Hellroaring CrossFit has a new home off Highway 2

Barb Turney has been doing CrossFit workouts since 2011. “I think a lot of us are addicted to the workouts,” she said. “… You get really sore … but it’s a good thing.” Turney is one of about 100 members of Hellroaring CrossFit to follow the Columbia Falls business to its new location off Highway 2 on Canyon View Lane.

The business recently moved from the Old First Citizens Bank on Nucleus Avenue to the Canyon View location after it lost its lease. Sarah Murphy, who owns the business with her husband, Gabe, said they moved April 30th into their new location on a Friday and were up and running by Monday morning. “We were here at 5:15 a.m. ready to roll,” she said. CrossFit combines a series of different workouts into a single fitness regime. During a workout a person might climb a rope to the ceiling, ride a stationary bike, lift weights and then top it off with laps around the spacious building. Workouts are tailored to the individual and class sizes are small — just 12 to a group, Murphy noted.

“The modification piece is what we pride ourselves on,” Murphy said.

Turney, for example, said she had a shoulder injury, so she took it relatively easy on the bar section of the workout.

The cost per month is $150. But participants get one-on-one training.

“What you’re paying for is to be coached,” Murphy said. Most of the gym’s members are women — it’s about a 70-30 split, Murphy said. The average person works out about three to four times a week.

People have individual goals, but most simply want to be strong and fit, but not necessarily a competitive athlete, Murphy noted.

They also advise members on proper diet.

One of the things about the training regimen is that some people actually gain weight — in muscle. It can be a challenge to convince some folks that’s a good thing, Murphy noted.

“The scale goes up and they panic,” Murphy said. “It can be a huge battle to get them to eat more.”

Murphy recalled a saying that goes something like this: You can’t exercise away a bad diet, but you can fuel a workout.

For Turney, the camaraderie at the gym is what makes it a fun place to be. If a person is struggling to finish a workout, the rest of the class cheers them on to the finish. “It’s like a close knit family,” she said. For more information on the gym, visit its website at: hellroaringcrossfit.com