Anyone, Not Everyone: Chuck Taylors And A Smile - Meet Lee Davis

Raising the bar on what it means to be a happy athlete, Lee Davis shares his story of chasing unknown limits, pushing that edge and doing it all in Chuck Taylors with his signature smile.

What is your story?

My workout journey began in 8th grade. As any guy during that age, I wanted to impress girls, and I thought the way to do that was to have a 6-pack and bench 135. So I told everyone I could bench 135 – when I tried it for the first time, it fell on me. (how embarrassing…)

I knew I had to walk the walk if I wanted to talk the talk. I grabbed my parent’s P-90X Beach Body VHS tapes and got after it. Then I started getting compliments and the fitness obsession kind of spiraled out of control from there.

“I made a choice then and there that the next time I faced the PT test, I’d own it and obliterate 2 miles in 16 minutes.”

I did a ton of “bro-lifting” which consisted of only training arms and chest. Needless to say, I had to wear jeans all the time to not look disproportionate. Friends don’t let friends skip leg day…

I then signed up to go to The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina. To get ready for college, it was recommended that I be able to run 2 miles in 16 minutes. A week out, I tried a mile in 8 minutes. I was exhausted and a far cry from an 8-minute mile. I started questioning what I got myself into and whether I could pull it off. Then I showed up and failed my first physical training test.

I made a choice then and there that the next time I faced the PT test, I’d own it and obliterate 2 miles in 16 minutes.

I got more and more into fitness throughout college, competed in a bodybuilding competition and tried out for a group called the Summerall Guards. For that group, we had to run with rifles and in Chuck Taylors. I ended up making the cut for that group and, in my senior year, I ran my first half marathon in an hour and 40 minutes. It dawned on me that maybe I could run after all…

After graduation, I went to Texas to drill oil and spent so much time on an oil rig that it took away from my fitness. I left that job after 3 months and came back to Charleston. I then ran my first marathon in March, which graduated into a 50-mile ultra-marathon and most recently a 70-mile ultra (while still holding a 455lb deadlift).

Now I do hot yoga, CrossFit, olympic/powerlifting, swimming and running – most times all in one day! Right now I’m training to complete a 100-mile run in under 24 hours and complete my first Ironman.

What’s after that? I can’t giveaway everything…

What brought you to Rhapsody CrossFit?

The community brought me to Rhapsody. I knew I was at the point where I needed a little push and some friendly competition to get to the next level of fitness – did Rhapsody ever bring it!

What a great community. I can’t help but smile the whole time I am in this gym. I love the push people give me and I like to push back too!

What have you gotten out of your experience with Rhapsody?

So, so much. I’ve met wonderful people who are all accomplished and have this drive to be better than they were yesterday.

Everyone knows they can push the edge a little more and you see that in each and every class. You finish a workout and you think, “I could’ve lifted heavier, gone faster, etc…”

It’s almost like there is no end to our potential!

To the Rhapsody community, you are a prime example of what it means to be happy – tell me about that drive to be better and what motivates you?

I am honored. I try to keep a positive outlook on everything in life. I just find it hard not to smile!

I’m driven by this idea of the unknown limit of our bodies…I want to find it or at least chase it!

I never want to look back and think “man those were the glory days.” I want to always be in those glory days! I think our bodies can handle a lot more than we are throwing at them, and I want to earn every day I’m given.

Grab a pair Chuck Taylors and get after it with a free class at Rhapsody CrossFit in Charleston.