September 30, 2015

Thursday, October 1st 2015

Each month we feature an athlete that embraces the difficult feat of changing their lives for the better. We all come with our own set of challenges — whether it is work, family, or just a seemingly endless ‘to do’ list. Getting fit, making yourself a priority and finding that balance is hard work. This month we focus on a man works hard every day. He shows up (often) and is focused, determined and eager to make himself better with each workout. He works on his weaknesses and doesn’t shy away from a challenge. And he has FUN with it. In fact, he calls the Cove his “Iron Playground” (we love that)! He’s a team player, seems to know everyone at the gym (even though he’s a regular in one of our smallest classes). We are lucky to have him at the Cove and proud to present our athlete of the month, Josh Hippensteel!

OCTOBER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH:

JOSH HIPPENSTEEL

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

The Cove is the first place I’ve been involved with Crossfit and I’ve been here since May, I think. Outside the box, I am a huge football fan, even though I don’t pull for one team specifically. I am really into the Orioles and the Pittsburgh Penguins – the two teams I support the most. I am originally from Gettysburg, PA – growing up alongside a brother (20) and my mom and dad. Fun facts: I eat way more peanut butter than you, petrified of birds, and I will listen to almost any genre of music (really hard to stump me on lyrics to anything). In my career now, I travel across the country helping players with recruiting and on to college athletics.

I’ve been consumed by sports my entire life and it’s the one thing I’ve always had a passion for in the first 23 years of my life. As a kid, I played everything under the sun, but as I started to get older, I kept the focus in baseball. Throughout my high school career, I was always traveling around playing in tournaments, different showcases, or hitting in the cage with my dad in the backyard (which felt a lot like Cindy on some hot days with so many reps). In high school, I HATED the weight room. All I wanted to do was go turn double-plays and call it a day. I’d throw up a couple reps on the bench and then just BS with my buddies/hide from the coaching staff until practice started. Even though my work ethic with the weight room wasn’t the best, I still had the chance to play some college ball before transferring to another school. At my second school, I played for a little while but eventually decided school was more important, along with 12oz curls. I still played club ball but took a look at myself in the mirror after the first semester, and I just looked like hell. To most, I didn’t look out of shape, but I knew how I felt wasn’t right and I had always been so used to looking athletic just from playing a sport. From that point on, I’ve been obsessed with fitness and health over the past few years – probably reading more articles online than you can imagine. I put a lot of focus on bodybuilding stuff before starting Crossfit, but I think it got me ready for what we all do and love at the Cove now. It’s turned into a lifestyle for me I just don’t think I could live without now.

How has CrossFit affected life outside of the gym?

It has me always thinking about Crossfit haha. Always ready for the next challenge. As I said before, I feel healthy and strong as an ox, but not finished.

It’s made me so passionate about the sport and wanting to learn more about movements and how to get the most out of your body.

What changes have you noticed since starting CrossFit?

The food and beer tastes better and I’m hearing “shut up” a lot more often from my friends and family because I don’t stop talking about it. Crossfit makes you feel like you could go up and punch someone in the face and they’d say “it’s okay, I understand, you must have crushed that WOD or PR’d this morning, I forgive you.” A lot has changed since I started Crossfit. My endurance through workouts is better (though I still have a ways to go), I feel healthier, and most importantly I feel stronger. I had always neglected my legs but now realize how crucial those are in all lifts and for your daily life. Plus, the lady likes a good pair of calves (wacko). Since starting Crossfit, the focus is just always there, and when at a commercial gym for the past few years, the focus was hardly ever there. Some days at a commercial gym you just wouldn’t feel like doing anything, so you just don’t. Because no one is there to push you to do it, you are your own boss. But with Crossfit, when you might be having a sluggish day, maybe Brian just shotgunned a Red Bull and is high on life. He’s the instructor so you do what he says. And every time, you’re glad you did. Crossfit brings the best out of you that sometimes you think didn’t exist.

What do you enjoy most about The Cove?

There are so many to list. First, the instructors. It doesn’t matter who you’re taking a class with, they’re all fantastic. I’ve never been to another Crossfit facility in this area, but from what I’ve been told, you can’t get a better facility than Brian and Marina’s. And from what I’ve seen, that’s totally true. The place is an iron playground. The best part, no one cares when I yell during a metcon or PR days. And I can’t help it, so I’m glad people get so fired up by it. Even though 6:30am classes probably should be rated “R” sometimes. But most of all, I like the people and the team atmosphere. The one thing I’ve learned with Crossfit is that your box is your team. Being a part of sports and teams my entire life, it feels good to have one again. People try to talk me into trying other boxes but you feel an allegiance to your box, your instructors, and your team that you just don’t want to go anywhere else because you believe yours is the best. Because ours is.

The community of people always trying to connect outside of the box is even cooler because I don’t think you get that intimacy at most gyms. But for us, it’s so tightly knit and the box is still so young. I can’t wait to see what Brian and Marina will cook up over the years. It’s driven me so much to want to run a box someday. That’s a long way off because I still have a lot to learn but that’s a big vision for me and has been for a while. Brian and Marina just put the icing on the cake because they look like they are having so much fun every day. I can imagine the grind they have behind the scenes (and I’m sure that’s an understatement), but the effort in the 4th or 5th month of me crossfitting still looks like day 1 from them when I came in for the first time.

Favorite movement and why?

I love oly lifts and anything heavy. Barbell days = the best days. Anything that makes me yell, slam weights, and makes twitch I’m feeling so insane.

Everything barbell that has a numbered result to it that I’ll never be fully happy with and always wanting to be better haha. I’m not even in the same area code as a Froning or Khalipa, but that’s something to shoot for I guess!

Least favorite movement and why?

Anything I can’t do well because it annoys me when I’m not skilled at something. These are works in-progress. So let’s call this section the “okay, I’m just not good at these yet” section. It looks like a grocery listt: snatches, handstand push-ups, handstand walk, muscle-ups on the bar and rings, and the ability to string together T2B’s like rapid-fire. Then again, sometimes when I’m rowing, I’m sure people think I’m getting electrocuted or something.

Any advice for people who are just getting started with CrossFit? Whatever worry you have, throw it out the door. First, the atmosphere is so welcoming that there’s really no need to be nervous or scared. People tell me all the time “I can’t do it because I’m not really that strong.” That really doesn’t matter. The fact that you’re in there getting the work done and doing it at your own pace that challenges you…that’s good enough. You don’t get stronger without practice, but sometimes it’s just tough to be patient with stuff like that. If you are patient, it will pay off. Second, the cost always concerns people. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. If you change it into a lifestyle (and trust me, you’ll want to) it’s worth every penny. But if you’re a fan of paying a trainer at a commercial gym $60/hr to get you “in shape” and “stronger” through their own personal training sessions, you could Crossfit for cheaper in a month’s time and look like a Michelangelo statue. Lastly, just have fun with it. Everything you see on TV with the Games is not what every box is all about in their goals for members. The main focus is getting stronger, in-shape, and feeling good about yourself. You don’t need to be the Hulk after day 1…it’s a process. But I can assure you, nothing is better than a PR, a good sweat (one that literally drenches the hell out of your shirt), and having a community of people who are as passionate about it as you are.