1. What first brought you to CrossFit?
I decided to try Crossfit last December with Jason Burgholder and Cody Gerhardt. (It was convenient because we all worked together at KEM) I wanted to get into better shape but wasn’t sure where to start so I just did it. My first workout was the “12 Days of Christmas” and it was miserable. (It quickly became the scaled version of the “10 Days of Christmas”)
2. What was your first impression? How has that changed?
My first impression was that I had jumped into something that was created for people who were in much better condition than myself. I was strong and had pretty good endurance, but I was heavy and sore after every workout in the beginning. My current impression about Crossfit is that I believe Crossfit is intended to create the best version of you (whatever that may be) I now scale workouts accordingly and avoid heavy movements that are questionable to me. You don’t need to be a great athlete to do this, just the willpower to show up and the rest will fall in place.
3. What was your first “bright spot” and what are you working on now?
I really have several brightspots: Losing 40 pounds in 8 months, accomplishing my first kipping & weighted pull-ups and toes to the bar. (These are movements that I wasn’t even close to doing in the beginning)
I’m currently working on my power cleans and snatches the most—the more technical moves. In addition, now that I have lost the weight, I want to start building lean mass.
4. What’s your favorite CrossFit Katana memory?
I don’t really have a single favorite memory. I have met lots of good people along the way and have had a lot of fun and worked hard and I appreciate all of it.
5. What other interests take up your time when you’re not at the gym?
Outside of CrossFit, I keep it simple. I enjoy spending time with my wife and watching my girls play softball & volleyball. I like to spend time outside (doing almost anything) and I enjoy cooking.
Finally, I would like to thank JP, John Mack, and Brent Taylor for being super cool and helping me out when I was first getting started. They made me feel welcome and that made all the difference.