COUCH TO CROSSFIT BEGINNERS COURSE

Meet Rachel. She is the very reason Couch to CrossFit was born here at CrossFit Warrington—and if you’ve ever looked at a gym and thought, "That is completely not for me," her story is for you.
If you had told Rachel a few years ago that she would willingly step foot inside our CrossFit gym, she probably would have laughed—or run in the opposite direction (well maybe not as she hated the thought!). Fitness, gyms, and sports were never her thing; in fact, she had actively despised them ever since her school days. As a plus size lady, walking into a traditional gym always felt intimidating, unwelcoming, and entirely out of place. She carried the heavy, relatable conviction that gyms were simply not built for people like her, and that she would never truly "fit in."

That narrative shifted completely during a casual phone call between best friends.Whilst on the phone cooking their tea, Rachel and her best friend—one of our coaches, Faye—were deep in conversation when a simple, disarming question slipped out:

"Why can't you do a class for people like me?"

That single sentence served as the spark that set everything in motion. As Faye put it when we talked about it: "If people loved the gym, they’d already be at one. We needed to create a safe place for people who need the gym, but don't love it." We realised we needed to unpack what "people like me" actually meant. It wasn’t about catering to elite athletes or weekend warriors; it was for the everyday person looking for CrossFit for beginners—those who don't naturally love exercise, who find the fitness world alienating, but who deep down know they want to move, feel stronger, and look after their health.
Next, we unpacked what it meant to "fit in." The solution wasn't to change Rachel; it was to change the environment. By designing a true CrossFit for beginners pathway, focusing heavily on smart, accessible scaling, and dialing in our coaching, we proved that every single movement can be tailored to where you are right now. That is the magic ingredient that lets the fear disappear and the fun take over.

As the owner of CrossFit Warrington, looking back on how it all started still blows me away. Couch to CrossFit was created to break down the invisible walls that keep people from feeling welcome in fitness spaces. Seeing Rachel’s courage turn into a pathway for hundreds of others is the absolute best part of what we do.

As Rachel Riley-Birkett herself shares:

"I never thought I’d belong in a gym, let alone CrossFit. Asking that simple question to my best friend changed everything—not just for me, but for a whole community of people who finally have a place where they truly fit. Not only do I now access the gym as a member, but I feel like I have a place just like everyone else—and no different than anyone else—because everyone is only there competing against themselves and no one else."

On March 3rd, 2024, we officially kicked off our very first Couch to CrossFit course. What started as a brave question between best friends has blossomed into a thriving, welcoming community right here in CrossFit Warrington.
If Rachel can do it, so can you. Come join us for our next course—we can't wait to welcome you.