Three’s Company

A CrossFit challenge brings more than fitness gains to a group of dedicated Members.

As Reina Hirayama, Mariko Takamiya and Chisato Koonmen enter the Club, their faces are alive with energy and excitement.

It’s Thursday morning, and they are making their weekly pilgrimage to the second-floor Gymnasium, where trainer Luis Uraga awaits with barbells and boxing gloves. He greets them as they stroll in, matching their enthusiasm step for step.

The next hour will be filled with walking lunges, lifts and plenty of burpees and punches as Uraga puts the three women through a CrossFit-style workout that pushes them to the limit. The challenge will also highlight and strengthen the bond that brought the group together.

Despite their diverse backgrounds, Hirayama, Takamiya and Koonmen have been friends for over a decade. United by their shared love for Pilates and tennis, and their roles as mothers, the trio decided earlier this year to elevate their fitness by adding more strength training to their routines—and to do it together. These weekly meetings have become a shared ritual they hold sacred.

Koonmen lifts the day’s target.

Through Pilates they had all learned the importance of core strength and mobility—especially when it came to improving their tennis game. Koonmen’s experience with kickboxing further fueled the idea of creating a class with both boxing and CrossFit elements. Hirayama thanks their former trainer, Robert Daoust, for opening the door to kickboxing and inspiring them to pursue all styles of fitness.

With guidance from Club yoga instructor Luiz Olimpio, they enlisted Uraga, a boxing coach and trainer known for his personalized approach, to craft and guide a regimen.
Uraga most often works with Members one-on-one, but he was impressed with the trio’s dedication and camaraderie, and this group class has become one he looks forward to each week. “They seem close, like sisters,” he says. “They’re not just dedicated to the grind, but to each other. If one of them can’t make it on the usual day, they’ll reschedule so that they can all attend.”

Such consistency has been the key to their success, Hirayama notes. The accountability of attending classes together motivates them even on days when they feel overwhelmed. “It’s a mindset thing,” she explains. “If you feel pressured or under stress, you might just stay home and relax and do nothing. If you have something to do like a class, especially with friends, then you will probably get yourself off of your couch. That gives you a positive result.”

Koonmen adds that working out with others can be more enjoyable than going it alone. “The point is to do it together. I like to exercise and do a lot of fitness; I work out three or four times a week. But this is so fun. I know [Hirayama and Takamiya] through tennis, and it’s just more fun in a group.”

All three credit Uraga for his skill in setting challenging-yet-achievable goals, and for keeping their workouts dynamic and engaging. “Luis is good at pushing us, and he’s very creative and clear,” Takamiya says. “We never get bored.”

Luis Uraga absorbs Hirayama’s punches.

They have observed noticeable physical improvements since they began their fitness journey—results quantified through BMI scores. Uraga was particularly impressed by their progress when comparing their initial results with those from six weeks later. He saw a significant increase in muscle mass and a reduction in fat percentage across the board. He challenged them to maintain or surpass their current level by the next assessment and emphasized mutual accountability. Should anyone fall short, the other two would have to do 30 burpees each—a collective incentive to stay motivated and support one another’s progress.

But the weekly get-together is not just about physiques. It’s an important time to bond, which extends over lunch after the workout. Hirayama, Takamiya and Koonmen agree that meeting up to sweat together and talk things out has been critical to improving their motivation as well as physical and mental well-being. They push each other to their limits, inspire one another with positive attitudes and find joy in achievements. It’s a winning combination they highly recommend to others.

Through sweat and laughter, they’ve formed a bond that transcends the gym walls, proving that true friendship thrives in the pursuit of shared goals and shared passions.