Joe has been a member of CrossFit 201 for over 6 years. If he’s in a class with you, it’s guaranteed that he will put a smile on your face. He loves CrossFit himself, and keeps improving every day, but more importantly, he loves to see everyone around him improve and push themselves as well. If you’re the last one finishing a workout, he will jump back in and finish those burpees with you, or cheer you on until you do!
He recently asked me for help on his nutrition, so we did a 12 week cut with him. We kept a log of his macro intake, daily weight, sleep, waist measurements, workouts, and even mood. He also kept a log of his lifts, workout scores, and running intervals.
He lost 13 pounds on the program and is now able to maintain it and keep seeing improvements in everything.
How has Coach Stacey’s nutrition program change your body?
July 2 – Weighed in at 197.8 -decided that I wanted to cut
July 9 – Weighed in at 194.1 -official start of cut
October 9 – Weighed in at 180.9 – Official end of cut
November 2 – Current Weight 181.1
Decided that I wanted to cut after spending three months at just under 200 lbs. Was able to get my weight down and keep it around 181 pounds. During the first month of the cut, I lost roughly 10 pounds, accompanied by a significant strength loss in all my major lifts. Dropped an additional five pounds over the next two months, but all my strength numbers came back up to just under pre-cut levels (just deadlifted 455). My running performance drastically improved over the three months. Dropped my mile time from 7:25 to 6:35. My 800 time is now 2:55. Grace time improved by over 30 seconds.
Bottom line – I’m 15+ pounds lighter than I was in June, much faster and just as strong. I feel 10 years younger. The cut completely changed the way that I eat and think about food. Very happy that I did it and would recommend to anyone looking to improve performance.
How training at CrossFit201 impacted your fitness physically, mentally and emotionally?
CrossFit201 has completely transformed my approach to fitness. I used to do bodybuilding and running a few times a week at the gym. At CrossFit201, I now try to maximize the intensity during my workouts which has made me a much better all around athlete. Stacey’s nutrition coaching has also given me a much healthier and simple approach to eating.
How has your training at CrossFit201 enhanced the quality of your life outside the gym?
Aside from the physical benefits, I’ve made some really amazing friends here. I spend most of my free time outside the gym with other members and couldn’t be happier. You’ll make some really great friends at CrossFit if you open yourself up and talk to people.
What can you do now that you couldn’t when you first started?
Plenty. Double Unders, Muscle Ups, 460llb deadlift, handstand pushups
How did fitness become a part of your life? What motivated you to start and what keeps you coming back?
Fitness has always been a big part of my life. I played baseball in college and then in men’s leagues for several years after. CrossFit gave me the structure and team atmosphere that I was missing after I stopped playing baseball. Initially the improvements that I saw in my own fitness were what got me excited to go to the gym every day. Now I get even more enjoyment out of seeing my friends and new members make positive changes in their lives. Nothing more awesome than seeing someone get their first double under or muscle up!
What pieces of inspiration can you share with other people to make a positive change in their lives?
The best part about CrossFit is the focus on relative intensity and scalability. I know some people with chronic conditions and injuries sometimes get frustrated and give up. My message to them (and to everyone), is to get up and do something and do it as well as you can. If that means ten muscleups, great. If that means you walk around the block three times, also great. As long as you are pushing yourself to get better, we’ll always be pulling for you.
-Coach Stacey