Our story begins on a family farm in Lubbock, Texas. Carey and Jeremy, along with their three brothers and sisters learned the value of hard work, service, and a healthy lifestyle from a young age. They spent many days on the farm harvesting, selling their family’s goods, and witnessing the cultivation of a community.

Carey, the second oldest of the Thiel siblings has always been a firecracker and an activator full of energy, positivity, and passion. Carey was a talented basketball player and played collegiate basketball at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Thinking she was headed off to college to get a business degree . . . she found herself falling asleep in class. Carey was much more interested in getting more details behind the basketball team’s strength program from the assistant coach. She quickly discovered her love for hanging out in the weight room. Carey would leave practice and get straight back to the dorm to meet her sweet mate for a 45 minute session with Tammy Lee Web to do a VHS tape called “Buns of Steel.” Her interest in helping her roommates stick to a diet and get to the stair stepper pre-spring break soon took priority over business school. Her father was a self taught business man so she decided to change her degree to Kinesiology/Exercise Science and read enough business books to start her own business once she graduated. Carey loved fitness and knew it would be her vocation. After graduating she headed to Austin to begin her personal training career at a gym called “Northwest Fitness Center” in North Austin.

Though Jeremy always enjoyed physical fitness there was a pivotal moment that would change the trajectory of his youth. As a kid Jeremy was overweight and was made fun of. Older kids would call him names “Chunk.” He made a decision that he would never be overweight again and he was going to “show everybody.” Jeremy got into the weight room and started training. He lost weight and his determination transformed into his passion. He would go on to play high school football and compete in powerlifting. After high school Jeremy opened “Power Plant Athletics” a strength and conditioning summer camp for high school football players. Jeremy hired coaches for his camp and would facilitate 7-8 week summer camps for 200-300 kids in Lubbock, Texas.

Jeremy attended Texas State in San Marcos where he joined the Triathlon Club and helped host Triathlon races. It was during this time that his love of events and event production began. Like Carey, Jeremy knew that fitness would always be a part of his life. He wanted to find a way to start a business. Jeremy, the consummate entrepreneur, infamously called his sister Carey one day and said, “I want to work in fitness, but I don’t want to do it the way you do it.” Jeremy thought there had to be a better way to operate a fitness business than the traditional model of personal training. Carey laughs now at the memory.

As fate would have it, Jeremy's childhood friend, Lance Cantu, a Marine, sent him an email that said “you have to watch this.” The email contained a link to a video called, “Nasty Girls.” Published in 2004, the video is of CrossFit OGs, Nicole Carrol, Eva T, and Annie Sakamoto performing the Nasty Girls benchmark workout for the first time and something called “CrossFit.”

3 Rounds for Time:
50 Squats
7 Muscle-ups
10 Hang power cleans (135/95 lbs)

Jeremy knew this was it. He immediately called Carey and told her she had to watch it. By the end of the video Carey was in tears. This was exactly what they were looking for.

The brother-sister duo were registered for their first CrossFit certification the next month in Santa Cruz, California at the original CrossFit gym.

The Early Years

Jeremy and Carey returned to Austin ready to evangelize CrossFit. The method of training lit them on fire and they were excited to share it with everyone they knew. In December of 2005 they officially affiliated as CrossFit Central and became the first CrossFit gym in Texas.

Carey and Jeremy kicked off their business the grass roots way. Without the capital to buy a gym or even rent space they began training people in parks and on school tracks all across Austin. They began to create a following and in June of 2005 opened the very first CrossFit Central gym on Burnet Road. It was less than 500 square feet . . and it was awesome. It was in this gym that they would put on the first “300 Challenge,” hosted the first ever CrossFit affiliate gathering, and birthed The Fittest Experience.

Three years later the gym was reaching maximum capacity, it was time to find a bigger space for the growing community. Luckily, the perfect spot existed less than one mile up the road where the Burnet Road location still exists today.

When the community first moved into what is now “CrossFit Central Burnet Road” the space seemed so big. It gave the community room to grow but it was a wonder how they would fill it up.

Community is the root of CrossFit Central, always has been and always will be. Through the years the team has held social gatherings, happy hours, community picnics, holiday parties, free workouts, members only competitions, and challenges. Carey and Jeremy love to find ways to bring the community together. In the early years a cornerstone of the monthly calendar was “free community workouts” coined UTB as we held these workouts “Under the Bridge” at the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail. In the beginning zero people attended, but the same team was committed and kept showing up no matter what. Within one year CrossFit Central would host the largest “UTB” ever with over 100 people working out under the Mopac Bridge.

CrossFit Central was growing fast, and within the community a desire for a different type of training was emerging. By design, CrossFit is scalable and inclusive for anyone with the desire to improve their fitness. Jeremy saw the need for something grittier, more challenging, and more grueling. He wanted to create a gym that wasn’t for everyone. He wanted the kind of gym that he would train at, something that was a bit more dirty and incorporated more strong man workouts, something not for the faint of heart.

In 2009 RedBlack gym opened its doors, right next door to our original CrossFit gym on Burnet Road. Inside were lifting platforms, barbells, plates, sleds, tires, yokes, and sledge hammers. This was a time in the fitness industry when these tools were not commonplace inside the average CrossFit gym. The workouts were often 45 minutes to an hour. They were hard and they were sweaty. It was there that “Project Mayhem” was created. In 2010, motivated by the movie “Fight Club” Jeremy wanted a men’s only night where the boys could train hard, perhaps talk a little smack, and then reward themselves with BBQ and beer afterward. We could tell you more but the first rule of fight club . . .

The RedBlack gym operated until December 2012 when the needs of the community began to shift and the team focused back on our roots, CrossFit.

The CrossFit Central Burnet Road gym continued to grow and by 2013 there were 500 members training in that space. It was time for a second location. Jeremy’s childhood friend and longtime CrossFit Central Coach, Michael Gregory, spotted an abandoned building on an acre of land in downtown Austin and wondered if it could be transformed into the next CrossFit Central location. When Jeremy and Carey went to look at the space they saw heaps of trash, a decrypt building, and overgrown landscaping but also possibility and opportunity.

In 2013 we opened “CrossFit Central Downtown” on 3rd Street and I-35. It was in this location that we would kick off our Fire and Ice Program, grow The Fittest Experience to a point that was literally overflowing onto I-35, and further professionalize our gym.

By 2016 both gyms continued to grow, foster community, and transform people’s lives but once again it was time to locate a new space. The land on which the downtown gym sat was sold to a developer. Luckily, a space was opening at The Speed Shop two miles west, in the heart of downtown Austin. In November 2017 our downtown gym moved in and we haven’t looked back since.

The CrossFit Games

In 2006 CrossFit held the first ever CrossFit Games at “The Ranch.” Jeremy flew out to witness this historic moment. Many people didn’t think it would sustain but Jeremy saw it as the vehicle that would fuel people’s passion for CrossFit, he knew he had to be a part of it. The next year he competed for the first time at The CrossFit Games and took 7th place. In 2008 he stood on the podium in third place alongside Jason Khalipa (1st) and Josh Everett (2nd).

In 2009 Carey took third place at the CrossFit Games, and Team CrossFit Central took second place overall. The competitive spirit was alive and well inside of CrossFit Central. Over the next decade our gym would send many teams and individuals for over 10 years. Today we continue to support the sport of CrossFit by participating in the Open, attending The CrossFit Games, and promoting the sport.

CrossFit Central’s Games History
We have previously produced two of the top three fittest people in the world in Jeremy Thiel (3rd in 2008) and Carey Kepler (3rd in 2009), and the second fittest affiliate team in the world in 2009.

Affiliate Cup Team History
2008 CrossFit Central 4th at the Games
2009 CrossFit Central 2nd at the Games
2010 CrossFit Central 1st at Hell’s Half Acre Regional
2010 CrossFit Central 5th at the Games
2011 CrossFit Central 4th at the South Central Regional
2011 RedBlack Gym 12th at the South Central Regional
2012 CrossFit Central 3rd at the South Central Regional
2012 CrossFit Central 26th at the Games
2013 CrossFit Central 4th at the South Central Regional
2014 CrossFit Central 1st at the South Central Regional
2014 CrossFit Central 24th at the Games
2015 CrossFit Central 26th at the South Central Regional

Individual Games Performances
2007 Jeremy Thiel 6th
2008 Jeremy Thiel 3rd
2008 Michael Gregory 512st
2008 Lance Cantu 53rd
2008 Kris Kepler 135th
2008 Richard White 189th
2008 Lisa Bender 27th
2008 Crystal McReynolds 33rd
2009 Jeremy Thiel 16th
2009 Lance Cantu 34th
2009 Carey Kepler 3rd
2009 Lindsey Smith 5th
2009 Crystal McReynolds 9th
2010 Lindsey Smith 12th
2010 Carey Kepler 16th
2010 Jen Cardella 26th
2010 Jessica Sharratt 31st
2011 Lindsey Smith 16th
2011 Carey Kepler 28th
2011 Lisa Bender Thiel 32nd
2015 Brooklin Smith
2016 Carey Kepler 9th in Masters Division

Giving Back

Service, gratitude, and excellence are at the very core of CrossFit Central. Early on the team decided to link arms with organizations with similar values and give back. Below are a few of the organizations we have worked with on an annual basis.

Flatwater Foundation, Dam That Cancer

We officially began working with the Flatwater Foundation in 2014. Every year our community sets out to raise $20,000 for their organization. We have a team of paddlers that also commits to the 21 mile Stand Up Paddle every fall. Since 2014 we have raised over $100,000 for The Flatwater Foundation.

Make a Vet Sweat (MAVS)

We are big supporters of our military and first responders so when we met Justin, the owner of MAVS we knew we wanted to find a way to support him and his organization. MAVS helps veterans battling PTSD receive a free gym membership for themselves and their partner as a way to help combat the lasting effects of PTSD. Every Memorial Day we hold “Memorial Day Murph,” a donation-based workout honoring a fallen soldier and all of the men and women that have given their lives to protect our country. Since 2016 we have raised roughly $10,000 for MAVS.

Kids in a New Groove (KING)

Kids in a New Groove pairs children in foster care with a musical mentor. This profound relationship has proven to increase the kid’s confidence, improve their school work, and even increase the likelihood of graduating.

SAFE

In 2021 the team decided to seek out a new nonprofit whose mission was to help kids. After much deliberation and research Carey and Jeremy chose to give back to SAFE. In 2021 the CrossFit Central community picked four families to support by fulfilling their Christmas wish lists. The community also raised $6,000 for SAFE!

The Refuge

The Refuge is the beneficiary of the Iron Belle competition. This organization helps girls that have been rescued from sex trafficking rehabilitation. Every year we give 100% of the registration fees from the Iron Belle girls division goes to The Refuge.

Seeking Recovery

In 2014 after complications in business, severed relationships, and compounding burnout Jeremy was at rock bottom. If you were a client at the time you may have never known. Jeremy kept showing up, leading his business, and putting one foot in front of the other. But internally he was hurting. Physically, mentally, and financially he was suffering. He knew he needed a way out and a way up but he didn’t know where or how. Through prayer and faith Jeremy found the next chapter of his life and CrossFit Central’s story.

In 2015 after relentlessly searching for an answer Jeremy discovered Wim Hof. He and Carey began practicing his methods of breathing. Next, he discovered HeartMath and got certified. The final piece of the puzzle came via an old friend in the CrossFit community, Brian McKenzie. Brian had joined Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece to form a company called XPT. XPT combined breath work, hot and cold immersion (sauna and ice baths), and movement like underwater pool training. Jeremy took one look at this method of training, got Carey on the phone and together they knew they had to find a way to attend an XPT experience. They each flew out to California to train under Laird and Gabby and brought back this method of training back to the CrossFit Central community.

By 2016 Jeremy and Carey were leading “Fire and Ice,” a 90 minute recovery session that includes focused breath work, and hot/cold immersion therapy, a system that includes rotating between the sauna and ice bath.

Launching LIFTOFF

Nutrition has always been an essential component of our community. The age old saying “you can’t out-train a bad diet,” is 100% true, 100% of the time. Though we have always taught proper nutrition to our members, held nutrition meetings, and even nutrition challenges we wanted to find a way to professionalize, personalize, and elevate our nutrition services. After all, nutrition is not one size fits all . . . it’s one size fits one. Everyone has different goals, motivation, and body composition. We knew that our nutrition business needed to become more specific to better serve people.

In September of 2019 we launched LIFTOFF Nutrition, a remote one-on-one personalized nutrition coaching service. LIFTOFF Nutrition pairs every nutrition member with a coach who helps them develop a plan that works for their lifestyle and their goals, coach them through challenges, and celebrate their wins. LIFTOFF Nutrition is not about starvation or cutting out food groups. Instead, our nutrition program is about finding balance in your lifestyle and learning how to eat to sustain a healthy lifestyle. It’s not about taking away all of your favorite foods and never eating at a restaurant again. It’s about learning how and when to incorporate those foods for longevity, sustainability, and success.

By November of 2019 Jeremy, Carey, and CrossFit Central’s longtime Marketing Director, Nicole Hughes, wanted to find a way to expand on their remote services and offer the kind of community that we built in Austin to anyone, regardless of where they live. By the end of the year LIFTOFF Body was officially formed as a sister company to CrossFit Central. In early February of 2020 we launched LIFTOFF Go! Our first remote/at home fitness program that you could do from anywhere in the world. In the summer of 2020 LIFTOFF Body partnered with a former CrossFit Central Coach, Chelsea McKinney, to form four week targeted gymnastics programs to help people improve their flexibility, strengthen their core, and improve their gymnastics skill sets. In 2021 LIFTOFF produced their very first product, glute resistance bands to accompany Carey’s High and Tight Booty Blaster program. Our remote business is just getting started. We want to share our love of fitness and wellness with as many people as possible and ultimately help them lead a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Today CrossFit Central continues to operate two gyms and collectively welcome over 500 people through their doors every week. We continue to serve, stand in gratitude, and pursue excellence daily.