Kris Shyne Chooses not to be a “Statistic,” Sheds 80 Pounds, Ditches Blood Pressure Meds With CrossFit Allendale’s Help

Two years ago, while on a flight home from Daytona Beach, FL, Kris Shyne’s wife started showing him pictures from their vacation.

• “And the only thing that came to my mind was how large I had gotten,” said Shyne, 47 at the time. 

And so for the rest of the four-hour flight, Shyne did “a lot of digging deep in my own mind.”

When he got home, Shyne, who was on medication for high blood pressure at the time, stood on the scale for the first time and weighed in at 297 pounds at 5-foot-11. 

He had been worried about his health for a while now, but he had often chalked it up to genetics. His father passed away young, and many on his mother’s side of the family had heart problems.

But something changed that day. Shyne realized he could do something about it. He didn’t need to become “just another statistic in my family,” he said.

Making the Decision

At first, Shyne decided to take action on his own. As a former Marine, competitive wrestler and high school wrestling coach, he knew what he needed to do: focus on diet and exercise. 

So he cut out alcohol and sugar completely, stopped going out for meals for lunch and dinner nearly everyday, stopped guzzling diet Pepsi throughout his workday, and began eating a high protein, lower calorie diet.

He lost 10 to 15 pounds quickly, and then added exercise to his routine, which he did for a while, but wasn’t seeing the results he wanted.

That’s when his buddy told him about CrossFit.

Before taking the plunge, Shyne, who was nervous, did some serious research, including trying out a handful of different gyms in and around the area he lives in Michigan. Eventually, he came across a testimonial from a member named Dave of CrossFit Allendale. 

Dave sounded just like him. Dave was about the same age as Shyne, and had faced the same obstacles Shyne was facing before CrossFit helped him transform his health.

So Shyne checked out CrossFit Allendale in April 2022, and the moment he met owners Josh and Kate Connelly, he “felt at home,” he explained.

One Year In

A year into his CrossFit journey, Shyne is down to 220 pounds and he no longer takes blood pressure medication. He has gone from not being able to do a strict pull-up to being able to do 10, and has even been competing in local competitions.

Most recently, on Memorial Day, Shyne completed Murph in 42 minutes, a big improvement over a year ago when it took him 58 minutes to do Murph with knee push-ups and banded pull-ups.

He’s fitter and healthier than he was in his 30s, he said, and he’s eating “more than I ever have, but it’s positive calories” to maintain his current weight and strength. 

The Big Picture

Though he could have transformed his health on his own, it would have been a lot more challenging without the support from the coaches and community at CrossFit Allendale, Shyne explained.

• “They talked to me about what my goals were, why I wanted to join CrossFit, what my expectations were, what types of things I enjoy doing,” he said of the first thing that sold him on having coaches. 

A year later, the coaches and the community at CrossFit Allendale have “changed the trajectory of my life,” he added.

His advice: “Invest in yourself,” and celebrate the small wins along the way. 

• “I knew I wanted to drop 80 to 90 pounds, and if I just sat there and jumped on the scale every single day, I wouldn’t have made it,” he said.

Instead, he recommends recognizing the long-term plan and focusing on the small wins along the way, which might be as simple as just getting to the gym, and then taking the time to recognize the small steps you’re taking.

“It’s the small victories that will eventually turn into larger victories.”