Monday’s Featured Member!

Name: Jeff Gilmore

Age: Just shy of 31

 

How long have you been doing CrossFit?

Started November 2014

 

 What were you doing for exercise before CrossFit?

All sorts of stuff. I played water polo for 7 years, volleyball off and on for about 6 years, did one triathlon, and a few Tough Mudders – pretty much anything to avoid going to a gym.

 

How did you begin training at CrossFit Sweat Shop?

A few reasons. I found the gym after moving to WC and walking along the trails. It looked like a fun crowd – loud music and barbells flying around – but I was totally intimidated. I had no friends in the area and was tired of driving back to Santa Clara once a week to play volleyball. So, I emailed Nabil and decided to give it a shot. Little did I know, on my first day, I run into my buddy from college Marko. He had transformed from the beer drinking/halo/smash bro’s savant I knew to a fitness coach. I knew I was in the right spot.

 

What has been the most significant benefit or change since you’ve been a member of the Sweat Shop?

First is that CrossFit gives me a way to combat my midsection “expansion” due to my desk job. And a close second is that I have a lingering injury from my water polo days – my collar bone dislocates easily. So, I’ve had to avoid a lot of movements, particularly anything overhead. But by doing strength training at the shop, I haven’t felt it dislocate in a couple years.


What is your favorite exercise or workout?

Tall guy stuff – rope climbs, rowing, running, box jumps, cleans…

 

What is your least favorite exercise or workout?

Short guy stuff – burpees, any type of squat, thrusters

* This excerpt sums it up well for me: “Let’s say you have a 5’9 lifter doing a full range squat with 225 pounds. He goes through a 24-inch descent (his eccentric rep) and returns to the starting position, so that his total range of motion spans 48 inches.

Now, take a 6’3 guy, same situation (2 plate squat and full ROM). His descent might be 30 inches to get to the bottom of the hole, for a total ROM of 60 inches. That’s a 1 foot difference per rep than the shorter guy. Multiply that by a set of 10 reps and you’ve got 10 feet of extra distance covered by the taller guy in that one set. He did more work in his set with the same weight of what appears to be exactly the same movement with the same “demands.”

* https://www.t-nation.com/training/truth-for-tall-lifters

What is your favorite cheat meal/snack?

Toss up between pizza and burritos – but is it really a cheat meal if I eat it all the time?


What do you enjoy most about training at CrossFit Sweat Shop?

Like what almost everyone who has done this before me has said – the community. Coaches, members, and programming are all awesome and can’t be beat. I’ve been to a handful of other CrossFit gyms and none compare. After moving here, I desperately needed friends. It’s been really nice having a social outlet, and a way to burn some energy.

 

Now that you’ve been doing CrossFit, what’s one thing you could never see yourself doing again?  (workout, nutrition, lifestyle, etc.)

Giving up strength training. I’ve always enjoyed sports but hated going to gyms. CrossFit is the perfect mix of both.

 

What is your proudest exercise related achievement?

Not blowing chunks after any of the workouts (though I was SUPER close after my first couple).

 

What advice would you give someone who is hesitant to try CrossFit?

Just try it! There are so many scaling options and people of all levels that do it. But, not all CrossFit gyms are equal, so try a bunch of gyms and see what you like best. I guarantee that Sweat Shop is the best one, but go ahead… try the others…

 

What is your most sought after exercise goal?

Getting consistent bar muscle ups. I’ve done 2 ever and both times the movement just clicked, and it felt effortless. But over the last year and a half, I’ve probably attempted 100+ times and just can’t f***ing do it! Ugh…

 

What do you enjoy doing outside of CrossFit?

Anything outside – golfing, hiking, and drinking beer being the most frequent. But I’d love to get back into swimming on a more regular basis.

 

What is something you have recently purchased for less than $100 (or acquired for free) that you thoroughly enjoy and would recommend to others?

Go Rotator Tap Room and order the Bud Jones from Pinky’s Pizza. Great beer on Tap, Pliny the Elder in bottles, they’ll deliver the pizza to Rotator AND the pizza is 10% off. Thank me later.

 

Any advice you would give your 25 year old self?

Stop stressing as much, travel more, and just stop trying to like cauliflower. It still sucks at 30.

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