this anxious gay guy lifting heavy weights, getting better each week, alongside some of the strongest people I’d ever met,” he said. “These same people would cheer for me, push me, and encourage me, regardless of my sexual orientation.”
Though CrossFit is often stereotyped as a “very macho sport,” Asgarali added, he said most people would be surprised by how accepting the community is. “At the end of the day the welcoming CrossFit community is something that can’t be found anywhere else,” he said. “That’s what kept me coming back.”
