Athlete of the Month

Congratulations Dave N!!

Hometown: Rensselaer, NY

Current Location:  Wayne, PA

Age: 36

Occupation:  Unemployed as of March 1 (I’ve always been known for my amazing timing)

College:  Just ask Paul

How long have you been a CrossFitter?  1 year.  Took my baseline test on 2/26/13.  My apologies to anyone who had to witness it.  My motivation for coming in?  I was watching the Crossfit Games on ESPN at about 2am one night and thought “hey, I should try that”.  I came in and did my baseline test with a guy who mentioned that triathlons were among his hobbies.  His time was a wee bit faster than mine.

Did you ever play sports?  I grew up playing basketball (even if Brittany doesn’t believe it).  Eventually became a runner in high school (Tim P might not believe that one!).  I was a twig back in the day.

Got some cool (or uncool) hobbies you'd like to share?  I have been known to dabble in gambling.  Recently participated in the National Handicapping Championship in Vegas.  For those unfamiliar with handicapping, it does not involve me maiming innocent people.  It’s more of a fancy way of saying that I pick horses.  Uncool hobbies include my wicked Sudoku skills and knowing a variety of math tricks which highlight my dorkiness at the gym.

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit?  I told Johnny once that I would get to class 10 minutes early and made it with many seconds to spare (true story).  I am atrocious at pullups, but I had never actually done one before I got to Crossfit, so the day I finally got one was epic for me, even though Jim C. was thoroughly confused as to why I was grinning like an idiot after doing all of 1 pullup.  My first time getting up the rope was a really satisfying day (thanks Keith!).  And last but not least, I beat Jill C. in a 200 meter sprint by one-tenth of a second at Endurance class last summer.  One of the biggest upsets in Crossfit KOP’s history.

What do you feel that you still need to work on?  Pullups, pullups, pullups.  Double unders are a work in progress.  My rope-burned legs would appreciate it if I figured out the J hook for rope climbs.  Anything involving rings.  Would love to become as determined as Derreck and as intense as John M.  Making my breaks shorter during workouts.  Confidence.

Goals for the rest of this year?  Learning to kip!  Making Flounder believe that I am not just aimlessly wandering around the gym during strength class.  Getting to class on time regularly, if not always.  Breaking 300 lbs on my back squat, 400 lbs on my deadlift.  Get back under 6 minutes for my mile time.  Stringing together 10 pullups.  Stringing together 25 double unders.  Doing a handstand pushup.  Maybe a bar muscle up somewhere along the way?  Finishing top 10 at this year’s King & Queen competition.  Completing the 12 Days of Christmas WOD.  Organizing the best gym happy hour of the year.

What's your favorite WOD?  I like variety, so WODs like Fight Gone Bad are right up my alley.  We did a WOD in October that included sprints, wall climbs, and atlas stones that I really enjoyed.  Festivus taught me that wearing pajamas and drinking white wine improves your shoulder press (it’s science), so more WODs like that would probably help me.

How about your favorite food/snacks?  I love me some ice cream!  Along with my Chariots of Fire moment at Endurance, another one of the biggest upsets in KOP’s history is the fact that I have not been to Frosty Falls yet.  When I joined the gym, I thought there was no way I could run by that each day without stopping for a milkshake or a banana split.  Clearly exhaustion plays tricks on the mind.  Macaroni and cheese is probably not supposed to be a staple of my diet, but it is.  Breakfast is my favorite meal, so bacon and English muffins should go on the list as well.

What is the craziest workout outside of CF you have ever done?  I’ve done a couple of Tough Mudders, one the morning after celebrating a friend’s birthday in Atlantic City.  12 miles of cramping ensued. 

What’s your least favorite WOD?  I’ve never done Karen, but 150 wall balls sounds awful.

Favorite lift/movement?  I like atlas stones.  I like dumbbell snatches.  I like dragging the sled.  I like thrusters.  I like overhead squats.  I like pistols.  I’m a weird dude.

What’s your least favorite lift/movement?  Can I go with inchworms?  Because I hate those things.  Also not a big fan of wall balls. kettlebell swings, or burpees.  I struggle with deadlifts.  And the reverse hyper has completely destroyed my vagina bone.

What skill have you been working on in 2013 the most?  Big shrugs, fast elbows, and keeping my knees pointed out.  I struggle with cleaning the bar, but focusing on these three things has helped me a ton.  It’s tough keeping up with the guys in BarBalls, since a lot of them simply have some brute strength that I’m lacking, but I feel like I’ve been able to hang with them a bit on power cleans by improving my previously lousy form.

What’s your favorite piece of workout "gear"?  The Stick!  That thing always makes my muscles looser before I jump in the car and make my 30-minutes-to-drive-5-miles commute to the gym.

What would you say is your biggest improvement since starting CF?  Paying attention at the gym.  If I could give one piece of advice to a new member, it would be to look around the gym, talk to people, and pay attention to what they’re doing to improve themselves.  My “accomplishments” at the gym have all come about as a result of someone else at the gym (whether a coach or a member) giving me tips.  I practice pullups at Monday night strength because I’ve watched Conn do it over and over again every Monday night.  I changed my grip while doing pullups because Matt watched me flailing about and suggested it would help me (and it has).  I started using the GHD more because I used to watch Kyle do it religiously and he would blow through WODs left and right.  I learned Ronda Rousey’s armbar from Kelly because I saw her make a Cowboys fan tap out at the Fox and Hound one night (true story?).  I learned to wear red and black on Tuesday nights from Brett.  And I learned early on from Oleg that the first thing you should do at the end of a workout is take a moment to catch your breath and then figure out who you can help get through the end of their workout, even if that simply means helping them put their weights away when they’re done.  (Note: This is assuming you are not the last one going, like I generally am – I’ve been called a chronic underscaler.)  My point is that if you just focus on yourself and try to do everything on your own, you’re probably missing out on some important things that would really help you.  And you’re probably missing out on getting to know a lot of cool people that train at our gym.

Who is your favorite coach?  Of the official coaches, my biggest thank you’s have to go to the coaches who got me started: Jen and Paul.  (I did mention my timing is really lousy, right?)  Jen will be happy to know that, more often than not, I am keeping my knees out.  And that I have cut back on being such a shoe whore (never in my life did I think someone would call me that!).  Best of luck on the move to DC!  Paul is always around to say helpful things like “what the hell are you doing?”, “just pick it up”, and “pretend your whisking eggs”.  He has also explained the difference between conditioning and doing a WOD to me (spoiler: there is none).  I have now put in my will that if I die, Paul gets my e-mail address.  Steph has been working on my self-esteem since my first weeks at KOP (no easy task) and has tremendous faith in my Olympic lifting abilities.  Plentus has spent the last 8 weeks trying to make me look like what the rest of the BarBalls group looked like at the start of the program.  Keith has coached me through more WODs than anyone else and has taught me that Nutrishop East Norriton is open Monday-Friday from 10-9, Saturday from 10-6, and Sunday from 11-5.  Tim P. helped me lower my mile time from 8:15 in April to 6:31 in July.  Tim M. has taught me that the foam roller is not just something that you lay on when you’re tired after the workout.  And a quick thanks to some unofficial coaches: Gene and Jim C., who spent many strength classes looking at my form, silently shaking their heads, pausing so as not to blurt out “sweet Jesus, that was awful”, and ultimately finding a way to politely help me out with my lifts.  And to Tracy, my unofficial nutrition coach, who helped me lose a bunch of weight last year and is currently trying to help me through my relapse into sugary things.

PR's to mention? Goals Reached? Nutrition highlights?   Managed to do 21 RX workouts last year – hoping to increase that number quite a bit after completing BarBalls.  Recently broke the 200 lb barrier with my power clean.  After 36 years, grew triceps.  Lost 21 lbs in spring/summer last year (but found most of them over the winter).

Quote: “Well, yeah, I guess it’s obvious, I also like to write.” – Humpty Hump