Age: 59 

Occupation:

Environmental Engineer- semi-retired 

Hometown: Cameron Park

Favorite WOD:

Murph- challenging but not complicated and a great workout.

Least favorite WOD:

Anything I need much more progression on and have to significantly scale back (e.g., doubles unders, chest to bar pullups, toes to bar, muscle ups)

Favorite lift:

Clean and Jerk- not my best but powerful and involves the most muscle groups.

How long have you been Crossfitting? 

2 years

Which class time do you usually attend? 

4 days a week; 9 am MF; 8 or 9 TTH; sometimes 9 Sat

How did you find Crossfit?

From Megan at Dog Park

What is your athletic background? 

Moderate runner 10-12 miles per week; swim 1-mile in summer up to 2 days a week; hiking and backpacking; Little if any weight lifting, gymnastics, or team sports.

Has Crossfit changed your life, lifestyle, level of fitness? 

Absolutely! After 55 I noticed a significant decline, increase in weight and flabbiness, and lost strength even noticed just working around the yard.  Also, my doctor was hassling me to start cholesterol meds and lose weight.  Started some initial high intensity workouts at home with dumbells and had some gains but got bored and needed more.  I got hooked early on Crossfit and just after a few months my waist dropped a few inches and cholesterol went down to desired levels without medication. My weight is not down by much but it has redistributed itself into muscle and my body fat is low for my age.  I initially had problems with my shoulders but have largely worked through it and continue to progress although shoulder mobility and strength is my biggest weakness.

What motivates/inspires you?

Being challenged and competing against myself to improve.  Also the community feeling and great mix of genders, age groups, and levels of fitness of my workout partners.

Name one goal/personal achievement that you would like to achieve through Crossfit: 

As close as possible to the Crossfit Cameron Park male equivalent to Janice.  That is a tall order but maybe start with top 50 in my NorCal age group at the next open.

Hobbies/interests outside of Crossfit?

Volunteer Wilderness Ranger- Desolation Wilderness; Hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing

What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit experience?

I initially felt anxious and intimidated but felt great with all the encouragement and support.

What is your favorite cheat food?

Pizza

Tell us something about you that most people wouldn’t know:

As a former exploration geologist I once got stuck in the snow in Eastern Nevada and got frostbite in my feet. Every 6 months or so I still would get nerve pain and be flat out for a few days to a week. Started to feel it coming on once a year ago but it was slight and went away in a day.  I think the workouts are curing it.

Any advice for new members?

Anybody can benefit physically and mentally from Crossfit no matter the age or level of fitness.  Be patient and scale it back if you need to, especially at first.  Feel good about progressing no matter how incremental. You will also have good days and not so good days but the good days will prevail.