CrossFit KOP

Congratulations to Tim H. our Athlete of the Month for September!

I spent most of the last twenty years living on takeout food and beer. I kept my weight down by biking everywhere. After finishing college six years ago, I got a desk job. No more biking. I drove from my house in the city to my office in the suburbs and back. Between 2005 and 2010, I put on about 50 pounds. I belonged to a globo-gym for 6 years and I rarely went. I was not good at motivating myself. I would run on the treadmill and use a few machines. The free weights were way too intimidating for me. I took up long distance running for about a year. It was OK, but not really my thing.

In 2010, I was introduced to CrossFit by a friend. I came to KoP for the intro class and I thought I was going to die doing the baseline. I couldn’t believe 10 minutes of work could turn me into a quivering puddle. I hated it, but I wanted to stick with it because I wanted to find something that could work for me. For the first few months I did not enjoy CrossFit at all. I was frustrated by how weak I was I struggled to stick with it, but my wife was teasing me about being a quitter, so I kept on going. Unlike the globo-gym, Crossfitt did not allow me to just “pass the time” at the gym, I had to get through the class, no time to play on my iPhone while sitting on a weight lifting machine. The other added bonus of Crossfit was the support of other members and coaches. I was not anonymous and I felt that my improvements were positively noted. By the second or third month of my membership; I started noticing positive changes in my body, new found energy and satisfaction from my accomplishments at CrossFit I have learned so many new things; including olympic lifts that I hadn’t heard of eighteen months ago.

The coaches are phenomenal and the community that Aimee, Jason and the rest of the coaching staff built is just awesome. I can’t count the times that someone’s cheering has pushed me when I felt like I was burnt out. I’ve been to five other CrossFit affiliates and while there are great things about each of them, they don’t compare to what we have at CrossFit King of Prussia.

Since I started CrossFit in May 2010 I have lost about 35 pounds. Since July 2010, I’ve lost 20 pounds, 6 inches off my waist and reduced my body fat percentage by 7%. A lot of that is due to meeting with Aimee last month to talk to her about nutrition. She had me start on the Zone Diet. Prior to talking with Aimee, I had lost some weight by cutting back on grains, but I was at a plateau. My weight had not changed in a few months. Over the last four weeks that I’ve been doing Zone I’ve dropped 12 pounds and I no longer have that mid afternoon post lunch coma. It requires planning that I’m not used to, but the results are definitely worth it.
Thank you Aimee, Jason, Nikki, Tim, Chris, Jeff, Cindy and Donkey for the great coaching and advice you’ve given me. I’m looking forward to being a member for a long, long time.

Getting to know Tim H. – Q & A:

Hometown: Malvern, PA
Current Location: Philadelphia, PA
Age: 43
Occupation: IT
College: Drexel

Did you ever play sports? No, never.
When did you start CrossFit? May 2010
What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit? 35 pounds lost since I started CrossFit. Next time I see my doctor, she won’t yell at me about my weight.
Goals for the rest of this year? Climb the rope, get a handstand push up, double unders.
What do you feel that you still need to work on? Scaling the 8’ wall, overhead squats, pull ups, etc.
What is your favorite time of day to WOD? After work. “CrossFit. It’s better than happy hour.”
What's your favorite WOD? I don’t have a favorite. I like any WOD that uses barbells.
What’s your least favorite WOD? I don’t have one in particular, anything where I have to be upside down (HSPUs) or in the air (rope climbs)
What’s your favorite lift? The Deadlift. Although it’s also the one that got me three months of physical therapy for being stupid.
What’s your least favorite lift? Just about anything overhead.
What's your favorite foods, and snacks? Grass fed beef (Yay Philly Cow Share!), Eggs, avocado, lots of fruits and nuts.
Who is your favorite coach? I love all my coaches equally.
PR's to mention? Continuing with CrossFit. I have never stuck with an exercise program as consistently as I have with CrossFit.