Then he started to experiment with more dangerous drugs, like Oxycontin, acid, and cocaine. He became a black-out drinker and woke up every day looking to get his next fix.
“It started out innocent," Maryniak says. "It was fun, and then I got addicted.”
For many years, Maryniak knew he had a problem, but it wasn’t until he turned 20 that he realized how serious it had become.
“I finally hit a point—I couldn’t work anymore; I couldn’t do anything," he says. "I was smoking crack, taking pills. I was out of control.
“Finally, I was in so much pain, emotionally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I hated myself. I hated the person I became. That was the moment I knew I had to do something, or I would die doing this.”
After reaching out to his dad for help, Maryniak walked into rehab in November 2005. For the two weeks that he was there, he felt the symptoms of withdrawal, struggled to accept the fact that he could never drink again, and wanted nothing more than to just go home. He was given the option to leave early, so he took it. Twenty-year-old Maryniak joined a 12-step program and returned to work as a tattoo artist.
Wanting to just kick and punch stuff, Maryniak started taking martial arts classes and joined his local gym to let some aggression loose (a Planet Fitness, if you were curious).
“I was still smoking a pack and a half a day, but trying to be active. I took karate, and started doing traditional bodybuilding exercises with the machines,” Maryniak says. “I remember that vividly actually. I’d be the guy smoking a cigarette when I walked into the gym, and smoking a cigarette when I walked out.”
Then Maryniak threw Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing into the mix. After a couple of years, he was asked to become an instructor. Eventually, he quit the cigs.
“That’s sort of where my career began in fitness,” he says.
It wasn’t long before he met his next challenge: While training for a Muay Thai fight, someone told him about CrossFit. Realizing that he didn’t love getting punched in the face during his fights, Maryniak decided to give something else a shot. He went all in, and started doing CrossFit Then he started to experiment with more dangerous drugs, like Oxycontin, acid, and cocaine. He became a black-out drinker and woke up every day looking to get his next fix.
“It started out innocent," Maryniak says. "It was fun, and then I got addicted.”
For many years, Maryniak knew he had a problem, but it wasn’t until he turned 20 that he realized how serious it had become.
“I finally hit a point—I couldn’t work anymore; I couldn’t do anything," he says. "I was smoking crack, taking pills. I was out of control.
“Finally, I was in so much pain, emotionally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I hated myself. I hated the person I became. That was the moment I knew I had to do something, or I would die doing this.”
After reaching out to his dad for help, Maryniak walked into rehab in November 2005. For the two weeks that he was there, he felt the symptoms of withdrawal, struggled to accept the fact that he could never drink again, and wanted nothing more than to just go home. He was given the option to leave early, so he took it. Twenty-year-old Maryniak joined a 12-step program and returned to work as a tattoo artist.
Wanting to just kick and punch stuff, Maryniak started taking martial arts classes and joined his local gym to let some aggression loose (a Planet Fitness, if you were curious).
“I was still smoking a pack and a half a day, but trying to be active. I took karate, and started doing traditional bodybuilding exercises with the machines,” Maryniak says. “I remember that vividly actually. I’d be the guy smoking a cigarette when I walked into the gym, and smoking a cigarette when I walked out.”
Then Maryniak threw Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing into the mix. After a couple of years, he was asked to become an instructor. Eventually, he quit the cigs.
“That’s sort of where my career began in fitness,” he says.
It wasn’t long before he met his next challenge: While training for a Muay Thai fight, someone told workouts 4 to 5 days a week.
“I think the competitive aspect of CrossFit really separates it from other facets of fitness. You’re constantly trying to beat your own times on workouts, as well as other CrossFitters. There was just a constant push to go harder and push yourself to your limits,” he says. “I loved doing gymnastics movements, like handstand pushups and muscle ups, as well as heavy deadlifts and squat cleans.”
Maryniak was hooked on the challenge. Determined to prove himself, he started competing in CrossFit competitions. After struggling to place in his first few, he took his training up a notch and entered another competition. He crushed it and placed first.
But something felt off. Maryniak had a hard time recovering after his win and even a few days later, his body still didn’t feel right. After two weeks, he had lost 15 pounds and could no longer sleep because he was urinating so frequently. He became disoriented and his vision was blurry. After driving himself to the ER, his doctors checked his blood sugars, which were so high that they couldn’t even be read on a meter.
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