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July Athlete Focus: Steve
“Steve has been a pleasure to coach and work out with, as he and I both frequent the 7AM class. He’s always consistently ready to work hard, and give me a run for my money every morning!”
– Coach Jake
Member Since: September 11, 2015
What was it about CrossFit Torque that made you want to join?
The very first workout I did at Torque was box jumps and burpees. For the box jumps, I used one of the little green boxes. Seems simple enough, but I was so exhausted by the end that I had to sit down for ten minutes just to catch my breath. I always considered myself to be in good shape, but this workout told me a completely different story. While I was sitting against the wall recovering, I watched some of the more experienced Torque members complete their WODs. They were doing rope climbs and making it look easy. It made me realize that there was a different (and more fun) level of conditioning that I needed to get to. After that WOD, I wanted to get started right away.
What has kept you coming back to Torque, day after day??
Since starting at Torque, I have definitely noticed an increase in upper body strength which helps with some of the other sports I like to do. In hockey, the extra strength gives my shot more speed. The extra speed gives goalies less time to react which can tranTorque Health and Fitness into more goals (still working on that part). My legs are also getting stronger and that helps with skiing and running. Another big reason I enjoy Torque is that I like sharing a common interest with my kids who all participate in the CF Kids program. I have fun watching them make progress, doing the same exercises, and working with the same coaches that I do every week.
What is your favorite thing about working out at Torque?
The coaching is great at Torque. I am always impressed with how the coaches can see subtle flaws in my technique and suggest corrections almost immediately. The attention to detail is impressive. Also, I’m probably in a unique situation because at least once a week I am the only athlete in class and I have two coaches with me so I can rarely get away with poor technique for too long. The downside of having a 2-1 coach-to-athlete ratio is that I have zero chance of taking it easy on those days. I can’t get away with anything. Once I tried to use a lower kettlebell weight than usual and I was corrected immediately by both of them. Another time I left for a 400m run and when I came back there was more weight on my barbell. I have definitely learned my lesson over the years and I don’t try to take it easy anymore. All kidding aside, I really appreciate that they push me harder than I would normally do on my own.
What is your proudest accomplishment thus far?
Hands down it was going RX on Open workout 16.5. I was still new to CrossFit back then and I was scaling most of the workouts. I loaded up 65 lbs. on the barbell and took a quick walk to get some water before we started. When I got back, Coach Ali was in the process of adding 30 more lbs. to the barbell. After a minor objection, I agreed to give it a shot and she stayed by my side the entire time and talked me through it. I can’t thank her enough for that. Such a great coach! When it was over and it was time to sign my name to the score sheet while lying on the ground (by far the worst part of any Open workout), she said I had a ‘decent’ score. I think that was a compliment, but I’m still not sure
What has been your biggest challenge?
Being patient. There are some movements I can’t do well yet. They look so easy on YouTube, but in reality they are much harder than they look. When I couldn’t do things right in class, I would get frustrated and impatient with myself. Eventually I decided to be more methodical about practicing. Now I pick one movement I want to be better at and practice on Saturdays. I started with rope climbs, then cleans. Once I had cleans in a better place, I switched to double-unders. Saturday classes and EMOTMs are a great way to get better at things.
What is your favorite CF movement to do?
Cleans or rope climbs. I like them both, but if I had to choose, it would be cleans. The deciding factor is that you don’t get rope burns doing a power clean.
What piece of advice would you give to someone who is looking to start CrossFit but hasn’t yet?
I talk to a lot of people that want to start CrossFit but say ‘they want to get in shape first’ before they start. Don’t wait for that. You can scale and modify anything to match your physical abilities. Just drop by and take a free class and see what happens.
“Steve came in every Saturday to work on the skills needed for him to eventually get his first Bar Muscle Up! He’s always pushing himself to get better by working on skills and technique after class!”– Coach Amanda
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