In 2008, three men started a business in what used to be a warehouse for transmission parts in Encinitas, Calif. Today, two of them still live there and opened a CrossFit affiliate in the same location. Alex Kurz describes it as the place where “Life As Prescribed started and grew.”
“We all moved into a loft that used to just hold transmission parts,” says the co-founder and director of production at Life As Rx. “So we scraped it down, we painted everything, and all three of us moved up here.”
The space is cramped and missing a window, and those who are taller than 6 feet can’t move about comfortably.
“We saw such a future in it that we had to give up our jobs, put everything into it,” Kurz says of the 4-year-old company.
The former warehouse is packed with shelves of apparel and accessories, as well the “shipping dragon” and bike preserved for superstitious reasons—both have been there since the company’s inception. And there’s also an Every Second Counts poster commemorating the 2009 CrossFit Games, the first year Life As Rx went to the event.
“A lot of us laugh about where the Games used to be, to where it’s at now—’cause it’s a whole different story,” Kurz says with a laugh. “We keep those friendly reminders of what used to be.”
Life As Rx itself continues to grow—even graduating to have its very own area for photo shoots.
“We iron our shirts now. We make sure there’s no fuzzies,” Kurz says, holding back laughter. “We do all the good stuff and we take all the time to do it. This is kind of the growing up of Life As Prescribed.”
9min 50 sec
Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Episode 13 by Neil Anderson, published Dec. 14, 2008.