People often ask me how I ended up starting an apparel and equipment brand. The short answer is frustration. The long answer involves ten years on the Australian Olympic weightlifting team, a transition into CrossFit, and a persistent feeling that athletes deserved better gear than what was available.
The Weightlifting Years
I started Olympic weightlifting as a teenager in Queensland. The snatch and clean and jerk are two of the most technically demanding movements in sport — they require strength, speed, flexibility, coordination, and mental toughness in equal measure. I was fortunate enough to represent Australia for ten years, competing internationally and training alongside some of the best lifters in the country.
Those years taught me a few things that have shaped everything about RXPECT:
- Equipment matters: At the highest level, the difference between a good lift and a missed lift can come down to your belt slipping, your knee sleeves shifting, or your grip failing. Reliable equipment is not a luxury — it is a necessity.
- Athletes are hard on gear: We train six days a week, we sweat through everything, we chalk everything, and we demand that our gear performs consistently. Anything that is not built for this level of use fails quickly.
- Simplicity wins: The best equipment is the stuff you do not think about. It does its job, it stays out of the way, and it lets you focus on the barbell.
The CrossFit Transition
After stepping back from international weightlifting competition, I transitioned into CrossFit. It was a natural move — I already had the strength and the Olympic lifting technique. What I needed to develop was the engine, the gymnastics, and the mental resilience for workouts that combine everything into a single brutal effort.
CrossFit also introduced me to a wider community of athletes. In weightlifting, the community is relatively small. In CrossFit, every box has dozens of athletes at varying levels, all training together, all pushing each other. The energy is different, and it drew me in immediately.
But it also exposed me to the equipment landscape — or lack thereof. Most of the gear available was either cheap imports that fell apart after a few months, or overpriced international brands that charged a premium for a logo. There was very little in between, and almost nothing designed specifically for the unique demands of CrossFit by people who actually understood those demands.
The Gap in the Market
CrossFit is not weightlifting. It is not gymnastics. It is not running. It is all of those things, often in the same workout. And that creates unique equipment requirements.
A weightlifting belt designed for heavy singles between long rest periods does not work when you need to put it on and take it off mid-workout. Gymnastic grips designed for competitive gymnasts who spend their entire session on the apparatus do not hold up when you are transitioning between pull-ups, barbell work, and rowing. Running gear designed for steady-state cardio does not survive a burpee-box jump combination.
I started RXPECT to fill that gap. Every product we make is designed specifically for CrossFit and functional fitness, by athletes who train this way every day.
How We Design Products
Everything starts on the gym floor. When I noticed athletes constantly tearing their hands despite using grips, I looked at why — and found that most grips were either too thick (killing bar feel) or too thin (offering insufficient protection). Our Carbon Fibre Grips sit in that sweet spot, providing real protection without sacrificing the tactile feedback you need for gymnastic movements.
When athletes complained about knee sleeves that slid down during workouts or stretched out after a few months, we developed our 7mm Knee Sleeves with a silicone grip strip and neoprene that maintains its compression over time.
The Signature Oversized Tee was born from a simpler observation — most training tees are either so tight they restrict movement or so loose they catch on barbells. We wanted something in between that looked good, moved well, and survived the wash cycle.
Built in Queensland
RXPECT is proudly Queensland-based. We train in the same heat, the same humidity, and the same conditions as our customers across Australia. When we test products, we test them in 35-degree Queensland summers with 80% humidity. If our gear performs in those conditions, it will perform anywhere.
Being local also means we understand the Australian CrossFit community. We know the competition scene, we attend the throwdowns, and we see firsthand what athletes need. That connection to the community is not something you can replicate from overseas.
What RXPECT Means
The name is a play on “Rx” — the CrossFit designation for completing a workout as prescribed, at full difficulty. When you Rx a workout, you have met the standard. No scaling, no modifications. It represents the pursuit of excellence that drives every athlete in our sport.
RXPECT is our promise: gear that meets the standard. Equipment and apparel designed to perform at the level you demand, built by athletes who understand what that level requires.
What is Next
We are constantly developing new products based on athlete feedback and our own training experience. Every piece we release goes through months of testing — in the gym, in competition, and in the wash — before it reaches our store.
If you have ideas for products you would like to see, or feedback on gear you have tried, reach out. This brand was built for the community, and the community drives everything we do.
See you in the box.
— Shane