Nat and Anne became great friends through their love of CrossFit. Now they’re competing in the adapted CrossFit World Championship in Texas. They share how they got involved in the sport, what they’re most excited for at the event, and why CrossFit is one of the most inclusive sports you can do.
“CrossFit has helped us with our conditions – now we’re competing in the world championship”

Nat, who lives with Becker muscular dystrophy, discusses the inequality in adapted CrossFit, while Anne opens up about sports improving her mental health and helping her accept having Charcot-Marie Tooth. CrossFit is a high intensity multi-sport that has all different types of workouts including strength, cardio, and functional fitness.
Anne’s story
I hated sports when I was a child as I knew I had Charcot Marie-Tooth from quite a young age.
” For the first 30 odd years of my life I was warned by medical professionals to avoid being in a wheelchair at all costs, which was really detrimental to my physical and mental health looking back[.”
For most of my 20s I was in agony, overweight and depressed, self-medicating to ease the pain in my body and in my head.
Finding CrossFit saved me
Eventually, I decided enough was enough. I started using a manual wheelchair more and about ten months ago contacted my local CrossFit gym, called One More Rep in Shoreditch, to see if they could accommodate my needs. I thought that CrossFit was some crazy intense sport with heavy weights, so I was expecting them to say no. To my surprise though, they told me to come along and give it a try. That’s when I fell in love with the sport and started turning my life around.
The community at my CrossFit gym were so welcoming and open to helping adapt workouts that suited me. They went above and beyond to help me feel comfortable and push myself. I’ve done things in CrossFit I never thought I’d be able to do.
It’s really helped my mental health as well.
“Since starting CrossFit four years ago, I’ve joined a sled hockey team and I’m about to join wheelchair rugby, all because my confidence has improved so much.”
It’s opened so many doors for me and it’s an amazing feeling to know everyone in these environments just wants great things for you. At 37 years old, I feel like I’ve finally started to own my disability and no longer see it as something that holds me back.
My first competition is the biggest in the world
The CrossFit Championship in Texas will actually be my first proper competition which is terrifying! The CrossFit open starts in February every year, and this time my coach persuaded me to enter. Anybody can register to take part for a small fee and you get a set workout once a week for three weeks. You submit a video of yourself doing that workout, and then the judges score you. Your then ranked on a leaderboard depending on what division you’re in, to see if you progress to the next round. Surprisingly, I made it all the way through!
The other women in my division are absolute powerhouses and I’m not expecting to win as I’m still so new to the sport, but it’s going to be an amazing experience and I’m just looking forward to having fun.

Nat’s story
This will be my first ever CrossFit Games final, so I want to be the best I can. Over the last few months, I’ve been eating loads to bulk up and increased my training. Usually, I go to the gym a couple of times a week, but since I qualified for the Texas games, I’ve been going every day and have been given a proper training programme. I’m so looking forward to seeing competitors in person whose journeys I’ve followed on social media for years. And of course you can’t forget the American food!
The event takes place across four days, and they’ll be a few workouts to compete in each day. We won’t find out what these are until we arrive though, which makes varied training even more important.
Becoming a CrossFit lover
I’ve always loved sport and used to play a lot of basketball, but as my Becker muscular dystrophy progressed, I’d get frustrated if I was having a weak day and couldn’t play properly.
“One of the things I love about CrossFit is that if you’re having a day where you’re in more pain or having muscle spasms, you can just do a different move that isn’t going to aggravate your condition.”
I was first introduced to CrossFit during the pandemic. I work in a school and volunteered to do some virtual PE classes during lockdown. I got really into creating workout content and started a social media profile to show that everyone can get involved in workouts. It was through this that I heard about a CrossFit class and went along to try it at Rockhouse CrossFit gym in Cumbria.
Before I knew it, I was competing. The more competitions I did, the more CrossFit related content popped up on my Instagram, and after a while I found the adaptive world of CrossFit. I competed in my first adapted games last year, and now I’m off to the Championship in Texas!
“The only frustration with adapted CrossFit is the pay gap. The winner of the Adapted CrossFit Championship will win $2,000, but the winner of the standard championship receives $314,000.”
It’s unfair that we train just as hard and likely have to spend more money on specialist equipment, yet the winner of the able-bodied division will have their lives changed, and the first place prize money for the adapted competition will barely cover our travel expenses.
If you don’t use it, you lose it
I think CrossFit has helped me mobility wise. My legs aren’t as tight because I’m doing more. A lot of CrossFit moves can help you with everyday tasks. Things like the box step helps you with walking up steps at home. The farmers carry, where you walk with two weights either side of you, will help with carrying shopping bags. I know when I’ve had two or three weeks off, I can feel it mentally and physically.
Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s all about just getting moving, I was told you can’t be good at everything but what you are good at make sure you’re the best you can be. If that means you can only move one hand, move that hand to make it the strongest you can. Be the best one-handed mover in the world.

Find out more about the Adaptive CrossFit Games and watch the upcoming championship here.