Rick and Melissa Volker: Partner Workouts Are the Secret Sauce
Meet Rick and Melissa Volker.
They've been married for more than 30 years, have two daughters (both FBF members too) and two cats, and are happiest in the water. Rick first trained with us back when we were CrossFit, before Covid. In November 2024 he came back, and this time Melissa came with him. We asked them about starting over, partner workouts, and training to stay strong enough for the ocean.
Meet the Volkers
Rick and I met 32 years ago, in 1994. I'm from PE and he's from Durban, but we were both working in Johannesburg at the time. We got married in 1995, and that June we watched the Springboks win their first World Cup together. We've watched every one since, together too. I love rugby, and I used to watch a lot of cricket before we had children. After that, who has time, unless it's T20?
Rick is outnumbered at home by girls and cats. We have two daughters and two cats. The daughters come to FBF too. The cats just get the zoomies at home.
I grew up sailing, windsurfing and paddling on the Kromme River estuary, and Rick grew up surfing on the Durban beachfront. I finally learned to surf in 2015, after 20 years of marriage. Now our idea of a date is a dawnie surf and then breakfast together in Muizenberg (or at Hulett's if we're in the Eastern Cape).
Rick is a civil engineer and project manager, and I'm a beauty therapist and writer. I've published three romance novels, and my first non-fiction book, Chasing Waves: The Rise of Women's Surfing in South Africa, came out in September. You can find it here:
How it started
Rick joined False Bay back when it was still CrossFit, before Covid.
He eventually stopped because of a tough work and travel schedule.
I didn't think it was for me. I did Pilates and ran on the treadmill at another gym, but I lost my Vitality gym benefit every winter. The surf was so good that I never reached my attendance goals.
In November 2024, a few things lined up. Rick was struggling with some injuries, the stand up paddle scene was quiet, and the girls were a bit older, so we had time to do something new together. I saw one of the False Bay Fitness Black Friday couples specials on Instagram and signed us up.
I sort of saw it as supporting Rick on his comeback, like a tribute in the Hunger Games. I wasn't sure I would survive! Rick was hoping to get his fitness back. I was hoping to take it one day at a time and not make a fool of myself.
Life before False Bay Fitness
Rick kitesurfed, surfed and SUP surfed, but he never really liked gyms before FBF. What drew him in was the industrial, noisy feel of the place. He likes the loud music and the community spirit, and he says partner workouts are the secret sauce.
After I learned to SUP and surf in 2015, I started competing in stand up paddle surfing and flat water racing. I've won the SA SUP Surfing Champs in the women's 45+ age group, and one of the women's 45+ SUP Surf and Race Series. I loved the adrenaline of competing and how it pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I never considered joining a gym like this. On onshore days, I'd go for a run instead.
First-day nerves
Rick was starting over, and he knew it was going to hurt. I had no idea. I couldn't do a single wall ball, box jump or wall walk. The only things I felt I could do well were the farmer's carry (from carrying my SUP) and the ski erg (from paddling it). I was nervous because I'd never really done weight training before.
The atmosphere at the gym
The atmosphere is amazing. Rick has always loved the sense of community: the way everyone cheers for everyone else, how nobody packs away until the last person has finished the workout, and how inclusive it is.
I realised quickly that it was very different to any gym I'd been to before. At my previous gym, I was always too embarrassed to use the weights area. It felt really intimidating. I've never felt that way at FBF. I like that the exercises can be scaled, so people of every strength and fitness level feel welcome and part of the class. The coaches are patient, they explain things well, and they're very encouraging.
What they admire in each other
Melissa: Rick is now a HYROX machine. He's really put in the work, and I'm very proud of him.
Rick: I've always admired how Melissa is ready to push herself to try new things, even when they scare her. I watched her go from being afraid of the ocean to pushing herself in crazy conditions. I can see the same thing happening in the gym.
Thirty years, no surprises
We've been together for more than thirty years, so I'm not sure he can still surprise me. Early in our marriage, Rick played basketball, and he had the same determined streak. He stopped eating dessert so he'd be light enough to slam dunk, and eventually he did it.
He's become super fit in the two years since he came back to FBF. I'm proud of him for that, but I'm not surprised. I knew he had it in him.
What keeps them moving
We can't always train at the same time. Sometimes I go in the mornings to get it done early. But we're both motivated by the same thing: staying fit as we get older. A doctor once told me that ageing is loss of muscle mass, and there's nothing like the relentless march of time to keep you moving and building muscle. I keep doing burpees and push-ups so I can pop up on a surfboard.
Proudest moments
I can now do a box jump properly. It's a low box, but it took me almost two years to get it right. I also never used to finish the buy-in when it was on the assault bike, and recently I finished the calories well within the time. I can do a wall walk now without feeling like my eyeballs are going to pop out. I still feel like the slowest runner, but when I compare my times now to before I joined, they've improved dramatically.
Rick's proudest moment is his solitary muscle-up. The one and only, never to be repeated.
Through a hard year
I started training in November 2024. My dad was still playing golf in January 2025, but his health took a turn that April. My mom also has health issues, and between April and November 2025 the two of them were in hospital seven times, and in step-down care three times.
The regular schedule of training at FBF really helped me cope with the stress and sadness. I got into a routine of going from FBF to the hospital or step-down. My dad died in January, and the first time I came back to gym, it hit me hard that there were no more visits to him after class.
But I know my dad was proud of me.
I was never sporty as a young person, and he loved that I surfed and went to gym and got strong in my middle age. I know he'd want me to keep going, because that's the kind of person he was. At school he got an award for determination in sport, and he could still beat Rick and my brothers at pool or table tennis well into his 80s. So I keep going, even when it's hard, and FBF has made that possible.
For Rick, training has spilled over into the rest of his life. It's helped him be more disciplined, build other good habits and routines, and pay more attention to nutrition and his overall health.
Why they keep coming back
I enjoy the community, how everyone greets you and says well done after the workout.
I'm amazed that I get to work out among gazelles who run like the wind and big muscly men who lift impossible weights. The structure makes anything possible for anyone. I love the challenge and the competitive edge to the workouts. And I'm determined to get stronger so I can pop up faster on a surfboard (and move furniture around my house, aka the prowler push).
Rick says it's the carrot in front of the donkey. You can never be as fit and strong as you want to be, but it's a lot of fun trying. He also says a gym session washes off the work day, and you come home renewed.
The goal they share
We just want to be strong enough to surf and SUP surf better, and to try different types of boards. And go on a surf trip. And be fit enough to make the swim back if a leash snaps. That’s all.
What False Bay Fitness has given them
Another topic we discuss at length. It's a meeting place after a long day, and a good start to any day when we train early.
Advice for other couples
Join. It's fun. It will rank as one of your best decisions.
Quick-fire round: who's more likely to…
Skip a warm-up? Neither. We're both too old to take that chance.
Push for one more rep? Rick.
Chat after class? Rick.
Stay for coffee after class? Rick.
Forget what workout is programmed? Melissa.
Convince the other to come to class? We don't need convincing, but maybe Rick will convince me if I'm tired.
Be more competitive? Melissa. We're both very competitive (don't try us at Bananagrams), but I think I'm more competitive than Rick.
Take the longest to get ready for class? Rick.
Thank you, Rick and Melissa, for sharing your story with us. If you've been thinking about training with your partner, take a look at our partner packages or book a class together. As Rick says, partner workouts are the secret sauce.