Rising Stars: Meet Chase Knight

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chase Knight.

Hi Chase, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Visalia, CA and lived there until I was 21. My childhood was pretty typical, but at a young age I developed childhood obesity. At my heaviest, I weighed 200lbs at only 5′ tall and wore size 40″ in men’s. Working towards losing weight, I became obsessed with how kids treated me the more I lost weight. So much so that the summer between Sophomore and Junior year I developed body dysphoria and subsequently anorexia. By the time I started my Jr. year of high school, I was now 5’6″ (my current height) and 127lbs, and I dropped to a 28″ pant size.

With my family recognizing these changes, they confronted me, which put me on a better path. I began weight training, eating normally, and working harder than ever. This drive led well into my pursuit of a military career and eventually as a fitness coach, finally ending with my current career as a firefighter. Within this time, I married at 23, had 3 sons, and am now divorced at 33. I’ve been a firefighter for two and a half years, unfortunately, I’ve been injured the entire 2021 year. Since April 1st, I’ve undergone three separate back surgeries, the first of which was a spinal fusion of my L4-S1.

While recovering, I’ve been working on finishing my bachelor’s of science degree from Park University studying Military History. Taking these classes online, going through physical therapy and training, as well as taking care of my sons every other week has made this year incredibly challenging yet so rewarding.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. Childhood obesity was a huge contributing factor into what I’d have to overcome years later. As a kid and all the way into my Sophomore year of high school, I was heavily bullied and beat up by other kids. I was just an easy target because I was so much shorter than everyone else and I would never fight back. Those years carried me into my military career.

As a soldier, I just wanted to serve my country. I had those images of being the hero, the one man standing up for the little guy, the same as what I wished would have happened for me. I strived to be the soldier that took care of others, that became a leader. In fact, in 2009 I was slotted for pre-selection for Special Forces, but two weeks out from leaving I was assaulted. My left shoulder was ripped out of place and I was left with a 3rd degree AC tear. Eventually needing reconstruction surgery.

This led to me switching to Active Duty in hopes to pursue my dreams in that route. While there I was nominated for the Hip Pocket Green to Gold scholarship. But, what they don’t tell you is you lose all of your benefits when doing so. I was no different than a veteran who contracted with ROTC.

Subsequently, that same month I was honorably discharged, my ex-wife lost her job due to cutbacks. That began our financial hardships which eventually led to bankruptcy after a few years of maxed out medical debt between having a child and cancer scares.

I rejoined the military in the MO Army National Guard in December 2015. While at this time my partner and I had opened a local CrossFit gym. I wanted a place where people came to train for a purpose. I didn’t cater to the masses, rather I looked for personality traits in my athletes. During this time though, I ended up having two surgeries, my right knee and right shoulder. These setbacks were a blessing in disguise because it made me refocus my efforts on the coaching side. I learned as much as I could and reinvested myself into my athletes.

Simultaneously though, I was in the pool of applicants for the Fire Department. Although I loved my job, I needed something a little more sustainable for my family. All the while I was battling heavy depression and suicidal ideations. I voluntarily went to therapy because I knew that my mind wasn’t right. Between my insomnia, sleep apnea, and mental health issues that developed on Active Duty, I had the hardest time working through it all. But the thing that saved me the most was my athletes. They gave me purpose.

In June 2019, I was selected to go to the Fire Academy for Kansas City, MO with the full intent to take over the gym as sole owner upon graduation.

Unfortunately, before I could, my partner (who was full owner on paper) decided it was best financially to close the doors due to the loss of attendance during my absence. This crushed me.

Working as a firefighter though, my training focused solely on being job ready. A lot of workouts with full gear on. Weighted stair climbs. Anything that could simulate the job. Unfortunately in March 2020, I tweaked my back moving a patient. I received 3 epidurals and went through PT which helped tremendously. By June I was back at work feeling great. Until December. The pain slowly crept back, until after about 3 weeks of dealing with it, my Captain sent me home to go get checked out. Two disks were degenerated as well as bulging and tears. This time the neurosurgeon recommended a Spinal Fusion. I had 3 more epidurals before the surgery, but with little help. By February I was having trouble walking. My legs would randomly give out and I’d collapse on the ground. It was brutal.

April 1st I had the surgery, but it didn’t go well. I ended up having severe nerve pain in my right leg. I would scream throughout the night in tears. It took a month to get a steroid shot in my back to calm the pain slightly. Another 3 months pass and then I have a second surgery to remove the hardware on the right. It turns out that the screw in my lower right S1 had pushed too far through and the bone corkscrewed around the tip of the screw and was pushing into my nerve pocket. I had instant relief but there is still residual leg pain that is probably permeant. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t the end either. The wound would not stop aggressively draining. So much so that 2 weeks later I had a 3rd surgery to clean out the area and then stitch me back up.

So that brings me to now, here I am, working on homework. Taking care of my sons. Going to physical therapy, the gym on my own, paying for a personal trainer. Anything I can do to get myself back in shape and ready to do the job again. I’m new, so much so that I haven’t paid my dues yet and I know it. There’s guys on the job who’ve been in pain for years. And out of fear or for one reason or another have chosen to push through. I on the other hand took the advice of my doctor, because as he put it to me, “you’re going to have to get this surgery at some point. If you get it now, you’ll have a quicker recovery period. But if you don’t get it, I can’t see you having a career for 27 years.

At the same time, even if you do get it, you might not have a career either.” I choose to decide what’s best and how to move forward. I felt that in order for me to be effective for my crew, I best do this now while I still can.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Although I am a firefighter, I am most notably known for my coaching. Given my background, I know what it’s like to be at the bottom of the barrel of the fitness world. I was once the slowest, weakest guy in my grade. But from those struggles gave me a very unique ability to connect and understand what others are going through.

People see what I (used to) do and think that it’s easy for me. It’s not. I’m not a naturally gifted athlete, those were my brothers, I on the other hand am a B average person. I’m good at a lot of things, but never great, which is precisely why I excelled in CrossFit.

I started coaching in 2010 in the Army. It started with just helping a friend lose some weight. An SSG asked me to help this soldier out because I was very fit per the Army standard. All I had him do was follow my routine. The difference was I never pushed him to my level, it was always based on where he was at. I learned that naturally from my own struggles. Coaches expected me to keep up with everyone when I physically didn’t have the ability to, so I knew that would have to be different.

From there, more and more soldiers asked for my help until eventually, I volunteered to take over the special populations PT group in my company.

At that time, I found CrossFit and used those methods to teach these soldiers. Within 3 months we were the only company that had a 100% pass rating, from there I was hooked.

When I deployed as a contractor in 2013, the base I was at had a CF gym called CrossFit Camp Phoenix. After a month of working out there, I was asked to be an assistant coach. I would train with one of the coaches for an hour prior to class and word vomit everything he taught me. I began to read articles, watch videos, anything I could do to learn how to coach better.

When I got home I was hired as a strength CrossFit coach, eventually leading to the head coach and assistant manager position. Again, doing everything I could to learn as much as possible. After some personal disagreements with the owners, I decided it was time to venture on my own. I approached one of my athletes about partnering up. Within 3-4 weeks, we had opened CrossFit FIF.

I have so many success stories in that gym. The most notable one was Brooke though. She was visually impaired, only had light perception. She had come to me with her mom about personal training, as she had been doing a year prior at another facility. I was honest. I said I had never coached anyone who was blind, but as long as they were patient with my learning curve, I knew I could do it.

She accomplished so much in our 2+ years together. The biggest achievement was her double-under (where the jump rope passes under your feet twice). But honestly, she saved my life. She came into my life at the peak of my depression. But my commitment to her forced me to continue fighting day after day. When we would have a session, I’d coach the morning class then drive to pick her up. We’d workout, then after I would take her home to make sure she got to and from the gym safely. She was by far one of the kindest, most intelligent human beings I’ve ever met in my life. She truly did save my life when I needed it the most.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love watching and listening to motivational videos. Commencement speeches. Anything where you just feel ready to attack the day. Books-wise, I enjoy reading on past historical figures. I also really enjoy watching videos on financial choices: stock market, investing, real-estate.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: coach_chase_cfl2
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3KXatby_IYIygL-Jnoh86w