Athlete of the Month for May is…GEOFF!!! If you don’t know Geoff for some reason, he is the dry sense of humour, King of the banter guy who in this previous month has absolutely impressed us with his commitment to training, dietary practices (aside from a couple of “emotional eating” episodes) & mobility. Geoff also stepped up last month by organising the Boys Day Out in the Swan Valley. Once you poke your way through the sometimes inappropriate comments & name calling (hi, OMR…) you’ll realise Geoff is actually a bit of a softy (hahaha Geoffrey!) with a rugged competitive edge. Please be sure to celebrate our AOTM for May by returning some friendly banter in his direction. Let’s find out a bit more about Geoffrey…
Why did you start CrossFit?
I started when I was deployed in Afghanistan in 2010/11 with the Army. My Section Commander had started getting into CrossFit and was persuading me to get into it. I was struggling carrying up to 20kg in body armour and ammo for 15km patrols so I thought I’d give it a go and change up the normal globo-gym style routine. We had a rower, a barbell with concrete each end which was about 50kg, and our pull up bar was scaffolding, but we made do and I was hooked. I noticed results relatively quickly in strength, fitness and also changes in my body shape and I signed up to a CrossFit gym when I returned to Australia in Darwin. This was in July 2011 and I still enjoy CrossFit today!
What is your most memorable moment to date?
In 2014 I won the 3vs3 intermediate competition with a team from The Cell. I have never finished on the podium for an individual competition, so hopefully this year I can do it.
What is your most and least favourite WOD or movement?
My least favourie WOD is EVA (5 rounds of 30 pull ups, 30 KB swings at 32kg, and 800m run). I did it once and it destroyed my hands and I really did not enjoy it. It then came up at a public holiday workout at Niche, the WOD wasn’t posted on the website the night before, so as the workout was being written on the whiteboard in the morning and I realised what it was I left the class and went home. Favourite movement is anything on the pull up bar – pull ups, toes to bar, muscle ups, all good.
What tip would you give someone just starting in CrossFit?
Patience is key, be prepared for the long game. Initially you’ll get great gains but then you will go through plateaus and it can be hard to stay motivated – this is where you need to show up and train anyway, get some volume into your body and then one day you will try something you think you can’t do and surprise yourself when you do it, and do it easily.
What is one random, non-CrossFit ‘thing’ about yourself?
In 2014 I won an Australia wide award for work in the maritime industry which was “Best contribution to health & safety by a HSE professional”.
