What brought you to CrossFit Renaissance?
“Brigid asked me to go to the Intro class with her. I had just started back at a conventional gym doing a bootcamp-style conditioning program, so I didn’t join right away with her. After a while, I kept listening to the workouts and the Olympic lifting Brigid was doing and liked the programming, so I decided to switch over.”
What was your first impression?
“I loved it. Like nothing I ever did before. Some of my first workouts had handstand push-ups, prowler pushes, death by rep schemes, 100 Back Squats in as few sets as possible. Filthy stuff, I was hooked.”
Has that changed?
“Not really. Like anything else, some of the novelty you originally felt wears off, but you feel more connected to the gym and people in it over time, so it evens out and keeps me coming back. I’ve never been able to maintain the level of consistency I do by working out by myself at a conventional gym.”
What are you currently working on?
“I have to get in more to spend more time on skill work. My Snatch, muscle-ups, and – to a lesser extent – double-unders, need work. I say doubles to a lesser extent because I absolutely just find them terribly boring to practice, so I don’t. I then get frustrated with them during workouts for some odd reason.”
What is the toughest part of CrossFit for you?
“Muscle-ups and Snatches. The Muscle-ups come and go as they please. I feel that while my Clean and Jerk has made some gains, my Snatch has stayed relatively stagnant.”
What is your favorite memory at CrossFit Renaissance?
“Completing a workout with Muscle-ups in it. I think it was 3 rounds of: 10 Muscle-ups, runs and cleans. Doing 30 in a workout was a big deal, though it took me a while to complete. A year later, they still give me problems though.
Either that or when Brigid and Michael were the only people to show up on a Saturday and Ray sat on a stool between them, yelling at them while 2 Live Crew played on the radio.”
How long have you been doing CrossFit?
“About 2 and a half years now.”
What kind of results have you seen, both physical and mental?
“Physically, I’m definitely stronger in my core and legs than I ever was going to the gym on my own, doing curls and other boring isolated movements, and my conditioning is as good as it’s ever been. I still play ice hockey against 20-year-old kids who generally want to beat me up, so it’s been helpful from a sports standpoint.
Mentally it’s a great stress relief from the work day and helps me sleep better too.”