MEMBER OF THE MONTH - GEORGE

THE MEMBER OF THE MONTH INTERVIEW

When did your CrossFit journey first begin? 

I found CrossFit while on a football/soccer scholarship in Canada and began doing the odd main-site workouts with my team mates. 

When you first started training with us, was it anything like you anticipated?  

When I started training at CM2 it lived up to my expectation and more. I had watched many CrossFit videos online but being in a class with others pushing and motivating you was a huge hook for me. I know, and I am sure others will agree, that I am a very competitive person, this trait has driven me through my years of playing football and the training environment at CM2 is another opportunity to thrive. 

If you were able to design your favourite workout - what would it be?  

My favourite type of workout is long duration with body weight movements and running/rowing. Running is a strength of mine in a workout but I do not enjoy it. 

What are your least favourite movements / workouts and why??  

My least favourite workouts include heavy barbell cycling. My strength is not up there with some guys in the gym so when a heavy barbell comes into play it takes a lot out of me. 'DT' is always one I do not look forward to. I hated Oly movements when I started but with the coaches help I have learned to love the process of improving on this weakness of mine 

What do you get up to when you are not training hard with us at CM2?  

Haha this is an easy question. Monday - Friday is routine: work, gym, repeat. I don't feel I have achieved anything for the day if I don't make the gym which sounds sad but it keeps me ticking. On weekends I like to play football and spend some "social" hours with my girlfriend Lauren and my mates. 

If you could give any new member a piece of advice, what would it be?  

Take it at your own pace and do not compare yourself to others in the gym. I am guilty of putting myself down because I can't lift the numbers of some guys but if I compare what I am doing now to when I started a CM2 the results speak for themselves. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself...  

Many may not know but I am colour blind. Please no questions asking what colour everything is in the gym. 

What are your training goals going into 2018?  

My training goals moving in to 2018 are to increase my strength and Olympic lifting numbers. It's a slow process and sometimes frustrating but I know it's the next step for me to become a better overall athlete. I want to compete in more competitions this year.

Final words....  

 Lastly a thank you to all members and coaches, you all push me every workout and I hope I push you.

WHAT DID THE CM2 COACHES HAVE TO SAY?

Lewis

"George is a great lad. From the moment he joined CM2, I could tell that his work ethic and competitiveness would allow him to progress fast. He has been consistent for a long time so this award is certainly overdue. Every day he steps in the gym, he means business and goes hard, no matter what is thrown at him - which I like. A highlight for me was competing along side him at Tribal Clash this year. The intensity he brought was immense and he did a great job backing the team through some super tough events. I had to up my game big time just to keep up! "

Rich

"George has been a great member since joining CM2. He has progressed a huge amount in every part of his training. George is smart with his training he always listens and will take on board any advice. He does not shy away from working on his weaknesses either, most sessions he will do extra work after class to address the areas he most needs to work on."

Rob 

"George is a competitive guy, he excelled in football before coming to CM2. It's been inspiring watching the transition from a footballer who had done a bit of S&C to an athlete dedicated to developing his strength & work capacity across all the modalities on the CrossFit menu. It's tough to be doing another sport at a high level and then come into an environment where the demands are different and a lot of the capacities you've spent a lifetime developing don't count for much. I can remember some occasions that George has referred to in his interview, where he began beating himself up because his numbers weren't up there with the best lads in the gym. I've seen promising new members meet this type of adversity and let it get the better of them. This was not the case with George, he rose to the challenge by putting in a ton of work. As with every member of the month, George was selected for being a great student, he has attacked his development from every possible angle. This involves all kinds of extra work before and after class including strength, mobility, practising technique, conditioning, etc. "