“FEBRUARY Member Profile”…………BEN!!!
“Why do I need CrossFit?” (Read Ben’s profile below for his reasons)
We at CrossFit SW Beaverton couldn’t be more proud of Ben. He truly has been inspirational for so many.
I’m a 40 year old man who gets compliments from the Red Cross every time I get my blood pressure taken. I weigh less than I did in high school. I bike to work, work out four times a week and love going to the gym, where I get my only uninterrupted reading time while on the stairclimber. So what do I need CrossFit for?
I tried CrossFit a few times and struggled with these questions. The cost is way more than my gym membership, plus you have to work out during the designated class times. And every time I did a drop in, my wife would kick my butt to the point where she was done working out, had put her weights away, chatted with a friend and was ready to go home, but I was still finishing my WOD. So why should I switch from my routine that works to one that goes against my nature as a frugal free spirit?
I committed to myself to try it regularly to see if it would change the shape of my body. After three months of going three times a week (and loving it, by the way), my pants were loose and I had to start using a new notch on my belt. And my 10 year old daughter now tells me “Your arms are gross. There are veins sticking out of them.” Actually, I’m quite proud of my veins, so I guess it must be working.
Another benefit has been the impact on my back and knees. My gym workouts were getting to be almost 2 hours long and though I was doing low impact exercises, the repetitive motion was more stress on my knees than I realized. And since I cut back on my biking and substituted it with strength training, my back doesn’t hurt like it used to.
On a personal level, it’s been a really fun activity to do with my wife. This is a nice way to get out of the house together and have a good laugh chatting about how hard the workout was that day. And the SW Beaverton Box is a fun community – we have holiday parties, ping pong tournaments, happy hours, CrossFit Kids classes and fundraising workouts.
So in December I said “hasta la vista” to my 14 year relationship with Bally’s and signed up to do CrossFit full time. In January, I competed in the Oregon CrossFit Games with five other members and more than 20 people from our box came to Bend to cheer us on. Being around the kind of people who are willing to make a 4 hour drive to sit in a cold warehouse all day and yell their hearts out for you is what makes this place so damn fun.
So I don’t need CrossFit. But it certainly makes life more fun.
WOD:
10-9-8-7-6-7-8-9-10
Burpee Box Jumps 24/30
OH Squats 65/95
