Friday, March 15, 2013-
Hey Undisputed Tribe! You may or may not remember getting an email a couple of weeks back with a questionnaire of sorts about your experience with CrossFit. A few of you, filled it out and emailed it back and we really appreciate that. Part of what makes Undisputed Fitness so unique is our community. In an effort to get some insight about the people that you sweat next to in class and also the people that you never get to see, we are going to start featuring some of our athlete’s on our website every other week or so. To do this, we need your help! Please look back through your emails and find the one titled “Tell us about yourself! CFSF’s Athlete Profile” and take sometime to ruminate on the questions and answer them, then email it to us at undisputedfitness@yahoo.com. I guarantee you discover something about yourself. Give your community a chance to get to know you a little bit better! Please and Thank You!
Athlete Profile – Lon Rankin, 58 years old, 5″10, 178#, First Class – 7/18/2011
How did you find out or hear about CrossFit? I was working out with a group of folks and a coach who kept not showing up. A bunch of us were talking about options, and one person said she’d tried this place called Undisputed Fitness and they were doing this thing called CrossFit , so she tried it. She thought it was totally lame and, to quote her, “they just throw these balls up against a wall,” like it was totally beneath her and the easiest thing in the world. Yeah, right! I thought I’d try it anyway, and when it seriously kicked my ass, with all of us laughing about it afterwards, I knew I’d found a home.
What were your goals when you first started? Lose weight and that flab around my gut, strengthen my core, and develop more anaerobic capacity.
How is CrossFit different from other fitness programs you have done before? The high intensity is good, the wide diversity of work that’s never repetitive boring is even better, the well thought out WODs that weave together so many aspects of fitness is the best, but the community that inspires and supports my overall health is truly amazing!
What types of results have you seen since starting CrossFit? I’m psyched to jump out of bed in the morning and find out what new, fun, seriously hard work will be happening, and that’s new – so the total mind-body evolution is noticeable. I lost 10 lbs but more importantly my whole body began to change, along with sleeping better, which had been a particular nemesis of mine. Most importantly though, the WODs were so tough that I HAD to eat better or just hate it the next morning, so they inspired me to choose another high – strength and a sense of well being and satisfaction – over the previous short term high of carbs and dietary indulgences.
What fitness goals do you have for the next year? To stay injury free. As much as I love CrossFit, I’m 58 years old and I do find that I can hurt myself if I’m not careful. I’ve had to develop a self-preserving attitude to go along with my go-for-it-ness, and that’s a good thing. Especially as I get older, I want to maintain my benefits by not having to sit around recovering for months at a time because I was stupid for 3o seconds.
What is your exercise routine? I’ve had to incorporate more stretching because of my age and injuries, so I do Egoscue-based stretching for 15 minutes before my workout, when I first wake up, and then immediately stretch another 30 minutes when I get home. This has helped my overall sense of flexibility and balance, which translates into sustainable strength. I try to do CrossFit Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7am, and hike (I like to time myself up Atalaya Mt.) or ski – a day or two a week.
What has been your biggest challenge in CrossFit? Staying injury free.
Do you have a diet plan and if so what is it? I strive for pure Paleo, and mostly do that, even when not doing the Whole Life Challenge, but I have a serious weakness for really good, well aged French wine. My wife and I love to cook and share dinners with friends so, even though its meat and veggies, I can get carried away with a great glass of Burgundy. Short answer: “Yeah, my diet plan is to eat so well I can indulge in my love for Vino Fino without paying the price!”
What is your least favorite WOD or exercise and why? I suck at pull-ups. My low back injury keeps me from kipping, so I slog through them. I want a T-shirt that says “I Hate Pullups.”
What is your favorite WOD or exercise and why? WODs that are more spread out over time, with lots of reps, like Filthy Fifty, Annie, Barbara or Kelly. I like to get into that mindless groove, and sweat like a pig (– smile –).
Stats:
1. 1 rep max of any of the following;
dead lift, 265#
front squat, 180#
back squat, 165#
snatch jerk, 95#
shoulder press, 130#
push press, 150#
clean 145#
2. Your best time or max reps on any of the following;
Fran, no RX (damn pull-ups) – 5:14 for 65# and box jumping pull-ups
Helen, (not done recently)
Annie, 13:59 RX
Murph, (not done recently)
Filthy Fifty , 45:59, RX except 20kg KB instead of 24kg.
Cindy, 9
500m ROW, 1:45
1000m Row, 3:59
400m Run, 1:45
1 mile 8:15
Feel free to comment!