At Branded One CrossFit in Las Vegas, the team is making the gym’s mission, “Change Your Life With US” a reality for local veterans. The gym offers free memberships for any disabled veteran in the Las Vegas and Henderson communities. In continuing its commitment to the veteran community, the gym hosted its annual ‘Chad’ workout on Veterans Day. During this workout, gym members, including some disabled veterans, complete 1000 box steps.
Nick McCombs is the owner of Branded One CrossFit. He told Fox5 Las Vegas, “They [Veterans] don’t know if they belong, and that is what I really wanted to is to get them back in the community. Get them feeling like they are a normal person again.”
On any day in Branded One CrossFit, the gym is filled with hardworking members, and it isn’t a rare thing to find gymgoers with prosthetic legs and arms or someone working out in a wheelchair. For all of these adaptive athletes and veterans, Branded One CrossFit is keeping the community alive.
One disabled veteran told Fox5 Las Vegas, “I had the typical stigma that CrossFit is for big, burly men,” but he continued, “We all push each other, we crack military jokes and keep it alive. Even if it is a different version of ourselves.”
Branded One CrossFit operates entirely off community donations and paid memberships. McCombs offers personal training that focuses on functional health and mobility for veterans as well as scheduled classes and open gym time. In the evenings, there are even jiu-jitsu classes.
Said McCombs, “There wasn’t something they could come to day in and day out to release whatever physical angst they’re holding up inside. I don’t know where else veterans would go as far as getting a free membership.”
