Samuel Gil enjoyed his previous career as a firefighter, but he wanted to be more proactive.
I left my job in the fire service to attend college. He said it was one of the toughest decisions he had ever made. The decision was made out of a desire for greater personal growth and an opportunity to equip myself with the education to further impact my community
Gil signed up for a military officer program when he was a student at San Francisco State University.
He said that he was invited to attend a pre-med seminar at the university. I stepped down from the program after I was denied permission to go by one of my military science instructors. I made the best decision of my life.
I asked the admissions counselor from the medical school what it took to get in. He said it was more than just the grades. Everyone at the school has good grades and excelled in certain areas. They want to know what distinguishes you. What have you done to make a difference? Anyone can take a couple of hours to work at a food bank and check a box for their medical school application, but how many have long-term effects?
His words have changed the way I look at things.
After graduating from SFSU with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, Gil was already working for Wine Country CrossFit, owned by BethRypins, helping people achieve their fitness goals
There wasn’t a single fitness facility for the Spanish-speaking population of the community that I came from. With the help of Beth, I was able to start this initiative.
Gil started a program called CrossFit en Espaol, which means “Cross Fit in Spanish.”
This was a labor of love for a man who was born and raised in the area. Gil said that it failed miserably. No one showed up for a long period of time. Some of the regular members supported them. In December, Beth had a meeting with me and said that she was willing to support you, but that she needed to make sure you really wanted this. Yes, I said.
A few people signed up. Some people would stop arriving. They wouldn’t show to their first class if they signed up. Our program grew to what it is now.
There have been 20 people in the largest class so far. It does take up the entire facility and the gym usually hosts two classes at the same time.
Gil thought it was important to have a Spanish-speaking gym.
While they have access to any commercial gym in town, there are very few resources that can help them achieve their goals or train correctly. What we offer goes beyond the exercise. A sense of community is something we try to convey. Being around people trying to reach the same goal as you is part of the experience, which is to be fit and healthy. You are not alone in the journey if you can talk about it with other people who speak the same language.
There’s always motivation. If you have a question, the coach can answer it for you, which is a comfort for people. It can be hard for someone who doesn’t speak the language of the class to want to participate because they have to ask a friend or be lost.
As a Mexican American who grew up speaking both Spanish and English, it’s fun to explain the workouts in either language.
The people in class help out when there are difficulties with more technical terms, like certain exercises.
Some clients of CrossFit en Espaol do not do any formal exercise.
The client who is in her late 50s came into the gym with a quiet demeanor and was intimidated by what was programmed. She had a hard time putting her shoes on. When she saw our program ads online, she felt like she had to take advantage of them in order to improve her health. She is not the same person today. You will see her doing physical activity in class and having fun. Her daughter has been with her at school.
Some of the clients are from Espaol.
He said that some of their other members came to the classes because they saw on social media how big the classes were. Wine Country’s members are welcome to attend this class. If they don’t understand Spanish, I still approach them and help them in English.
Wine Country CrossFit has a number of other programs, such as boot camp, aerials, nutrition counseling, and body composition analysis.
He hopes that shed light on our program will show that there is a need and demand for more programs in different languages. With our large Spanish-speaking population, it is an opportunity for the growth of our methodology of training as well as a great way to help our communities be healthy.
According to the California Health Care Foundation, more than half of Latin American people in California have a chronic disease. A healthy diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of these diseases. It is obvious that fitness needs attention. The percentage of Latin Americans in California who engage in physical activity was at 61.2% in the year. The California average is lower than the white population.
The only program of its kind in the Bay Area is CrossFit en Espaol, according to the owner.
Many pounds have been shed, diet has improved, and lives have changed as a result of the 10 months that CrossFit en Espaol has been open.
This is more involved than most sit/stay commands. The story is told by Buzz60’s Mercer Morrison.