I’ve trained CrossFit since 2016, but I lost track of my health when I got pregnant with my first son, Camden, in 2019. We had recently moved and I hadn’t established a CrossFit community in our new town. I chose not to workout during my pregnancy and ended up gaining almost 70lbs. I was at a really low point in my life, and then at 5 months old, Camden suddenly passed away. After a few months of being on mind-numbing prescriptions, my doctor recommended physical activity to try and boost my mental health. I turned to CrossFit again and after a few months, I was able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and my mind felt clear again.

In 2022, I was pregnant with our second son, Banks. I stopped working out and gained back all the weight, plus some. I found myself dealing with severe depression again and knew it was time for a change. I spent the last few months of my pregnancy researching gyms in Puyallup. I came across Hooligan and decided I’d start when I was cleared to workout again.

I joined Hooligan CrossFit in December 2022, but I wasn’t consistent with my workouts and my eating was out of control. I saw a picture of myself in February and decided it was time to get serious about my health. I had lost 40lbs after pregnancy and was determined to continue. I consulted with our gym owner and she helped me come up with a nutrition plan, in addition to CrossFit classes 3-4x a week. It’s now been about 6 months and I’ve lost another 45lbs!

Being active again has helped tremendously with my depression, and I feel like I’ve gained another family. I have made so many new friendships and truly feel like I’m at home when I’m at Hooligan. It’s such a positive place to be and I always look forward to every class!

I started getting serious about my health about two years ago. I was 250 pounds when I decided to stop drinking and start working out. As a tattoo artist I spend most of my day sitting. I started with doing Beachbody Insanity workouts at home. I dropped 90 pounds and had reached a plateau, and to be quite honest felt like I was doing more dancing in the mirror than working out. I wanted a bit more structure. I joined Hooligan in October 2022 and am so happy I did. The community is amazing and it has really helped me gain a better perspective on my health overall.

I lost another 10 pounds after joining. When I sat down with the gym owner a few months ago to go over nutrition, I was feeling a bit discouraged because the scale wasn’t budging any more as much as I was hoping. I took the nutrition advice and in three months, I compared before & after DEXA scans. I had dropped 3% body fat and gained a total of four pounds overall lean mass.

On top of it all, I managed to quit smoking recently. Couldn’t be happier.

I do CrossFit to maintain my overall health. Because I have an autoimmune disorder that attacks my central nervous system, I have to stay healthy to slow down the degeneration. Since I started training here, I’ve noticed vast improvements in my health condition, and longer periods between episodes. Our gym has an awesome culture, everyone has a smile and is so welcoming. Not one thing I’d change.

One reason I choose to train at Hooligan because of the friendly faces, it's not cliquey, instead it's full of smiling, laughing people. I've felt excluded at other gyms, and alone following online programming. As I get older, I want a better quality of life that CrossFit offers. I also like things that make people smile.

I didn't know a single person when I joined, and hadn't set foot in a gym for over 3 years. In the past at other gyms, I felt like I didn't fit in, was ignored, or the other people just weren't very friendly. That wasn't the case at all though at Hooligan. I was greeted as soon as I stepped out of my car and there were other moms in similar situations as me that made me feel welcome. The welcoming, encouraging, non-judgmental community is what I love.

In addition to improving my ACFT score, I was also able to hit PRs during our recent Wendler cycle in my Deadlift, Squat, and Push Press. CrossFit has helped improve my overall strength, fitness, mental health, and also gave me a great community to work out with! I've been working out for 15 years but I've learned something new and unique from every coach at Hooligan - And that's not only helped me improve myself, but helps when working with my Troops. I used to have a not so great outlook on CrossFit but I am glad I tried it. I've had to work through prior shoulder and knee injuries and CrossFit has actually helped improve the strength I'd lost in those areas. I'm excited to see where it takes me moving forward!

I do CrossFit for both my physical and mental health. I'm a firefighter, and it is a physically demanding job. To be proficient in my career and serve the community the best I can, being consistent in CrossFit allows me to perform to the best of my capabilities. Hooligan has excellent and knowledgeable coaches that encourage and educate you while you're working out, regardless of what stage you are at in your fitness journey. They also have a great facility and community that is welcoming and a lot of fun!

Hooligan CrossFit has kept me motivated toward my physical health not only by having great equipment and calculated daily workouts, but also by the community of people who go. Everyone is kind, respectful and encouraging and I think having a positive community like Hooligans is truly the key to being successful in your health and fitness goals.

All questions are welcomed, no one ever wants you to feel lost and they encourage you to ask questions if something is a challenge or unclear. Everything can be scaled and no one makes you feel less than for doing what feels right. Coaches will help you reach your goals and really listen with you to what feels best, no one is 100% every day. I love the flexibility and positivity around just simply showing up.

One thing I find really helpful as a mother is that they have childcare. A huge reason I struggled to get into workouts for past gyms was not having anyone to watch my daughter. Moms and dads deserve to be fit, they deserve an hour to unleash all that pent up stress at the barbell. Hooligan makes it so much easier for parents to get that WOD in and take care of themselves.

When Rainier CrossFit closed last year after an incredible 17 years, John & Cheryl undertook the challenging task of finding a new CrossFit home. Shortly after joining us, Cheryl shared, “I'm impressed with how Hooligan's has worked hard to welcome each of us. It has been hard, but not because Hooligan hasn't made a first-class effort. Rainier had our hearts. You run a professional, organized and clean gym. We love that.”

Over a year later, John & Cheryl are staples of our community; constant sources of encouragement and kindness to anyone who crosses their path.

John sums it up like this, “I enjoy Hooligan's because it's clean and the equipment is well maintained. The coaches are friendly and encouraging, with an emphasis on building a strong body without hurting yourself.”

Cheryl adds, "Coaching is top notch and I learn something new every time a coach demos a technique. The programming is thorough and I continue to gain measurable strength."

It’s never easy joining a new community, especially after having one you loved. Please know that you are welcome here, and always just a few burpees away from becoming part of the Hooligan Family!

When I finished marathon training for the year I really wanted to find a way to retain the cardiovascular fitness I'd gained while also building back the muscle I lost during all those long runs. So, trying CrossFit seemed like the natural choice. I had zero CrossFit background when I joined Hooligan, and within a week the highly knowledgeable (and frankly badass) coaching staff had me up to speed and feeling confident (and very welcomed!). I've spent my entire fitness journey trying to find a gym that had the perfect mix of welcoming atmosphere, hardcore dedication to training, and community. I can thankfully say I've found that here. The environment is fun, inclusive, and tight-knit, while always making you feel like pushing yourself in the best way!

I moved here about a year ago with my military partner and accepted a remote job as a software developer so I didn’t have much of a social outlet. I knew a CrossFit gym would be a great place to meet people and make friends. I compared a few gyms in the area and ended up choosing Hooligan even though it meant a little further of a commute than other options.  Hooligan advertised themselves as a premium gym and they really are. I love that the equipment is top-notch, the facility is clean, and the teachers are very involved with their members during class times, always walking around offering advice and corrections. Since coming to Hooligan I’ve excelled in my form and performance thanks to the coaches here. I even accomplished a double under for the first time which I give partial credit to the new, light-weight, super fast RPM ropes that just came in for us to use during class!

Coming to the gym consistently has never been an issue for me, I enjoy the socialization and love being challenged in fun and new ways. I felt like no matter how often I came to the gym though, I wasn’t making much progress in physical appearance. I knew my nutrition could use some help. I just didn’t know what. I thought I was eating decently healthy, I’d turn to the internet for help but would always become so overwhelmed by the plethora of fad diets and “advice” that “really work”. One day after voicing my frustration, the owner took me under her wing and gave me a crash course on Nutrition 101. I now know what to eat and more importantly, why, and even finally learned what macros are! I never saw myself as one of those people that would have giant tubs of protein but am now a proud owner of multiple flavors! I traded in what I thought was my healthy protein shake, and noticed a boost in my recovery time & energy right away! I appreciate too that Hooligan offers Vegan choices, and will special order anything for me that isn't stocked.  I’m finally equipped with what I had always been seeking, a healthy nutritional lifestyle change that’s maintainable, and is giving me the results I’ve been after!