How old are you?
42 years old
What is your occupation?
I am currently the Vice President of Finance for a private equity firm based in Boston
Married? Kids?
Married with an 11-year-old daughter
What month and year did you start CrossFit?
September 2018
What made you Join CrossFit?
I think my before picture probably says all that I need to say here but specifically, I would mow the lawn and feel like I needed a nap (and I do not have a very big yard), my knees hurt, back hurt, constant heart burn, etc. I was an athlete growing up, I have run 2 Boston Marathons and rode a bike 200 miles for the PMC so this was very difficult for me. I needed a life style change…fast.
What were your original goals?
Lose weight and get healthier. Honestly was not expecting to be where I am today as quickly as I got here but this sh*t works!
What is it about CrossFit (vs. other fitness alternatives) that has made you successful?
The coaches and athletes. I know this has been said in just about every one of these but not sure how else to answer this. It’s like being on any sports team, your results might be individual, but everyone is there to support you and help you achieve whatever you need. Would not have been able to do any of this without them (THANK YOU)!
What is the biggest factor in your success, and how do you maintain it?
1. My wife and daughter – They have had to deal me for the past 7 months, the alarm going off at 3:50 every morning, being half asleep at that hour and accidentally setting the house alarm, changing the way I/we eat, basically completely changing my lifestyle. I would not have been able to do this without their support and understanding. I appreciate that more than they probably know!
2. Again, the coaches and athletes but specifically Nick, Paddy, Mike and the 5am crew. All the coaches and athletes are amazing but because of the time I go, these have just been my coaches.
3. Stay consistent.
4. I just have fun and look forward to coming to The Swamp!
How many classes do you attend each month?
I think I average 20-22 days. I am generally here Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat.
Has nutrition played a role in your success? If so, how? Be specific.
100%...when I started I made simple changes to my diet like eliminating cream and sugar from my coffee, less unhealthy carbs, etc. I did this just because I felt like I had to in order to get through each WOD and then be able to make it through the rest of the day. In December I started the fat loss/cut diet from Renaissance Periodization (RP Strength). I am just finishing the 12th and final week on this and it has been a complete game changer for me. Not only did it work from a diet/fat loss perspective, but I also learned more about nutrition over the past 12 weeks than I have at any other point in my life.
How much weight have you lost since you joined The Swamp? Any other significant physical transformations? (Feel free to brag here.)
When I started at The Swamp I weighed 224.6 pounds. I am now down to 174 pounds, so about 51 pounds. I was a 38/40 waist and now I am a 32.
What has been your biggest hurdle and how did you overcome it?
If you ever saw my initial workouts I pretty much had to overcome everything with the exception of any rest involved in the WOD! Aside from that mobility has been my biggest hurdle and limiting factor. A lot of the exercises were (and still are) very challenging because of this. I use ROMWOD and SmashweRX pretty much every day either before class or at night to help with this. A long way still to go but feel like I make progress every day.
What is your most memorable CrossFit moment?
I am going to answer this a little bit differently. On September 22nd I had my first foundations class with Paddy. At the end of that session I had to do a 500m row, 30 ABMAT sit-up’s and 30 HRPU’s with a 7 minute cap. This went really bad...took me close to 3 minutes on the row, did like 10 of the sit-up’s (which I could barely do) and 4 or 5 push-ups. I was fully expecting an email from Paddy telling me that this probably wasn’t for me. Thankfully he didn’t and I just decided to keep going. So for me, my most memorable moment was more what drove me to where I am today vs something specifically I accomplished.
How has this experience enriched other areas of your life?
I have so much more energy (both at home and work), everything I talked about as to why I joined CrossFit is gone (no more knee and back pain or heart burn), so much less stressed. I guess I just feel good in general not really sure how else to describe that.
If you could send yourself advice 10 years ago what would you say?
It seems like I had a lot going on 10 years ago. I was traveling a lot for work, was a fairly new dad, recently moved to Swampscott, my mom and dad both passed within the past ten years but the more I thought about this, these are really just excuses…having experienced what I have the past 7 months I would probably tell myself to find a box and just show up!
Accomplishment(s) you are most proud of since joining?
I am probably in better shape now than I have been in the last 10+ years. I was determined to get healthier and fitter and I did.
What are your current goals?
Overall I just want to keep improving and working on what I have learned from both a nutritional and workout perspective as well as continue to be healthy. Eventually I would like to be able to do some of the more complex movements and maybe even do a competition but for the short term just going to keep taking it day by day.
What advice would you give someone thinking of starting CrossFit?
This is really easy:
1) Just show up – This is obvious and is in big letters on the wall. Everyday is not going to be perfect (actually most days probably will not be) but just being there and getting through the workout is an accomplishment and you WILL see results.
2) Listen – One of the biggest factors to my success has been just listening to the coaches. I had no idea what I was doing when I started and with the exception of maybe running (although Paddy may still find something to correct there) I still need to work on every movement. I could practice these 10 times a week but if I am not doing it correctly, I am not going to get as much out of it, or I may hurt myself. Just be coachable and you will be fine.
3) Check your ego – This was very easy for me the first month or two because I was so out of shape and like I said I no idea what I was doing. Once I was able to get a basic understanding it would have been very easy to just start stacking weights on the barbell or doing some movement I shouldn’t be doing. Just check in with yourself every couple of months and remember you didn’t get where you are by doing your own thing.
4) Commit - It’s an hour +/- of your day…not much more complicated than that!
What would you hope your CrossFit Future holds?
That I am still showing up and having fun.If I am still doing that, I am pretty confident everything else I want to achieve in CrossFit will happen!
