1.Were you active prior to Cross Fit?
I was very active as a child and through my early twenties with skiing, tennis, golf and baseball. However, my mid-twenties hit and life got in the way of keeping fit. As I got more marshmallow-like and closer to 200lbs I earned the nickname “Roundboy” from my grandfather. It was then I made the decision to get back to some kind of fitness regimen, so about 6 years ago I began to train for and run marathons. This got rid of the extra weight, at least some of it, and I loved the challenge, however I knew the running was hard on my body and really wasn’t taking me to the level of actual fitness I was looking for.
2. When did you first start doing Cross Fit?
I first came to Cross Fit in May of 2012 but my travel schedule and home life kept me from getting to the box more than twice a week, so I consider July of 2013 as the time that I truly made a commitment to Cross Fit. I now come to no less than 4 classes per week.
3. What were your thoughts after your first workout?
That was brutal!!!
Also, I gained an understanding of exactly how weak I had become over the 15 or so years of “laziness”. This gave me a new perspective of what true fitness is and I was able to see for the first time in a long time what it was going to take to become truly athletic again.
And one more thing crossed my mind that day and that was “Hey, I just worked out next to Brentson Buckner, former Pittsburgh Steeler!” (I’m from Pittsburgh, so it was a huge deal for me)
4. What do you enjoy the most about Cross Fit?
It’s very hard to pinpoint one thing I love the most, so I won’t. I have a few.
First and foremost, the atmosphere that Steve and Jess have created is second to none. I have been to many boxes in different cities across the country and none of them come close to Vitality. From the very beginning, even before I had fully committed, I felt as though I belonged and the other athletes were cheering me on, letting me know what I was doing well and what I could change to become better. This is hugely important as it creates a comfortable place to come and do things you might not be comfortable doing. It is very hard to be the new kid and not know what you are doing, but the people at Vitality, from the coaches, Laura, and the athletes I train with made it very easy to continue to come back, and that is something I try to pay forward by helping new athletes feel more comfortable.
Second, I love learning what I am capable of both mentally and physically and I really love learning more about the sport of Cross Fit. The coaches are more than just coaches…they are educators. I am learning more than I ever knew about the physical structure of my body, nutrition, and the proper way to do all of the moves to avoid injury.
Also, I cannot say enough about the decision to have a daycare at Vitality. Not only does it provide a safe place for our kids, but it gives us the opportunity to do something as a family throughout the week. With homework, soccer, and both of us working, Vitality is a great place for the entire family to come and release some of the day’s negative energy. My kids ask every day if it is “Gym Day” and they are very excited when it is.
5. What were your goals when you first started?
My goals were simple…get to Vitality as much as possible because my future fit self was going to come from my commitment to showing up. I realized early on that you get out of Crossfit what you put into it, and early on I had issues with that. It wasn’t necessarily a lack of interest or will, but the lack of vision on my part to create a work/life schedule that would allow me to fully explore how I could benefit from Crossfit.
What are they now?
I will be competing in the Open next year because I enjoy establishing benchmarks for myself and then committing to and working towards surpassing those benchmarks. The Open allows all of us to do just that, as does Wodify, on a daily basis. I love working on a strength exercise for which I have an established benchmark and trying to beat it.
6. What is your favorite Cross Fit movement?
I love box jumps. The higher the better!
7. What is your least favorite movement?
Overhead squats are brutal. They highlight my lack of mobility in several areas but I view that as an opportunity.
8. What kind of nutrition plan do you follow and has that changed since you started Cross Fit?
In all honesty, my nutrition plan is bipolar. I have my good days and I have my unbelievably horrendous days in which ice cream and donuts replace chicken and vegetables. I am a bit of a sugar junkie. This is something I struggle with constantly, but I realize now that getting to Vitality and doing the workouts is only half the battle, and in all honesty it is the easy half for me. The nutrition piece will be a struggle but I am committed to making it work and look forward to seeing the benefits from eating healthy, as I saw from my commitment to the workouts.
9. Talk about your results from doing Cross Fit?
Since fully committing to Cross Fit back in July I have seen tremendous improvements in several areas. For one, the movements that were so foreign to me in the beginning have become much easier and more efficient, allowing me to tackle heavier weights. I am performing gymnastics moves, i.e. handstand pushups, kipping pullups and T2B that seemed impossible just 6 months ago. I am establishing benchmarks in all aspects of Cross Fit which allows me to compete against my past performances.