The CrossFit twins with a backyard gym
Grassroots Club warmup on a Saturday morning 2023. Photo: Elsie Williams
During the height of world cups, triumphs, losses, and of course our “up the wahs,” our slightly less covered sports slide under the rug. A sport that is skyrocketing up the fitspo ranks is the world of CrossFit, a strength and conditioning workout that is made up of functional movement performed at a high intensity level.
CrossFit is considered to be a young student in the school of fitness. However, trends show that this popular HIIT workout is making up ground at an incredible rate. As a student, navigating everyday routines can be vigorous and tiring. It may even be a stretch for some students to maintain a healthy work to life balance. With CrossFit, exercise is a lot more convenient, so why not build a gym in your backyard?
Christchurch twins, Kaden and Morgan Gibbons, built a fully equipped CrossFit gym out of their garage, as well as using their skills to build their own climbing frame outside. Their gym is fully equipped, with a huge climbing frame and a garage containing numerous weights and machines.
Elsie Williams, Canta intern interviewing Morgan (left) and Kaden (right).
Although the class appeared intimidating to an inconsistent gym go-er like myself, these two gentleman ooze radiant energy and passion, making the experience a lot less stressful.
It is evident from the way they speak and interact with those around the gym, a strong sense of community and comradery encompass the foundations of this club. “At the Grassroots Club our passion for fitness goes beyond the walls of our gym. We believe that fitness is more than just a way to stay in shape, it's a key to unlocking a better, more fulfilling life,” say the twins whilst explaining their ‘why.’
Alongside their studies in engineering, the twins put their six years of CrossFit knowledge to the test and decided to create their own gym, in which they called ‘The Grassroots Club.’
Kaden stumbled across a CrossFit games YouTube video in which he thought “looked epic.” Whereas Morgan thought “it looked bloody cool but quite intimidating.” The twins participated in a CrossFit class where their addiction was fuelled immediately. “We had no idea what we were doing initially,” said Kaden, “then we got addicted from then on out. Just like addicted to getting better at stuff that we didn't know how to do, and we just kind of progressed.”
With over 20 members, Kaden and Morgan run five classes a week, with the addition of their recovery sessions where members can indulge in an ice bath and sauna.
Two Grassroots Club members enjoying an ice bath, image off @thegrassrootsclub Instagram 2023
“We just had a comp last weekend and had six people competing, some of them doing their comp for the first time. I think that was a pretty unreal experience that we didn't see coming, not after a year. It's sort of nostalgic, seeing our own journey reflected, you know, six years ago how we felt going through everyone else.”
After witnessing the magnetic atmosphere at the club, it appeared that this was far more than a gym, it was a community in which genuine friends are made.
Laughs are shared, the support is infinite and the vibes are honestly just great. “Our community celebrates each other's successes and offers encouragement during tough times, creating an inclusive and uplifting environment where everyone can thrive,” says the twins on their website.
“A piece of advice I would give is don't get down about the things that you're bad at, because there's going to be lots of them,” says Kaden. “And if you got the right intentions, it'll always work out no matter how long it takes,” Morgan follows up.
With an optimistic attitude and a strong foundation, the Grassroots Club creators pave the way for a bright, agile, and powerful future, strengthened by the ambition of 6 years of educational CrossFit wealth.
Saturday Morning workout, features Kaden Gibbons the Grassroots Club co-owner. Photo: Elsie Williams