How long have you been CrossFitting?
David: 9 months

Ross Stuart

Ross: Started Crossfitting in July of 2011, so 9 months

What about CrossFit keeps you coming back for more?
D: I enjoy the competition, camaraderie and the opportunity to see how far I can push myself mentally and physically.  It’s pretty cool to watch others push themselves in pursuit of their goals.

R: My competitive nature, the physical results, and the ability to see strides in workouts from past to present. Although it gets old, the sheer joy of beating David makes it easy to come back as well.

What results have you seen since you began CrossFit…mental, physical or otherwise?

D: Increased confidence, functional strength, flexibility and endurance.

R: I have become more mentally tough with the ability to push through pain and discomfort to reach full potential. I have spent a lot of time at the alterations place as well to have pants taken in…Money well spent.  Seeing my Fran time jump from 12.01 to 5.33 was a major eye opener as to both the mental and physical results I have accomplished in these 9 months.

David Dale

Tell us a favorite memory from your 918 CrossFit career so far.
D: Putting a beat down on KP in the mile, the numerous times Pressnall would rip off his shirt and spike it on the ground mid-workout and Khang talking to himself during the workout.

R: My favorite memory for me from crossfit is probably the 2 weeks straight when all of my bonus time at the gym was dedicated to Double Under practice, which led to good strings of Double Unders and shins feeling like they were going to break (should have listen to Emily and taken it easy).  Since then, my Double Unders have gone out the window, so there is more practice time to come.  A close second would be David’s ‘knee’s to arm pits’ conversation with Harley when he thought he was completing a knee’s to elbow…

What are your favorite/least favorite CrossFit movements?
D: I like weight.  Favorite is any type of clean.  I hate wall climbs.

R: My favorite Crossfit movement would be a clean and jerk or push press.  As for my least favorite, I got 99 problems and a squat is about 96 of them.

What movement are you looking most forward to achieving?

D: Muscle-up.  I had it.  Then it was gone.  Not sure what happened.

R: More hip and shoulder flexibility, Mobility Wednesday’s are magical. Ultimate goal would be to complete a heavy overhead squat.

What is something your CrossFit family may not know about you(hobby, skill, likes, etc…)?

D: I have a beautiful wife (Amy) of four years and an almost two year old daughter (Caroline).

R: My girlfriend Courtney and I have two dogs, both pointer rescues, named Bosworth (Boz) and Wyatt.  They enjoy afternoon squirrel hunting in the backyard, long walks around the neighborhood, and the thrill of being the occasional escape artists.
How crazy does your spouse/girlfriend think you are a bout CrossFit?

D: She goes along with it for the most part but has no sympathy for my aches and pains.  She still expects me to do things around the house.  It’s pretty unbelievable.

R: Hopefully she doesn’t think I am as crazy about Crossfit as I am about her, but she knows I thoroughly enjoy 918.
BroMance Questions

Are competitive with each other in the gym? 
D: Ross is a loser.  I am a champion.  It’s just how I roll.
Every time I think I have a solid lead, I turn around and there he is right behind me.  That crap haunts my dreams.

R: I guess you could say that.  I always have an idea of where David is at on his workout, but it’s usually so far behind me that it’s hard to keep track.

If you, as a couple, were a CrossFit WOD…what would it be?

D: 10 min. AMRAP
100m – Carry partners on back (switch at turnaround)
30 – Simultaneous sit-ups.  Each sit-up ends with giving each other a high 10.
20 – Alternating clean and jerk at 135

R: Fight Gone Bad, because that’s how David would feel after I got through with him.  A close second would be a 10 minute AMRAP of jumping to touch a 10’ mark on a wall to finally give us taller people an advantage.

How often do you talk/text about CF outside of the gym?
D: Way too much. The only thing we talk about more is the Sooners and their championships.

R: I would say a good amount of our conversations revolve around crossfit.  We usually talk about the wod’s before we head that way for lunch, and have talked about the open wod’s daily.
What changes have you seen in your partner since you began CrossFit?
D: It’s hard to believe but Ross’s flexibility used to be worse.  Ross has made some major improvements.  When we started, I don’t know if he could get more than 2 pull-ups in a row.  He can get well over 20 now.  His rate of improvement is really impressive.

R: David has made strides to not have to run outside in a panic as he did after our first wod ever (Tabata This) when I literally thought he was going to die.  David’s form has improved daily, and I am never ceased to be amazed at how easy he makes it look to get weight over his head.  It’s also impressive to watch his strict handstand pushups.  Overall I think David has made the commitment to push himself daily no matter what the wod is.

What has been your proudest moment watching your partner is the gym?

D:  I was really pumped for Ross when he snatched 135 lbs.  I especially respect his battle cry when he locked it out.  Of course, I was able to be proud because I knew I’d beat him.  Otherwise, I’d have been pissed.

R: When Dave was snatching 165# in Open Wod 12.2 to get his 63 reps was a lot of fun, but probably not as much fun as it was for him to finally watch me get 135# after numerous attempts.

Misery Loves Company.

Bromance in full effect.

How long have you been crossfitting?

Since April 2009

Michel Murphy - Turkish Get-Up

What about CrossFit keeps you coming back for more?

The whole lifestyle and mentality that is CrossFit, which is really brought out by the coaches and athletes and the community of the box. And I like being in shape and with a top shelf variety of people working toward optimal physical and mental health. The scalability keeps the playing field level and I love the support and cheering that comes with it. All our athletes have come so far and the women athletes blow my mind. So much change in tone and shape and strength and moxie. I can’t find that anywhere else..  And truly, at 918, CrossFit is damn fun, all of it!  Even if its not fun doing burpees, it really is. You said it best…it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.

What results have you seen since you began CrossFit…mental, physical or otherwise?

I was in treadmill shape so I thought this would be a smooth transition. I cried my first night of squats. I couldn’t walk. I was toast. And I crawled back. I broke my heel my first month and had to take a 6 month break, but I came back. All the box jump shark bites, ripped, pulled, torn, muscles and skin. CrossFit teaches me you don’t give up. You get up. And do it again. And there are some things I am not so great at yet. But I am not giving up. I am so much more fearless and have a lot of pride in the muscular form I am building and the strength. My confidence has steadily risen and I am a lot more outgoing. And the people at 918 are priceless, which really has given me a community that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. I have missed a lot of WODs the last month or so and I hated missing, even for a good reason. Once you get the fever, there’s no going back.

Tell us a favorite memory from your 918 CrossFit career so far.

There really are a lot but this one is funny. I told Harley this tonight as I pranced to the rower and jumped on, knowing I had at least the rowing skill down. No. Ahem. Sputter. Not to be. So I flat out said, “Harley, I have kept my mouth shut since day one, when I cruised in here thinking I was a CF badass. By day three I was being whipped by 12 year olds. And now this. My one ace in the hole.” But the greatest part of was I just needed a little modification. Another highlight was my first RX Annie when I jumped up and down like 5^th grader and some people jumped up and down with me.

Michel post WOD - she trains HARD!

What are your favorite/least favorite movements?

Toss up between burpees and manmakers for the skull and cross bones. Classic favorite is overhead squats, but now I am digging handstand push-ups and toes to bar.

What movement are you looking most forward to achieving?

Handstand push-up.

What is something your CrossFit family may not know about you?

Less than a month ago the easy answer to that was that I loved to cook and was putting together a cookbook for “someday maybe”. Flash forward and I think most people know now. What they may not know is that I couldn’t have done it without the 918 support. And with that, Dish has bloomed, and I get to provide eats to my favorite people. Wouldn’t have happened without the 918 CrossFit family. And I am stoked about the Zone challenge and helping take Zone eating to a whole new level of delish.

I don’t think many people know I got my Level 1 certificate in September of 2010. I mean its not like my hang power clean scream it or anything. Yet.

To learn more about Dish you can contact Michel at 918.697.9480, michel@dishbym.com or visit her on Facebook or the web at www.dishbym.com.  Her food is AMZING!!  She will be a great resource for all you Zone or Paleo eaters out there.

How long have you been CrossFitting?

Since June 2011.

What about CrossFit keeps you coming back for more?

The challenge, intensity and variety of the workouts; the energy I feel when working out with such a dedicated, inspiring and competitive group of people; the simple and super friendly atmosphere.

What results have you seen since you began CrossFit…mental, physical or otherwise?

CrossFit has definitely made me mentally and physically stronger. Mentally because I never thought I would be able to complete even half of any WOD and felt very insecure about them, but there is something about seeing everybody giving their all to complete every movement and every rep that keeps me going and pushing myself to do things I never thought I would be able to. Whenever I feel exhausted either doing a WOD or running, or even during a busy day of work-family-errands I think: just one more rep, I have done much harder workouts than this, I know I can do this.

Physically the change has been quite interesting too. I have worked out most of my life and have always thought I was in optimal shape. I remember my first WOD being a very short one and it was not very technical. Piece of cake. After a few reps of what I thought would be an easy movement, I was exhausted and in total pain and I swear I did not stop just because I was too embarrassed to show that I only APPEARED to be in good shape but, compared with all the fellows working out that day, I was WEAK! I totally hated it and, from than day, my goal is not only to look strong but TO BE strong and I have noticed a lot of improvement. I still have a lot to work on it and, man, do I have strong women at 918 to be inspired from!

Tell us a favorite memory from your 918 CrossFit career so far.

Oh, I still can remember how proud I was to complete a WOD that seemed just IMPOSSIBLE! It was Mia’s 9 year old birthday and we had to complete 9 rounds of this insane workout. When I finished round 1 I thought: nobody here can do more than 3 rounds of this f…ng thing. But, oh surprise: NOBODY would stop or say anything! Everybody just kept going and I hated each of them including our substitute coach. After round 4 I just thought: I am almost half way to finish. After 5: one round at a time. After 6: I am almost finished. The 3 last rounds I did not even think, I just kept on moving so hell could be over as fast as possible. And then, the impossible happened: I FINISHED and the feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming. I really loved that day.

What are your favorite/least favorite CrossFit movements?

My favorites are all the squat movements just because they are the easiest  for me to do and one of the very few movements I can do faster than some of my 918 fellows J. I ABSOLUTELY hate the kipping pull-ups and yes I am TOTALLY jealous on the 918 girls that do those perfectly beautiful pull ups. I cannot even get my body used to that swing and it is very frustrating!

What movement are you looking most forward to achieving?

I have to kill those kipping pull ups.

What is something your CrossFit family may not know about you?

Like most Venezuelans I grew up dancing, so I love dancing salsa, merengue, bachata and pretty much any Latin dance. Salsa dancing community in Tulsa is growing up fast so there is always some salsa party going on and lots of chances to practice. Another consequence of growing up in Venezuela and especially with 3 brothers is my love for cigars. I know, not very healthy, but totally enjoyable J

Maru pushes harder every time!! She's a bad ass and a total joy to be around!

How long have you been CrossFitting?

R:  Since May 2011.  After Lori and I completed the Paris Marathon in April, I realized that I needed some serious mental and physical strength improvement.  I’ve completed two marathons. – Big Sur and Paris.  During both marathons, I mentally checked out at mile 22 (though I did run Paris on a healing broken ankle).  It was no fun to tell Lori at mile 22, “You go on, don’t look back, I’ll see you at the finish.”  And off she went.  Although I have good mental focus on a golf course, I realized I had little of it when it came to something that is physically demanding.  I also became aware that I didn’t want to grow up and become a frail old man, so I needed to change the path that I was on.  I wasn’t looking for something new to do, I was looking for fitness.  I want to be fit for whatever comes my way in life.  So, here I am.

L: Since 5/2011.  I’ve always been concerned with fitness but when I discovered CrossFit, fitness took on a whole new level.  It is my new exercise passion.   It’s gone from a ‘have to’ to a ‘get to”!

What about CrossFit keeps you coming back for more?

R:  I really enjoy the community aspect of CrossFit.  I’ve met some amazing people at 918.  There is much support from everyone when we are finishing our WODs.  We are a community of shared pain.  I highly doubt I would be as consistent if I did this alone.

L:  We view attending CrossFit as a privilege.  So many people would love to have this opportunity but are limited due to the physical, financial or there simply is not a facility near them.  We have all three and view 918 CrossFit as a huge opportunity in our lives. Also, I rarely have worked out in a group setting with a fitness coach but find it is a great motivator.  The people around you are fighting to be their best and it motivates you to do the same.  The coaches show you how to maximize each workout and encourage you (or correct you) while you are giving your all.  It’s a community of people that challenge and drive you to be your best.

What results have you seen since you began CrossFit…mental, physical or otherwise? 

Rex and Lori after the marathon!

R: Getting out of bed at 5:05am for the 5:30am WOD is a victory in itself.  During the Zone Challenge, I FINALLY embraced that sugar is not my friend.  So mentally, I think I’m winning!!  I’ve lost 8 pounds since joining 918 and have maintained that weight.   I’ve also noticed that I’m becoming a stronger runner.  918 Crossfit is one of my life’s change agents.

L:  CrossFit plus the Zone Challenge was when I saw the greatest physical results.   Also, completing each WOD builds me mentally teaching me that I can do what seems impossible.

Tell us a favorite memory from your 918 CrossFit career so far.

R:  During a recent WOD that included wall ball shots, Emily approached me and said in a nice, but firm voice, “I need more squat.”  My first thought was, “I’m dying here, and she needs more squat.”  But then, I realized that she wants something for me instead of from me.  Big difference!

L: When I RXd for the first time and quietly told Emily, she walked up to the board and marked RX right by my name showing how proud she was of me.   Though there are a lot of people better than me, it was like I was a champion that day.

What are your favorite/least favorite CrossFit movements?

R:  Favorite – D.  None of the above.  Lease favorite – I almost said “All of the above”, but hands down, it’s the “man-maker”.  It absolutely tore me up.  Harley demonstrated the movement, and then explained that was one rep.  My immediate thought was, “One rep?  That looked like one WOD!”  But then I had to address that mental thing again…so I finished the movement without coming in dead last

L:  Favorite – Squats or kettlebells.  Least Favorite – Box Jumps.  I’m scared of the box!

What movement are you looking most forward to achieving?

R:  A kipping pull up.

L:  Unassisted pull ups.  And I must master jumping on the box at a RX level.

What is something your CrossFit family may not know about you?

R:  I love to play golf.  I don’t do it much anymore, but there was a time when it was a big priority.  I’ve even played the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.  Lori and I enjoy cooking and traveling together.

L:  I started running for the first time in May of last year after I saw Rex finish his first marathon.  I hated running my entire life but thought it’s just one step at a time and I can quit at any time.  So I started slowly and followed a program.  I ran my first marathon in Paris in April of this year.  I never thought I would or could run 3 miles and now consider myself a runner.

Are you competitive with each other in the gym?

R:  Absolutely….even at backgammon!!  We are both competitive by nature.  Jake C. once told Lori, “You don’t have to win the warm-up run!” as she passed him.  Though we compete against each other, we are each other’s biggest fans.  It’s no secret that Lori’s WOD times are lower than mine, and her AMRAP’s are higher than mine…..but I’m closing the gap!

L:  I love being able to beat him; knowing he doesn’t “let” me win and knowing he is my biggest fan!  I also know that there will be a day very soon where he will do better than me most of the time.  But I know I will never, ever “let” him win – it’s just not in me  And when he does beat me, we will celebrate!!  

If you, as a couple, were a CrossFit WOD…what would it be?

R:  “Filthy Fifty” – We’re both at the age milestone….and Lori thinks I’m filthy.

L:  Filthy fifty!  I am over fifty (52 to be exact) and Rex gets filthy at CrossFit!

What changes have you seen in your partner since you began CrossFit?

R:  Lori has a higher level of satisfaction that we found a well-rounded fitness program that we do together.  Fitness and health is an important arena of life for her.  I am not a person who enjoys “going to the gym”.  Boring.  Lori and I enjoy running together, but running is one-dimensional.  We wanted something more, and CrossFit is it.  We didn’t want CrossFit to be a “me” thing….we wanted it to be a “we” thing.  Nothing is better than leaving the 918 box and saying to each other, “Honey that was hardcore”, and we both understand it.  That is very satisfying to her.

L:   total attitude change.  He is naturally very good at golf, basketball, and running but gym workouts were never an interest to him.  Now he talks about the WOD and the 918 website daily.  He has bought in 100% and it is sort of a miracle.  It’s nice to see the change.  Plus he’s getting stronger mentally and physically.  I’m very proud of him!    

What has been your proudest moment watching your partner is the gym?

R:  Lori is a person who does not give up or feels sorry for herself when enduring a difficult WOD.  I love it when she’s covered in sweat after a workout.  It’s a tangible sign that she’s given it her all.  There is something about getting fit and sweaty with your wife.

L:  His determination not to quit.  He never quits even if he is totally exhausted, even when he was in last place with everyone watching him, even when he was embarrassed.  He never quits and keeps going back for more.  That is very attractive!   He is the greatest guy ever!

How long have you been CrossFitting?

Since June of this year.

Working hard...even in a chalk blizzard!

What about CrossFit keeps you coming back?

I was getting tired of the same routine I was doing at the gym and my body needed a change.  The atmosphere at 918 is great and I love the competitive spirit everyone has here no matter what the age group.

What results have you seen since you began CrossFit…mental, physical, or otherwise?

My stamina is a lot better…I’m able to workout at a faster pace.  Squatting, running, jumping, pulling, pushing, etc. are movements I use daily.  CrossFit has given me the confidence that I will be able to perform those movements with speed and strength.

Tell us your favorite memory from your 918 CrossFit career so far.

The first time I heard Emily yell it definitely got my attention.

What are your favorite/least  favorite CrossFit movements?

My least favorite is an overhead squat and my favorite is a push press.

What movements are you looking most forward to acheiving?

Kipping pull-ups. (Since Jesse answered the questions he has mastered the butterfly pull-up!!!)

What is something your CrossFit family may not know about you?

I enjoy photography.

Athlete Spotlight - Jesse McNeal