CrossFit KOP

March - Athlete of the Month
Congratulations "Shoeless"

Get to Know "SHOELESS" Joe – Q&A:

Hometown: Haverford, PA
Current Location: King of Prussia, PA
Age: 25
Occupation: Engineer
College: Villanova University


How long have you been a CrossFitter?

I did Fundamentals with Coach P in February of 2010, and started coming regularly in July of that year.

Did you ever play sports?
Track and cross country in high school.

Heroes:
Mom, Dad, my brother Dan, my sister Claire

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit?
My first 175 pound snatch. I was trying to do a power snatch with that weight and failed a few times, and when it occurred to me that that weight might be out of my league, Coach Laura said something like, “You can definitely lift that, I know it.” Then I got it, and then I just had to try a full squat snatch. Getting to write my name on the board for the first time was a really emotional experience.


What do you feel you still need to work on?
Double unders, burpees, and push-ups. In general, I want get better at showing up for wods that I don't think I will perform well in. I also want to learn more about how to help other athletes with their form and performance.


Goals for the rest of the year?
After the Open, I'd like to resume focusing on strength, particularly the Olympic lifts. I don't have any numbers in mind for goals yet, but if I can make some degree of progress in this and in all the things in the question above, I feel like 2012 would be a success.

What's your favorite WOD?
Anything that involves a barbell and finding a one-rep max. There was also one recently where we did front squats, 1-10-1-20-1-30-1, which I liked because of the mental focus it required. (Special thanks to Coach Tim for being my partner and helping me get through that one.)

What's the craziest, insane workout outside of CF you have ever done?
Running the Broad Street Run barefoot. It was the stupidest thing to do, especially since someone whose judgment I trust very much told me beforehand that it was a horrible idea and he wound up being right. It was an important experience for me though, since I learned not to be so stubborn and to open my mind to the benefits of different kinds of shoes for different kinds of workouts.

What is your least favorite WOD?
Most WODs that take longer than 10 minutes (especially Filthy Fifty) or those that have extremely high reps with a relatively light weight (Randy).

What's your favorite lift?
The snatch.

What is your least favorite lift?
Right now I dread the clean the most, since I've got a lot of work to do to get my form right. Thanks to Coach P's clinic though, I know what I need to work on and what I need to do to get better.

What skill do you want to work on in 2012 the most?
I'd like to improve my form on the Olympic lifts and get better at stringing double unders.


What's your favorite foods, and snacks?
My go-to almost-paleo meal is 4 eggs, coconut milk, (almost paleo) sausage, peppers, onions, and spinach all scrambled together. I usually have this 4-5 times a week. My favorite non-paleo foods are pizza and ice cream, and I’m working on getting better at having less of these. Oh, and I don’t know if I’d be able to survive without chocolate milk.

Whats your favorite piece of workout "gear"?
My black Under Armor pullover. I’ve had it since senior year of high school and it still feels brand new!

What would you say is your biggest improvement since starting Crossfit?
My confidence in myself, especially after gaining a lot of strength and body mass thanks to Coach Laura’s help.


Who is your favorite coach?
At any given time, it's one of the following:

Jeff, for believing in me at times when I didn't believe in myself.

Nikki, for caring so much and spending so much time going way out of your way to help me improve.

Mel, for being a great friend and making me smile every time I see you at the box.

Tim, for never letting me slack off and being one of my favorite role-models.

Jason, for being so knowledgeable and dedicated to learning how everyone at KOP can improve.

Donkey, for focusing on everyone's individual needs and pouring your heart into helping us.

Vinny, for always staying with me right by my side in all the classes when I'm the last one to finish.

Cate, for looking out for me and helping me learn what I need to work on.

Laura, for being very patient and understanding with me when my diet was terrible and inspiring me with your contagious passion for wellness.

Steph, for teaching me why it's important to love my body even with its limitations, and similarly but more importantly, why I need to accept the parts of my personality that I never liked and used to wish weren't there.

Aimee, for your brilliant coaching and being the visionary and leader of this community that enabled me to feel stronger, have more self-confidence, and make a whole bunch of friends.

Plentus, for all the fitness and life advice and for being my personal hero since the summer before I went to college.

PR's to mention? Goals Reached? Nutrition highlights?

Recently I did 3 sets of 5 back squats with 265 pounds (full disclosure: I took nearly 10 minutes rest between sets), which was really exciting to me, since when I started two summers ago my one-rep max was 205# and my 5-rep max was 185#. I also did 3 sets of 5 shoulder press at 120 pounds, while my 5-rep max was 105 at the end of my first month of strength training. After working with Laura I saw a huge increase in my strength, with my clean and jerk going from 165# to 195# and deadlift going from 415# to 445#. During this time I learned to eat in higher quantities with higher frequency, to try to eliminate the bad things one thing at a time (starting with gluten), take supplements such as BCAAs, and do more heavy lifting and less long endurance workouts.

There are also some goals I set that I didn’t get, i.e. a 3-minute L-sit hold (didn’t know what I was getting into), a set of 100 pushups (got discouraged and stopped), and 100 burpees in 5 minutes (just didn’t stick with it). I’m working on getting better at setting reasonable goals and being honest with myself about what I think I can do.

Thanks everyone for your friendship and support! I know I’m fortunate to belong to a community like KOP where I can check my ego at the door and be entirely comfortable being myself.