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Starting August 25th, we’re kicking off a new 8-week cycle built around one simple but powerful method: wave loading.

Wave loading means lifting in “waves.” You build up in weight — for example 3 reps at 70%, 2 at 80%, 1 at 85% — then reset slightly and climb again. Each wave trains your body and brain to handle heavy weight with more confidence, making the bar feel lighter the second time around.

Over the next eight weeks we’ll use this approach to get stronger in the squat, deadlift, and Olympic lifts, while also sharpening technique and building consistency. Sessions stay short, focused, and effective — under 20 minutes of work outside of warm-up — so you’ll get the most out of your training without burning out.

We’ll test lifts in Week 1, ride the waves through Weeks 2–6, sharpen things up in Week 7, and finish with a retest in Week 8 to see just how far you’ve come.

This cycle isn’t just about heavier numbers, it’s about building rhythm, confidence, and trust in your lifts. Get ready to ride the waves with us and finish stronger than ever.

Karlo pulling big weights

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Summer’s ending, but we’re going out with a bang!
Join us Friday, September 5th at 6 PM for food, music, games, and great company.

We’ll celebrate surviving another sweaty, WOD-filled summer, kick off the school year, and hang out with our favorite gym crew.

This is our chance to:

• Celebrate surviving another hot, sweaty, WOD-filled summer.
• Kick off the new school year before life gets busier.
• Hang out with your favorite gym crew.

What to expect

• Delicious food & drinks (no macros required).
• Great music from Coach Courteney.
• Games to spark your competitive streak – bragging rights included.
• Plenty of laughs, stories, and maybe a few questionable summer PR tales.

Event Details

• Date: Friday, September 5th
• Time: 6 PM until… probably before the 10 PM news. There will be evening classes this day.
• Location: The CrossFit Cove

Open to all members, friends, and family. Come ready to eat, laugh, and have fun—no burpees required!

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Summer’s ending, but we’re going out with a bang!
Join us Friday, September 5th at 6 PM for food, music, games, and great company.

We’ll celebrate surviving another sweaty, WOD-filled summer, kick off the school year, and hang out with our favorite gym crew.

This is our chance to:

• Celebrate surviving another hot, sweaty, WOD-filled summer.
• Kick off the new school year before life gets busier.
• Hang out with your favorite gym crew.

What to expect

• Delicious food & drinks (no macros required).
• Great music from Coach Courteney.
• Games to spark your competitive streak – bragging rights included.
• Plenty of laughs, stories, and maybe a few questionable summer PR tales.

Event Details

• Date: Friday, September 5th
• Time: 6 PM until… probably before the 10 PM news. There will be evening classes this day.
• Location: The CrossFit Cove

Open to all members, friends, and family. Come ready to eat, laugh, and have fun—no burpees required!

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Join us this Saturday for the CrossFit Cove Ellicott City Bar Crawl!
It’s a great opportunity to hang out with your fellow Cove athletes outside the gym—and yes, in something other than workout gear!

All event details can be found on the Cove’s private Facebook page and at this event link.

Big thanks to Alyssa Mello for organizing this awesome social outing. We hope to see lots of you there!

Here’s the timeline for the event:

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY

Manor Hill Tavern (upstairs bar): 3pm-4:30pm

Judge’s Bench: 4:30pm-6pm

Phoenix: 6pm-7:30pm

La Palapa: 7:30pm-whenever

Fun times at last year’s pub crawl

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Josh Baptist: More Than a Comeback

Josh is well known at the Cove for his consistency, work ethic, and his freakish strength. Not every class has physically met Josh, but he is the guy with the insane bench, squat, and deadlift numbers on the Wodify whiteboard. If you have been in class with Josh, you will know him by his signature heavy sweat shirts no matter the heat!

But there is so much more to Josh’s story than heavy lifts and high fashion.

It was just a year ago, that Josh was in a horrific motor cycle accident that almost took away his ability to walk. AS you watch him today stand up a 300+ pound front squat, it wasn’t that long ago that Josh was just trying to stand!

Josh’s journey is one of grit, faith, and finding a new kind of power—inside and out.

Finding Sports, and Himself

Josh didn’t grow up in organized athletics. In fact, he didn’t even start until 10th grade. “I was tired of being the big kid,” he says, “and I wanted more for myself.” Despite his mom’s worries about injury, he joined the football team and quickly found his place. He started on defense, but his coaches noticed something else—his natural instinct to protect others—so he moved to the offensive line.

That change lit a fire. By 11th grade, Josh was named All-County. By 12th, he repeated the honor and earned offers to play Division II football.

His late start in sports didn’t slow him down. If anything, it gave him purpose.

Discovering CrossFit

After college, Josh missed that structure and community found in fitness and athletics. In 2019, he found CrossFit. “I loved the intensity and working out with others,” he says.

When he and his wife moved to Columbia, MD, he started training at SoldierFit—but something was off. Then he noticed the CrossFit Cove was just one building over. He dropped in, and the rest is history. The Cove was right for Josh and the community here has gotten so much from him being a part of it.

His goals were simple, get back under 300 pounds (where he felt best), lift heavy, and maybe even compete again in weightlifting or Olympic lifting. But just as things were picking up, everything changed.

The Crash

On July 17th, his fitness journey took a detour. Just minutes from home after leaving his mother’s house, Josh was riding his motorcycle through an intersection when a car cut across two lanes—right into his path.

“I closed my eyes,” Josh remembers. “I felt like what I was about to go through was going to be bad.”

When he opened them, he was on the ground, surrounded by strangers—one shielding him from the hot sun, one on the phone with the police, one calling his family. “Looking back, that was where the miracle started,” he says. “The kindness of strangers.”

He later learned that after clipping the car, he flipped over his handlebars, hit the windshield, and slid nearly 50 feet. It was a miracle he survived.

Recovery: The Slow Climb Back

For four months, Josh was confined to a wheelchair or bed. He relied entirely on his wife and family to help him through the most basic tasks. It was humbling, frustrating, and at times, deeply painful.

But through that time, Josh leaned hard on his faith. “I got closer to God,” he says. “And my wife got closer to our family. That gave me the strength to endure the pain and believe it would get better.”

Return to Strength

Just a few months later, Josh hit a front squat of 365 pounds. Not long after that, he back squatted 300 pounds—for 20 reps. That kind of leap is almost unheard of, but so is Josh.

The journey wasn’t just about regaining muscle—it was about reclaiming independence. Being able to walk without pain. To sweat. To show up. To be himself again.

How the Cove Helped Him Heal

Coming back to the gym wasn’t easy. At first, he felt frustrated—limited by what he could do. But being at the Cove helped shift his mindset. “The gym became my outlet,” he says. “Even on tough days, just sweating and being around others helped.”

The environment gave him space to test his limits, track his progress, and work toward his goals. Slowly, he started to feel like himself again.

Life Now and What’s Ahead

Today, Josh is back to doing almost everything he could before the accident. His focus now? Gaining flexibility, rebuilding strength, and dropping more weight. During his recovery, he peaked at 400 pounds. Now, he hovers around 368—and he’s eyeing that 300 mark again.

“Under 300, I just felt good. I could move, lift, and enjoy life.”

And if his progress so far is any indication, he’s well on his way.

Advice for Others Facing Setbacks

When asked what he’d tell someone dealing with a major injury or setback, Josh doesn’t hesitate:

“Prayer is key. And forgiveness. Forgive the person who hurt you, and forgive yourself.”

He also stresses the importance of patience. “Don’t rush it. Listen to your doctors. Trust the process. There were dark days, but healing—real healing—took time. And support.”

The Strength Within

Josh’s story is more than a comeback. It’s a testament to what’s possible when determination meets faith, when community meets consistency, and when someone refuses to let their setback be the end of their story.

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Most people join a gym with a common goal—to change what their body can do or how it looks. Whether it’s gaining muscle, losing fat, or just feeling stronger, we see that every day at the Cove. But what we also see, and what we cherish most, is that people find so much more—a supportive community and friendships that extend far beyond the one-hour class.

Today, we’re spotlighting five strong, powerful, and inspiring women who came to the Cove for fitness—and found each other.

Laura, Emnet, Ruth, Marylyn, and Janessa all started their journeys separately (although Ruth and Emnet were longtime friends before joining). They came from different fitness backgrounds but were united by a desire to try something new. And CrossFit at the Cove offered just that.

Laura shared, “I wanted something different. I had always been active and went to the gym regularly, but I wasn’t seeing the changes I hoped for. I needed something that would challenge me in a new way.”

For Ruth and Emnet, joining the Cove was a chance to reconnect after Ruth moved back to Maryland—something they could do together.

For Maryln, she also had a long history of weight training but some friends encourage her to give it a try and she noticed all the result they were getting.

Janessa said, “I joined the Cove because I needed to prioritize self-care. It was something just for me.”

Each of these women had a busy schedule, attending classes at all hours—from early mornings at 5:45 AM to late evenings. They bumped into each other at different times, slowly forming individual connections.

But everything changed at the 11:30 AM Saturday class—when they all started working out together. That’s when a true friendship was born. The workout was tough, but what came afterward—laughing, talking, and sharing life—was even more important. One Saturday, they made plans to head to Manor Hill Tavern after class, and from there, the real magic began.

Phone numbers were exchanged. A group chat was created and was given the title of “The Power Snatches”. And what started as a fitness friendship turned into a lifeline of support, motivation, and sisterhood. They dubbed it their “Winter Survival Kit,” helping each other navigate not only workouts but life itself.

As Janessa puts it:
“Everyone has busy lives. There are days where energy or motivation is low, but it’s so much easier when you’re surrounded by supportive people. We’ve shared recipes, podcasts, encouraging words—and sometimes just a good laugh.”

Their connection goes beyond emotional support. They help each other physically too—practicing strict pull-ups, stretching together, or simply staying after class to catch up.

Emnet explained:

“Usually, whoever hits the early class texts a photo or shares how the workout went to fire up the rest of us. Someone always asks, ‘Which class are you making today?’ It keeps us all accountable—not just to ourselves, but to each other.”

Marlyn had glowing words for her new friends:

 “We encourage each other during the workouts, to keep going, to add more weights and at a personal level with work life balance and personal/family related things. Such a great group of positive, professional and strong minded women that I’m so grateful to have met through CF and make each other’s life a little brighter.”

These women embody everything we believe in at the Cove. They show up with smiles, uplifting energy, and a contagious joy that makes our community stronger. We’re beyond grateful to have them as part of the Cove family.

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Cove’s 6th Annual Juneteenth Workout: Moving Together with Purpose

Thursday we come together for our sixth annual Juneteenth workout—a powerful tradition rooted in community, remembrance, and resilience.

Juneteenth, observed on June 19th, marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a day to celebrate liberation and reflect on the long, unfinished journey toward justice.

This WOD, like a Hero workout, is meant to challenge us—to push us beyond comfort and invite reflection. But more than anything, it’s about unity. Every rep is a reminder that progress is something we pursue together.

We’re inspired by the words of Angela Davis:
“Freedom is a constant struggle.”

Today, we honor that struggle—not just through effort, but through community. Let’s show up for each other, with intention, strength, and heart.

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Our 10th Annual Memorial Day Murph was a real hit, as we saw so many athletes look to celebrate and honor the day with each other.

We can’t thank Coach Teresa enough for opening the day with an incredible rendition of the National Anthem.

Evan T was nice enough to take photograph’s of the event and we wanted to share them with everyone. You can see them here.

We actually used Evan’s pictures to Coach Teresa’s amazing performance for a video which you can see here.

Kathy T’s sister had a ball at the Murph!

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