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There I was, staring at the familiar whiteboard in the gym, but something was different. The excitement I used to feel before a WOD (Workout of the Day) had been replaced with a sense of dread. My body was sore—not in the satisfying, "I worked hard" way, but in the "I can't even bend down to tie my shoes" way. I was beat up and burnt out, plain and simple.
If you’re into CrossFit, you know the drill: heavy lifts, high-intensity intervals, and a relentless drive to push past your limits. I loved every minute of it. At least, I used to. But life has a funny way of throwing curveballs. Injuries started piling up—first a nagging hip, then a shoulder issue that just wouldn’t go away. Add to that a busy life outside the gym, and it wasn’t long before my passion for CrossFit began to dim.
At first, I tried to power through it. I told myself it was just a rough patch, that if I pushed a little harder, I’d break through the slump. But it wasn’t working. The more I pushed, the worse I felt. The camaraderie and competitiveness that once fueled me now felt like a burden. I began skipping workouts, something I never used to do, and when I did show up, I was going through the motions, barely hanging on.
Then, my brother-in-law came to town for the weekend and asked if I wanted to try something new. “Come play Pickleball with us,” he said. At the time, I thought Pickleball was for retirees and not-so-good tennis players, but hell, I’d try anything twice, so I agreed to give it a shot.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much. I figured it’d be a one-time thing, like so many other activities I’d tried outside of CrossFit. But the minute I stepped onto that court, something clicked.
To be honest, I sucked at it. My hand-eye coordination was all over the place, I kept missing shots, and I was chasing after the ball more than I was hitting it. But here’s the thing—I didn’t care. For the first time in a long while, I was having fun. The kind of fun that lets you forget about the world and get lost in the moment.
There was something about the game that just felt right. Maybe it was the simplicity—no complicated rules, no heavy weights, just a paddle, a ball, and some good-natured competition with friends. Or maybe it was the fact that, for once, I wasn’t thinking about my performance, my PRs, or whether I was going to beat my last time. I was just in the moment, playing a game.
Here’s where it gets interesting. If you’re familiar with CrossFit, you know it’s built on ten general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. I realized that this seemingly simple game touches on all of those skills. You’re constantly moving, changing directions, reacting quickly, and controlling your body—all the things we train for.
CrossFit is a training program, but sometimes we forget to apply our training outside the gym. The better I got at Pickleball, the more I could use my fitness to my advantage. I noticed that when other players started to get tired, they missed more balls or would pass on shots they would have taken if they were fresh. Luckily for me, CrossFit had given me the aerobic capacity to play marathon games while maintaining a relatively low heart rate.
CrossFit is intense, and it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that you have to go hard all the time. But that’s a fast track to burnout and injury, as I found out the hard way. Although I still stretch, rest, and follow other active recovery protocols, Pickleball became my go-to favorite. It’s a way to stay active and competitive without putting too much stress on the body. I could keep moving and stay engaged without overdoing it, something I struggled with while nursing my injuries. Varying the intensity of my workouts with Pickleball allowed me to recover better, feel fresher, and avoid the cycle of overtraining.
Now, I had to figure out a way to play more of this new obsession without tapping into work or family time. So, I decided to take the plunge and build a Pickleball court at our gym. It wasn’t anything fancy—just some tape lines and a net—but it was enough.
Just like in the movie Fight Club, word spread, and more and more members started showing up to play. We’d meet after workouts, on weekends, whenever we could squeeze in a game. It was incredible to see how something as simple as Pickleball could bring people together, reignite their passion for fitness, and even help them overcome their own struggles with burnout.
One of the unexpected benefits of bringing Pickleball into the gym was that it gave us all another reason to stick around and enjoy the company of like-minded people. CrossFit has always been about community, and Pickleball just added another layer to that. It was less about crushing a workout and more about connecting with others, having a laugh, and just enjoying being active together.
Nowadays, I’ve found a balance that works for me. I’m back to hitting CrossFit WODs with the same intensity I used to, but I’m also making time for Pickleball. It’s become my secret weapon, the thing that keeps me grounded and reminds me that fitness is supposed to be fun.
Looking back, I realize that burning out wasn’t a failure—it was a wake-up call. It forced me to step back, reassess, and find new ways to keep my love for fitness alive. And who would’ve thought that a simple game of Pickleball would be the thing that brought me back?
If you’re feeling burnt out, whether it’s from CrossFit, work, or just life in general, I encourage you to try something new. Step out of your comfort zone, and who knows? You might just find that the thing you never knew you needed is right around the corner, on a Pickleball court or in a CrossFit gym.
