Jason Rabenn

Chef Turned CrossFitter

Jason's one helluva a cook. Which makes it all the more amazing that this lover-of-good-food has managed to trim his body fat by about 5% and shed at least a few inches from his waist line. What he has gained is muscle tone - about 15 lbs of it, as Jason says, "In all the right places. LOL."

Jason came to CrossFit Long Beach in the fall of 2009 with a 16-year background playing organized baseball - and a serious case of shin splints. He quickly took to CrossFit's scalable approach that lets him accommodate his injuries while still getting in an incredible workout. "It took a while to get past that 'suck' factor," Jason admits. "But now I feel great after a brutal workout."

In the time Jason's been here, we've seen him getting stronger. He's got his kipping pull ups down, and has his eyes set on butterflies next. He recently deadlifted 225 lbs, and just keeps throwing more weight on every week. He's mastering his double-unders and handstands, and has cut 80% of sugar out of his diet - something he never thought he'd do.

"I have a ton more energy, and I just feel better about myself," Jason says. "You're the one that has to do the workout, nobody does it for you. So it's a great sense of satisfaction when you complete one."

"Jason came in with a lot of injuries and as a trained chef, ate a lot of pasta and bread. Jason should be proud of the progress he's made since his first day at the gym," says CFLB Coach Chad."