Start training at the PhysXtreme CrossFit gym in Ottawa and you’ll see why our team and our members are so dedicated and passionate.

Here are a few testimonials from our members:

When I first heard about PhysXtreme was when my wife joined it. She was so enthusiastic after each workout that I finally got a Groupon myself to see what it was all about. Once the Groupon was over, I joined the CrossFit gym. I simply could not stop! I love the group of people and I enjoy the workouts. Some weeks are tougher than others, but every workout is a challenge with yourself. You can always push it to your own limit. The coaching staff is amazing and always focuses on the details that will make your technique better and prevent injuries. What do I like so much about the bootcamps? The diversity; every week is different. No routine… you never get bored at doing the same thing over and over again. Another plus compared to other gyms: the group of people.

Every time you have a little down during a workout, there is always someone to push you! Such an awesome group! The result of going to PhysXtreme twice a week for more than a year now is that I ended up turning 40 in better shape than when I was 30. I lost some fat and increased my endurance. When I play soccer, I can now complete my 90 minutes without a problem. I also did a Spartan race and enjoyed it! For my personal health, joining PhysXtreme was probably the best thing I have ever done! Thanks Shane and Mike!

Olivier Thomann

PhysXtreme has been an amazing journey for me. I joined after having my daughter. My health wasn’t the best during my pregnancy as I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes – a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, which causes it to be unable to produce enough insulin to handle the effects of a growing baby and changing hormone levels. I had to take insulin 4 times a day which really affected my body. I gained over 65lbs.

My first experience at PhysXtreme was hard. I could barely make it through the warm-up, but with a coach like Shane I quickly learned that I was not a quitter. He barely knew me but believed that if I put my mind to it I could do it. He would often repeat to me, ‘it’s all about developing mental toughness, and if you put your mind to it you can do it.’ He always gave me that extra boost of energy I needed to push harder.

What I learned most about myself throughout this journey was to never give up. Even though I started with baby steps they eventually got bigger and turned into major results. I would have never done a Spartan Race before, and now I’ve done one each year for the past three years. I have to add that I made it through my last race without doing a single burpee (meaning I made it through every single obstacle).

The feeling of climbing a 15-foot muddy, slimy rope while everyone at the race is cheering you on… Pure self-satisfaction as I worked very hard all year at the gym to be able to do so.

There is so much I can say about PhysXtreme: the amazing friends I’ve made, the encouragement from the coaches and other members, and things I learned about nutrition vs. fad diets.

Shane’s dedication to his clients is amazing. He’s a hardworking man that deserves every bit of credit he gets. I appreciate everything he has done for me. It has changed my life in a very positive way.

Thank you

Michelle St-Arneault

After my kids were born, I let myself go. I wasn’t exercising and I was gaining weight. Along with it came a loss of self esteem and confidence and my energy level became very low. It took a long time, but I finally found what I needed to help me get my life back on track… PhysXtreme!

Joining PhysXtreme was the best decision I’ve ever made. Now I am 40 lbs lighter, my self esteem and confidence are back, and people say I look 10 years younger and much happier in my body than ever. I even have muscles I didn’t even know existed. I’ve become strong and I can do exercises and have skills I never thought possible. I feel amazing! Thank you so much Shane Miller and PhysXtreme for encouraging me to step beyond my limits and get better, stronger, and faster!

Marcela Babisova

I’ve always been active, training and taking different classes, but kept changing because with time I would lose interest and motivation. Then I saw the PhysXtreme Groupon deal and wondered why I’d never heard about this place. After reading a few of Shane’s articles on his blog I was really motivated and after my very first class, I was hooked! Ever since, I’ve not once wondered if I should keep going or what to do next as I did before I found PhysXtreme. PhysXtreme has become my second family because there are so many incredible people there, all improving their health and lifestyle and I really look forward to every class!

Training with such amazing coaches and with all the friends I’ve made along the way has made my life so much better on so many levels! Our Kettlebell coach, Dave Anderka, deserves so many praises. Not only is he an incredible coach, but he is so generous with his personal time. He takes us on Sunday runs and hikes through the Gatineau trails and sometimes to the Luskville Falls. I’ve finally found myself at PhysXtreme! This is where I am happy and myself! Cheers to all!

Christine Dubois

When I moved to Gatineau in 2008, my life revolved around my work and I had lost myself along the way; I refused to see that I had become an unhappy, lazy person. But one day in 2009, a light bulb went off and I realized I had to do something. I started eating better and exercising. I started going to the gym to work out and lost about 10 lbs, but going to the gym was boring; it wasn’t for me. A family member suggested I join one of the local Roller Derby leagues. So during the fall of 2010 I took her advice and tried it, it was amazing and I fell in love with the sport immediately! My only problem was that I didn’t feel like I was reaching my potential in the sport, I still felt out of shape and sluggish. So after a year and a half of Derby, I decided to buy a couple of groupons for different bootcamps. PhysXtreme was the second groupon I bought during that summer… it was also the last groupon I ever bought for a fitness program!

“After my first week with Shane at PhysXtreme, I knew I had found my new fitness home! After a month at PhysXtreme, I noticed a huge difference in Derby! I could skate faster, my footwork became bouncy and aggressive, I had a lot more balance and stability, and the power behind my hits and blocks sky rocketed!!!! I had women who weighed a good 50lbs more than I did unable to knock me over! I had become the person I wanted to be. I dropped the rest of the weight I wanted to lose, I had more energy, I felt great, and I felt like an athlete again!

“The workouts at PhysXtreme are amazing… in a ‘let’s kick some ass’ kind of way! No matter what kind of mood I’m in when I walk in, I always leave with a smile. Although at the end of a workout I feel like my body will never recover, by the time I get to work I feel like a whole new person, I’m ready to take on any new challenge! The best part about PhysXtreme is that they’re all about training the whole person.

“Shane and his team are there to help me set goals and see them through. They are not only extremely knowledgeable about technique and fitness training, but also on recovery, injury prevention, and nutrition. I also love the fact that the coaches are honest and realistic. They don’t promise you a quick fix, they’re not trying to sell you a miracle product, and they get results by working us to the ground! They know the only way to get a worthwhile result is through hard work and dedication. I can still remember doing hill sprints and one girl saying something to the effect that she was going to ‘run off’ all the beers she had drank the previous weekend, and Shane looked at her and said ‘you can never out train a bad diet.’ And it’s true; no matter how much you train, if you’re not going to eat healthy you’re never going to get the results you’re looking for!

“Since I started at PhysXtreme, I’ve caught the infectious ‘challenge yourself’ bug that seems to go around this place. It’s that feeling that you need to challenge yourself to do something you’ve never done before. Since I first caught this bug, I’ve participated in ‘Le Defi de L’ile,’ an inline skating race around the Island of Montreal (128km) – I was the first person to ever do it in roller skates – I started running 5 km and 10 km races; I did the Ottawa Spartan race this past summer with the PhysXtreme team; and I will be running my first ½ marathon this year. All of these I did because of the training, motivation, support, and challenge-yourself attitude I got from the entire team of PhysXtreme!!! I look forward to seeing what the upcoming year has in store for me!!!

Mel Wallwork

I had joined PhysXtreme with a specific goal in mind, which I have now reached and actually well exceeded thanks to Shane, his team, and the whole PhysXtreme family. Now I’m addicted and can’t imagine myself not doing this every week. Whatever your goals, targets, or ambitions may be, I can assure you they will be met.

But beyond all of that, the most important thing to me is that Shane has managed to create a culture and a family of PhysXtremists that are there day after day grinding it out and pushing each other’s limits to the fullest, and that’s what makes PhysXtreme so special! Being part of a team surrounded by individuals that truly care for one another and making a difference in each other’s day-to-day lives is what it’s all about in the end. ‘People motivating people.’ Thanks PhysXtreme!

Frank Restagno

There aren’t enough stars to do this place justice! Joining PhysXtreme was the best decision I’ve ever made! After getting married and having two kids, my health took a beating and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I certainly didn’t like what I was seeing in the mirror and my many failed attempts at getting fit (read: skinny) were far from successful. So I thought, what the heck, I have nothing to lose, so I bought a kettlebell groupon and began a journey that I will NEVER REGRET! I’ve attended both boot camp and kettlebell classes and absolutely love them.

“I’ve lost pounds and inches but more importantly (and unexpected at the time), I am stronger mentally and physically. I won’t lie, the first few classes were beyond hard and I was so very close to quitting so many times but I was tired of quitting! You won’t see results unless you work for them, hard!

“Our coaches, Shane, Dave, and Mike are awesome and won’t let you get away with anything. There is no cheating when they’re around which is why this is so successful! They take the time you need to talk through technique and everything encompassing your fitness goals, including nutrition. Best of all, I’ve never felt judged by anyone; coaches or members. Everyone is always very encouraging and supportive. Something I had not experienced in other gyms or classes. There are no ‘in crowds’ here, just a bunch of people working towards getting healthier, a second family!

Sabrina Grenier

Sports were always the biggest part of my life growing up. I played basketball and volleyball at provincial and university levels so I was use to pushing my body to the limits. After graduating from university I trained and competed in triathlons for 10 years. However, my life changed a lot after getting pregnant and having two kids back to back (who didn’t sleep). I found triathlon training too time consuming and I struggled with making time for it. For the first time in my life, I found myself out of shape and with an extra 10 pounds to lose. Thank God I stumbled upon PhysXtreme. It has changed everything. I never actually thought I would feel that ‘buzz’ again after a workout like I did in my university days, but I have found it and more at PhysXtreme.

The camaraderie of the people is truly special. It is an environment of competition, but in a positive way where everyone is truly pushing you to be your best. The owner, Shane Miller is truly one of a kind. He cares for each of his athletes so genuinely and from the heart. He pushes you to be your best every single second you are there. But he also goes beyond the physical aspect of the training and teaches you to just be a good person, simply through his own example and with his no nonsense attitude. His knowledge about every single aspect of training, nutrition, and physiology completely blows my mind and demonstrates his passion for what he does. Shane also has an amazing ability to find top notch coaches. One of them is Michael Blanchard. He is one big piece of walking muscle and knows personally the hard work that is required to achieve the body you desire! He has a natural ability to take a difficult skill and break it down to make it seem easy. He will go above and beyond to bring out the best in each person at the CrossFit gym. It’s very obvious the love he has for what he does comes straight from the heart.

At almost a year later, I am amazed at my personal transformation. Although I have always been a fairly upbeat and positive person, PhysXtreme has made me a better person, a happier person, and helped me to find balance as a mom. I am proud of my body again and the example I am setting for my kids. Now that you’ve found their website, you need to join PhysXtreme. It will change your life!

Cathy Poch

“Life-altering experiences mold our lives and they sometimes happen when you least expect it. One of them for me is when I bought a PhysXtreme Groupon! This is almost laughable because when I started, my goals were to climb a rope within the first few weeks as I was prepping for a Spartan race and, of course, to get skinny. I thought this was going to be easy! I thought I was going to be amazing… turns out PhysXtreme kicked my ass!

“It took me more than a year to climb the rope and I didn’t get skinny! Good thing, because if I had climbed that rope and reached my weight goal within the limits of the Groupon, I may not have signed up for another year and I may not have had the opportunity to experience all the awesome things that followed. Although I haven’t lost weight as planned, I have increased my muscle mass, I never wore sleeveless tops, now I wear them with pride. I’m stronger physically and more importantly emotionally. I have more self-confidence, my body image has changed dramatically, and I stopped yo-yo dieting!

“The coaches are AWESOME! I have no other words, I love Shane! I have shared some very personal experiences with him out of trust – still not sure why, but I did. I’ve talked about my eating habits, or shall I call it eating addiction. He’s helped me understand why I do the things I do, which is the first step towards living a healthier lifestyle. The other coaches are great! Amazing! Awesome! Dave, the kettlebell coach, actually leads a trail run every Sunday – JUST FOR FUN! He makes us do all kinds of crazy stuff, like push ups, squats, and even upside down handstand push-ups! Beware, he will kick you if your technique is being compromised! Yes, he has kicked me! LOL But more importantly, I can do these things now!

“I have made some incredible friends through PhysXtreme. Friends who have come out with me at crazy times of the day to train for a race that I was doing, not them! JUST FOR SUPPORT! WHO DOES THAT? The people I met at PhysXtreme do! I honestly didn’t know there were people out there like this! Strong is the new skinny – for realz!”

Melanie Carkner

PhysXtreme, Shane Miller, and his excellent coaching staff have changed my life! I got in on a Groupon thinking I didn’t have anything to lose at that price and got instantly hooked. It’s the first time I really experienced a gym where the coaching staff really cares about the people, no matter how out of shape you might be. Technique always comes before performance in this CrossFit gym. The coaching staff just keeps motivating us.

I have now been a member for over a year and the changes I have experienced are tremendous. I am so much stronger and faster than last year. My endurance level and cardio can’t even compare to what they were before I joined. I am definitely in the best shape of my life… and I just turned 50 this year. I could not make a recommendation about PhysXtreme without talking about the people. In this gym I have discovered a group of people of a different breed. It is a close-knit community whose members keep pushing and motivating each other. Something I have never experienced before. PhysXtreme has become my family away from home. Kudos Shane Miller!

Alain Lefebvre