How long have you been doing CrossFit and what got you started?
About 3 years ago I was a member at a globo gym, really into the bodybuilding scene, and following some typical program online (5 days a week and of course chest day on Monday). I had always had some interest in CrossFit but honestly the memberships were outrageous in the DC metro area I was living in so I never forked up the money to join. Summer 2014 my now wife Samantha found a Groupon for 1 month unlimited membership to a local CrossFit gym so I gave it a go. I thought I was strong and in great shape when I started but I continually got by butt kicked by guys half my size and double my age. I drank the Kool-Aid immediately and haven’t looked back since!
What is your favorite movement in CrossFit?
Anytime I see ring muscle ups programed in a workout I get pretty excited, even though I am far from great at them. It was also the first “advanced” movement I learned so I feel some sort of personal connection to them! As boring as it is, I also really like rowing because it’s one of my better movements and one thing in CrossFit us tall folk excel in.
What activity do you enjoy doing most outside of the gym?
Not only am I a L1-CF trainer but at the time of this post I am also a level 28 PokemonGo trainer, so yea I’m kind of a big deal. When I’m not catching them all I also enjoy playing golf and visiting all the local breweries that the Charlottesville area has to offer! I also enjoy playing a good game of pick-up basketball, fantasy football, and (if you’re a UVA fan stop reading) GO HOKIES! Being new to Charlottesville, my wife Samantha and I also like to get out and explore Charlottesville and all it has to offer in our spare time.
What is your favorite thing about CrossFit Charlottesville?
I’m going to stay away from the cliché “the community” answer so here we go. The bathrooms, they are a design masterpiece. The 400 meter route deserves an honorable mention here and the PVC pipes are of excellent quality. The leather couch is a great gathering place both pre and post-workout too. Ok I can’t avoid the community answer. Honestly, the people at CrossFit Charlottesville are what make it. When Samantha and I first moved here we knew no one in the area. We both immediately felt welcomed in the gym and we have met so many great people in the gym that we now call our close friends. There is also the perfect blend of competitiveness and good fun in the gym, unless Frank is in the class. Then it’s just pure competition against Frank.
What advice would you give to someone considering CrossFit for the first time?
Another cliché answer here, just try it! There are plenty of options to get started, whether it’s the free into classes or a monthly membership, but the important thing is to just try it. Have patience getting through essentials. It may be boring at times but it’s a critical foundation. It will be so worth it when you’re standing over your barbell, music cranking, and you hear that 3-2-1-GO! Teach yourself. YouTube movements before workouts. Supplement what you read or watch with what the coaches tell you in the gym and you’ll make progress much faster. When I first started I would spend hours on YouTube watching videos on that days movements in the workout. Do it, you may be surprised how many tip videos there are on burpees! Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions about ANYTHING! Seriously, ask a coach to help you with burpees, box jumps, rowing, running, sit-ups. Just because it isn’t a complex movement or doesn’t involve a barbell doesn’t mean there isn’t an efficient and correct way to do it. Mobility a problem or sore somewhere? Ask a coach! Ask us anything, it’s what we are there for!
What made you want to become a trainer?
I truly enjoy CrossFit and everything that encompasses it. I have learned a lot about it over the past few years through my certification, reading articles online, other coaches, and watching countless videos online. I have been in various other gyms before Charlottesville and thought I could bring everything I’ve learned in the past years to the members of CrossFit Charlottesville. It’s also super fun to push people to do things they didn’t think they could do, and to push them harder than they thought they could be pushed. It’s been very rewarding so far and I look forward to pushing the members of CrossFit Charlottesville to succeed and crush PRs in the years ahead!
