BEMIDJI – At CrossFit Bemidji on Wednesday, everyone in the gym was working out with only one arm.
It was a ceremonial send-off workout in honor of Amy Johnson, who will compete in the Adaptive CrossFit Games in Las Vegas next week. She can only use her left arm while exercising, so many in the gym got a glimpse into what it’s like in her shoes inside the gym.
“Usually I make them suffer through some version of a one-arm workout every year,” Johnson said with a laugh.
Johnson is a regular, going to CrossFit Bemidji three to six times a week. When she’s not working her other job as an occupational therapist at the Bemidji school district, she teaches adult and kids classes at the gym.
Amy Johnson chats in between workouts on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, at CrossFit Bemidji.
Leo Pomerenke / Bemidji Pioneer
In February, Johnson competed in an online, worldwide competition for a chance to compete in the Adaptive CrossFit Games. Judges view workouts sent in by athletes and pick just 10 to go to the games.
Johnson was one of those 10.
“It’s really kind of surreal,” she said. “I’ve wanted it for years, but I didn’t really think I would actually get there.”
It’s an impressive feat, although the journey to get there was half the battle.
‘It’s not been easy’
Amy Johnson works out in preperation for the Adaptive CrossFit Games in Las Vegas next week on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, at CrossFit Bemidji.
Leo Pomerenke / Bemidji Pioneer
Seven years ago, Johnson felt lost.
At the time, she was suffering from chronic pain, which stemmed from injuring her right arm during the birthing process, tearing the nerves and losing most function.
“Instead of doing a C-section or maneuvering me in a different way, they pulled down on my neck and it tore the nerves,” Johnson said. “There are five nerves that control the movement, sensation and all the function of your arms. All five of mine are torn somewhere to some extent. Some of it has recovered a little bit through various surgeries and lots and lots of therapy, but not all of it.”
She had been looking into filing for disability because of chronic pain in her arm. It had been taking away every aspect of her life.
Then she discovered CrossFit.
“A friend of mine was able to get off of all opioids doing CrossFit and managing his pain,” she said. “So I was like, ‘Well, maybe if it worked for him, it might work for me.’”
Amy Johnson exercises on a bike, one of the many workouts on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, at CrossFit Bemidji.
Leo Pomerenke / Bemidji Pioneer
She gave it a shot and discovered a supportive community that encouraged her despite her physical limitations. Coaches helped make workouts accessible for her so she could participate with everybody else.
The workouts eventually helped relieve her chronic pain, and now she feels rejuvenated.
The support she’s received from the community, her coaches, and, most importantly, her family has crucially helped her along the way.
“I got my life back,” Johnson said. “It totally took away my chronic pain.”
CrossFit is a global brand that focuses on high-intensity workouts that are done in classes rather than individually. It has gyms across 150 countries and hosts competitions to test the fitness of its competitors through a series of workouts.
The Adaptive CrossFit Games, held in Las Vegas Sept. 12-14 and streamed live on YouTube, is the “Olympics of CrossFit,” Johnson explained. It gives CrossFit athletes with a disability a chance to show off their workout skills on a world stage.
“I am most looking forward to seeing some friends and meeting new people,” Johnson continued. “There’s a gal with a neurological condition that I met a couple of years ago in person. She’s from England, so traveling all the way across the pond to get here. I’m super excited to see her.”
Johnson can’t do everything that her fellow CrossFitters in Bemidji can do, but she’s learned how to pace herself.
CrossFit Bemidji holds a class on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
Leo Pomerenke / Bemidji Pioneer
“If you play and try to keep up with everybody else, you’re going to go home and get hurt,” she said. “But if you modify it for what your body needs every day, which is a learning curve, it totally takes away chronic pain.”
The competition will all be paid out-of-pocket by Johnson, but it’s worth it, she said. She competed in another competition a few years ago in Puerto Rico, where she met more people in the CrossFit community.
The CrossFit Bemidji community, however, is where she truly feels at home.
“It’s not been easy. A lot of times, I felt really alone,” Johnson said of her disability. “But the community here is second to none.
“This is a family I didn’t know I knew. It has been amazing. I can’t imagine not having them.”