WEDNESDAY WINS! CARLOS S.!
WEDNESDAY WINS! CARLOS S.!
As they say, ‘variety is the spice of life’ and Carlos not only lives this mantra, he embraces it fully.
He grew up playing all kinds of sports. While competitive soccer was his priority, throughout his life he has also played baseball, ran and cycled. And now he’s added CrossFit to his mix.
“I watched the 2015 CrossFit Games “Fittest on Earth” on Netflix with my wife. I also saw a couple of the heats live on ESPN and it definitely caught my attention. That was my first experience with CrossFit. After that, my wife found the Cove, we did the CrossFit 101 classes and I’ve been here ever since.”
While playing indoor soccer on small field growing up (5 v 5) he didn’t understand real endurance until he came here and played full field outdoor. “Outdoor is so much harder; you need much more endurance. And at first I didn’t understand the positions so I ended up just running and running. But now I know a lot more about positioning AND my endurance is way up, so it’s just better”.
Not only is that more of a formula for success, he’s just enjoying it more. “I used to be so much more stressed about it. Now I’m playing on a co-ed team with my wife and I’m just enjoying it all more. The process, the game and soccer in general.
I’ve been working out for 19 years — since I was an early teen. The problem is I get bored really easily. I could be at the gym for two hours and feel like I didn’t get anything done. But that’s what I love about CrossFit and the Cove; here every day is something new.
Even things like strength work can be varied and exciting. We can change the loads or the rep schemes. Or I can do accessory work or mobility before of after class to help develop that strength. “
Getting him to declare a favorite movement is really hard. He seems to love all of it. “I love the snatches. I’m able to catch the bar on the way down and it feels great”. And even movements he used to hate he now loves. “The first movement that had me so frustrated was the double under. It seemed so so simple but it was so so hard. You want to be better at everything, but you have to pick ONE thing to focus on. Maybe two. I focus on those things during Open Gym or before or after class and it makes a huge difference.”
His coaches are in awe of his focus and how dialed in he can be. It’s not just how MUCH weight he moves; it’s HOW he moves it. Last week he was the only athlete at the Cove to hit the 30 muscle-ups in the workout — and they weren’t those ugly ‘chicken-wing’ types. They were virtuous in every sense. And he’s feeling the difference too. “ I have much more body awareness. And I know so much more about what my threshold is. That actually translates to soccer so well because I know that if I sprint down the field to make a play I know how exactly how much recovery I’ll need. I can be much more strategic which makes me a better player on the field.”
He’s also dialed in his nutrition too. “When I first got here I felt shattered. Either I was getting old or my body needed something it wasn’t getting. I used to eat too many carbs and not nearly enough protein. My numbers were way off from where I was. I should be eating between 2500 and 3000 calories a day and I was nowhere close.”
“Being fit is not just looking fit – it’s so much more. But it’s a nice result that comes with it. I started here at 165 and now I’m 175. My brother hadn’t seen a picture of me in a long time and after seeing it he actually called me ‘jacked’. I don’t see it because I live in this body every day. But sometimes you need that “before and after” to really see the difference.
Well Carlos, we all see the difference. And we are amazed. Keep up the great work and continue to inspire us ALL!
STRENGTH
In 18 minutes:
Find a heavy set of 3
THEN
Drop the weight down and complete 3 sets:
10 RDLs
10 Hip extensions
METCON
Every 3 minutes for 12 minutes:
18/14 Cal Row
15 Box Jumps
Max Toes to Bar
Coach’s Tip: The time for the strength portion (to work up to a heavy set of 3 reps) is on the shorter side so we must keep the intensity/intent high! Make smart and manageable increases in weight. As always, form over everything! For the metcon, rows should be fast and legs will be a little fatigued so make sure you are putting enough energy into your box jumps.
For Carlos it’s “Mobility May” every day!