Undergoing the natural evolution of athletes migrating from Gymnasty classes to CrossFit, Donny is completely and utterly under the influence of the CrossFit gateway drug. You’d recognise Donny by his ever-present smile, his impressive gymnastics skills, and his incessant work ethic. This cool cucumber has taken a heap of new skills learned (particularly on the barbell) and continues to refine them every time he takes the stage on the Niche floor. Plus, you can be sure he will be the first to join in on a casual WOD either side of class for those extra fitness gains!
Why did you start CrossFit?
I’ve always been interested in health, fitness, and movement in some form or another, from mountain biking, surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding to body weight training and yoga, I never got into ‘globo’ style gyms because they just seemed sterile and boring. People had been telling me I’d love CrossFit for a few years, I just wasn’t sure about all the weightlifting, which was a pretty foreign concept to me. My curiosity got the better of me one day, and I ventured in to Niche for a look, as soon as I walked in I saw crew post WOD that just looked shattered, and the place just looked like a big kids playground, definitely looked like something I wanted to be a part of! So I signed up for gymnastics (the Niche CrossFit ‘gateway drug’) , loved it, found myself down stairs a couple of weeks later doing CrossFit, loved that too, and so here I am!!
What is your most memorable moment to date?
Finding myself in the top position of a strict ring muscle up not entirely sure about how i got there, but then being able to to it again.
What is your most and least favourite WOD or movement?
No surprises here, I love anything gymnastic, especially if it’s strict, and I love cardio based body weight movements, yep a bit sick but I actually like wall balls, burpees and box jumps, etc etc, oh and that GHD machine that’s pretty fun too.
Don’t really have a least favourite WOD or movement, because the ones you struggle with the most are the ones that improve you the most by tackling them.
What tip would you give to someone just starting in CrossFit?
* Be humble, be patient, listen to your coaches, and listen to your body, AND NEVER stop having fun!
* Be inspired by those around you, but don’t compare yourself to them, everyone starts their journey from a different place.
* Never forget about mobility, go to gymnastics and do yoga, its an awesome complementary practice to CrossFit. It helps you move and breathe well, and CrossFit is essentially a movement based practice, so they go hand in hand!
What keeps you coming back to CrossFit?
Initially, i thought the heady concoction of chalk and sweat contained an addictive substance, and when I first started at Niche wherever I trained it resembled the final scene out of the movie Scarface!!!! Hahaha, but no once I curbed (slightly) my chalk habit I realised I love the community of like-minded fitness oriented crew here at Niche, and there’s something special about that moment of silence at the end of a WOD when you look around the room and people of every fitness level are just spent, I think there’s a special bond you develop with people you’ve just been through a self-inflicted traumatic experience with!
What is one random, non-CrossFit ‘thing’ about yourself?
Might seem a bit paradoxical, but aside from practicing yoga and being a health food/nutrition nut, I love listening to heavy metal. Whenever I’m home alone or in the car I’ve got that stuff cranking! I think it helps to balance me out !! I’m a bit of a music nerd so it’s not the only music I listen too, but I do really love thrashing out to its raw energy!
