Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In Episode 3 of “I Am Done Being Obese,” Nathan Shipley stands at a moment that once felt impossible.
Three months after attending the Level 1 Certificate Course, Shipley is living the CrossFit methodology. Every day brings new physical challenges, but even bigger mental ones. Doubt creeps in as he prepares for his first workout in the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard.
Like so many athletes stepping onto the Open floor for the first time, the questions start swirling: “Will I be able to do the movements?” “Am I fit enough?”
Standing beside him is multi-year CrossFit Games competitor and coach Kyle Kasperbauer, who reminds Shipley of something powerful: how far he’s already come. Just showing up is a victory.
“My standard before this was sitting on the couch,” Shipley says.
Open Workout 26.1 included a movement Shipley has never done before: the wall-ball shot. But instead of backing down, he leans in. Rep by rep, he fights through the doubt, fatigue, and fear of failure, finishing the workout with 107 wall-ball shots.
But the most meaningful victories aren’t written on the scoreboard. Outside the gym, life has changed. Shipley can run, play, and chase his kids around the yard — moments that once felt out of reach.
“The most beneficial thing I’ve done for my health is embrace this method,” he says.
—
CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®.
Learn more about CrossFit → crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Find a CrossFit gym near you → crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Find CrossFit Courses near you → crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
View CrossFit workouts → crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/games-learn-more
In Episode 3 of “I Am Done Being Obese,” Nathan Shipley stands at a moment that once felt impossible.
Three months after attending the Level 1 Certificate Course, Shipley is living the CrossFit methodology. Every day brings new physical challenges, but even bigger mental ones. Doubt creeps in as he prepares for his first workout in the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard.
Like so many athletes stepping onto the Open floor for the first time, the questions start swirling: “Will I be able to do the movements?” “Am I fit enough?”
Standing beside him is multi-year CrossFit Games competitor and coach Kyle Kasperbauer, who reminds Shipley of something powerful: how far he’s already come. Just showing up is a victory.
“My standard before this was sitting on the couch,” Shipley says.
Open Workout 26.1 included a movement Shipley has never done before: the wall-ball shot. But instead of backing down, he leans in. Rep by rep, he fights through the doubt, fatigue, and fear of failure, finishing the workout with 107 wall-ball shots.
But the most meaningful victories aren’t written on the scoreboard. Outside the gym, life has changed. Shipley can run, play, and chase his kids around the yard — moments that once felt out of reach.
“The most beneficial thing I’ve done for my health is embrace this method,” he says.
—
CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®.
Learn more about CrossFit → crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Find a CrossFit gym near you → crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Find CrossFit Courses near you → crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
View CrossFit workouts → crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit
Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/games-learn-more
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