Congratulations Shirin Changizi for receiving May Athlete Of The Month! We are so proud of you Shirin, and feel incredibly lucky to have such a smart, genuine, and hard working person like you at COI!
Shirin joined CrossFit OwnIt last June so it is has been almost a year for her in CrossFit. She was looking to join something challenging and fun at the same time. Then, Arnold (her best friend) encouraged her to join COI and see if she liked it, and she fell in love instantly!

Her first workout was a partner workout on a Saturday! She remembers doing snatches in the workout, and was amazed at how much she struggled even with a 15LB barbell. However, Shirin can now snatch 85LB after working on it for a year! After her first workout, it took her a week to go back and sign up! In all honesty, it took her a week to convince herself to do that crazy stuff everyday! and now she does it almost everyday and loves it!

Today, Shirin feels she is way stronger then she was when she first started. She is proud that she can squat her own body weight!!! She also feels she’s gotten better and stronger not only physically, but also mentally. When she first joined COI, she felt homesick and depressed but now she smiles even when times get hard.

Shirin’s current training goals are to get better in her front squat and also hit a 100Ib snatch.

Shirin’s favorite part about COI is the community❤. Believe it or not, the main reason shes comes to the gym, is because of her friends! She has a lot of fitness and physique goals, but the community has helped her grow! She feels people there are supportive, caring and a real family to her! She feels that Kels, Matias and everyone else at COI has helped her become a better version of herself especially after moving to US and struggling with adapting to a new place. She walks almost 6 miles to the gym everyday just to be with these people and workout!

Shirin absolutely loves brownies! She doesn’t call it a cheat meal since she has it a lot😂 and has become part of her meal plan!

Shirin’s only advice for someone qwho wants to start CrossFit: Once they see the result, they will never want to leave! CrossFit may look scary for a beginner (she was even scared of how challenging it can be at times) but loves how addicting and fun it is.

Congrats Shirin! Keep up the hard work!! We are so proud of you.