What is your name or nickname?

Joe, I don’t really have a nickname. My kids call me “can I have a snack?”

What are your favorite hobbies, talents, skills outside of CrossFit?

I do a little bit of a lot of things. I rebuild classic cars, build furniture, and I’m currently remodeling the house we’re living in. I like to spend time outside and with my family.

How did you find/get to CrossFit Eclipse?

Sara and I had just moved to the area from out of state in May. We have 3 kids, and with me being a stay at home dad, we needed a gym that had an area for kids. After contacting lots of gyms, we had a list of ones with kids areas and actually planned on visiting several, then deciding which we liked best. Eclipse was first on our list and we liked the atmosphere and the people so much, we decided to not bother going anywhere else.

What motto or phrase do you live by?

In the gym, it’s ‘Start hot, stay hot.’ But really that’s kind of the way I approach everything in life. If I am going to do something, I just dive in head first and commit to it. Not always the best plan, but it’s just kind of how I’m wired.

What is your favorite music to listen to while WODing?

If I’m in a class, once the WOD starts, I don’t even really notice the music, so I can workout to anything. If I’m by myself, I generally am listening to a podcast or audiobook.

What is your favorite WOD?

Call me crazy, but I really like ‘Fight Gone Bad’/Aerobic Power Interval Test. A hand full of a different variety of movements, full send, short break, then go again and try to beat your last round. I like a challenge.

What is your favorite cheat Food(s)?

I don’t do it very often anymore, but give me a beer and a burger at The Garage. That’s my jam.

What is one thing you have done at CFE that you never thought you would do?

Challenge myself so much on the Level Method testing. I didn’t know what areas I needed to improve most, but after doing all the testing, it became obvious what my weaknesses were. And now I can specifically attack my weaknesses, and push myself to improve to the next level on each thing I struggle with.

What motivates you through your CrossFit journey?

I don’t want to become the person I use to be before I found CrossFit. Overweight, depressed, and unhealthy. CrossFit has been a huge part in making me a better, healthier person.

What results have you seen so far in coming to CFE?

Eclipse has been awesome with personal coaching, which has improved my weight lifting form a ton. I now understand what the proper mechanics of a lift should be, even if I don’t always execute them. But I’ve hit huge lifting PRs since joining Eclipse.

Do you have any special or successful CrossFit Eclipse memories/moments?

I really enjoyed Backyard Brawl. It was my first time ever doing an in-house style comp, and just knowing everyone and having some friendly competition was really fun for me.

What sort of life changes have you experienced because of CrossFit that you didn’t expect?

Other than my weight loss, I never expected to have such a feeling of accomplishment and self-improvement. After a killer workout, even if I die during it, I can always look back and say “I did that.” And that carries over outside of the gym, where I then have the confidence to attack everything throughout my day.

What advice would you give to a newbie or someone just joining CrossFit Eclipse?

Ask questions! There are so many movements and technical things in CrossFit, if you aren’t sure, ask and make sure you’re doing proper form. Starting with proper form on day 1, will save you countless weeks trying to correct bad form later. Also, come to 9:30 class, I’ll help you anyway I can!

Current training Goals/PRs?

I want to get up to a 250# clean. Gotta improve my 2nd pull…

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?

5 rounds: 30 wall ball 20 cal bike 10 Power Clean 5 bar over burpees Maybe this? I don’t know, definitely something that starts and ends in the pain cave.

Cowboys or Sooners?

Option 3: Iowa Hawkeyes! (But, yea, Sooners.)