Athlete of the Month
Posted May 9, 2016
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Congratulations to Emily for being Athlete of the Month for April! She has been killing it and the hard work is paying off big time!
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?
My husband had been coming to the Riv for a few months and kept trying to get me to check it out. He would come back from a class and tell me all about his workouts and I would stare blankly (“did he just say snatch?”). Now, we have CrossFit as a joint hobby and it’s been really fun to learn about all of the workouts and people he had been raving about for so long!
2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?
How has it not!? When I joined in December, I was at my heaviest weight and my body fat percentage was in the unhealthy range. Now, just four months later, I’m down 11% body fat! I’m just 2% away from being out of the “healthy” range and into the athletic range. I feel strong and empowered at what my body is capable of. The weight I was working out with when I started is now my warm up weight, and I keep hitting new PRs with every WOD. I can’t wait to see how my body continues to transform with these workouts!
3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?
I have a love-hate relationship with the snatch to overhead squat because it’s the one move that I still don’t feel quite as comfortable with, but holy smokes it’s a pretty badass move!! I’ve always wanted to be able to do pull ups, and I’ve graduated from the biggest band to one of the medium sized bands, but my big goal is to be able to do unassisted pull ups.
4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?
I think my favorite part about it is that it isn’t anything I expected. I always equated CrossFit with meatheads and people who were working out super intensely and getting hurt. That couldn’t be further from what I’ve found at the Riv. Everyone is so kind and the sense of community is palpable; for example, I was so nervous for my first WOD but my coach announced it to everyone at the start of the class and everyone cheered me on throughout the workout. The coaches are always making sure our form is correct and they help me figure out what weight I should be using. I feel very supported in this fitness journey and am happy to have found some new friends along the way!
Posted April 4, 2016
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Congratulations to Christian for being the Athlete of the Month for March. Christian is one of the strongest guys in the box, even though he doesn’t like to show it off. We’ll get him competing soon…
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?
I joined the Riv because I thought it was best box around. I looked around and no other box was offering what the Riv offered. The Riv offers a variety of classes while still maintaining the CrossFit environment.
2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?
When I started at the Riv I just wanted to get active again & stay active. The Riv has helped me do that plus so much more. I’m at the box 4 days a week so the Riv has definitely kept me active.
3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?
My favorite workout doesn’t have a name and we’ve actually only done it once. But it was when we snatched until we failed. Then we used that same snatch weight and started doing cleans. Once the cleans got too heavy we moved onto deadlifts until we failed. I love all the strength related workouts.
4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?
My favorite part of the Riv is the community. Coming to gym with friends is probably the main reason I’m still here today. The way everyone supports & encourages each other is amazing. You won’t find that many in gyms.
Posted March 4, 2016
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Congratulations to Cheyenne Ji for being our second Athlete of the Month for February!! Cheyenne has been at The Riv for almost two years now and is no doubt one of the most dedicated!
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?
I really wanted to improve my overall health. I knew I was unhealthy because I ate horrible and was always tired. There are a lot of illnesses that run on both sides of my family and I knew being healthy by eating right and exercising was something I needed to do. At the time, my old co-worker was a coach at the Riv and told me about CrossFit. I was a little intimidated and didn’t join at that time. However, with living right across the street, it was just too convenient to not at least try.
2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?
When I first joined the Riv almost two years ago, my only goal was to get healthier and in better shape. I feel like I’ve way surpassed that goal and am now focusing on performance. The programming and class variety helps a lot with improving skills, endurance, strength, etc. but the coaches are the ones that have helped me the most. They push me to get out of my comfort zone and to try new things all the time.
3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?
I can’t say I have a favorite workout since we’ve done so many but I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my strength and endurance. I love looking back to where I started and where I am today. Just to put things in perspective, I had never done a squat prior to joining the Riv. I also could barely run a mile without almost dying. In April, I will be running a 10 mile race and a half marathon and also competing in my first CrossFit competition, things I wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing prior to joining the Riv.
4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?
I love the community at the Riv! Everyone was so welcoming and encouraging when I first joined and I can still say that’s true today. It really makes a huge difference and one of the major contributing factors of why I enjoy working out every day. It’s great to see familiar faces but also to meet new people.
Posted March 4, 2016
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Andre is one of the hardest working members, consistently doing two-a-days in RivFit. He is a huge motivation for us as Coaches and we are proud of where he has come since joining the Riv!!
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?
Curiosity. I drove by many times and never went to check it out. Then one day I was on living social and came across the trial. So I decided to check it out. Walked in to grab some info, the staff was cool during the greeting. I then saw some members working out and in my head I’m saying this place is no joke. The first set of classes beat me up a bit, which left me aching in places I forgot about. Those pains brought the most pleasure though because I knew I was doing something and I wanted more.
2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?
My goal was to just lose some weight, get back into the fitness lifestyle, and to be great. I was able to lose quite a bit of weight, run longer, and do exercises I was unable to do before joining. The intensity of everyone in the box drives me to go hard everyday and to be better than I did the previous week.
3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?
My favorite workout would probably be burpees (sad to say). It’s a full body exercise that can destroy even the strongest athlete. My endurance is most improved. Imagine walking up a flight of step and being out of breath once reaching the top. Now I have no problem doing that and more. Being able to keep up with others was big thing for me when first starting.
4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?
I have many favorite parts. Doing a different set of workouts each class, exercising your full body, the intensity of the box, and the music to name a few. My most favorite part its the push I receive from the coaches when I feel like I have nothing left to give. 14 minutes and 26secs into a 15 min AMRAP with someone saying “give me 10 more burpees, you can do it” and when you do, they want 2 more lol. It helps!!!!
Posted January 15, 2016
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Our second Athlete of the Month for January is Michael Menago!! Mike puts in hours (and hours!) of work at the box and has grown tremendously as an athlete. Big things to come, congratulations Mike!
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?
I initially joined the Riv to help get in shape for a career in law enforcement. A friend had me try CrossFit for the first time at another box but when I saw everything the Riv had to offer I decided to sign up here instead.
2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?
I’ve come a long way since joining. I’ve lost about 40lbs and hit numerous milestones in my lifts, endurance and above all mobility which has always been a weak point of mine. I find myself constantly pushing the boundaries of my fitness goals as they improve. What started as a means to simply get in better shape has evolved into so much more. Most of which can be contributed to the Competitors Programming, I highly suggest it to anyone interested!
3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?
My favorite workout will always be Murph. Not only is it a great physical challenge but a mental one as well. And it’s in memory of a true bad ass, Lt. Michael Murphy. As corny as it sounds I’ve seen so many improvements since starting I wouldn’t be able to pick just one.
4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?
The community. From the coaches to the members I’d be hard pressed to find a more supportive and friendly community anywhere else.
Posted January 15, 2016
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Big congratulations to Laura Mood for being selected as Athlete of the Month for January!! Proud to call you a Rivermonster!
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?
I was jealous of my husband (Mike). Mike joined in the Riv in July of 2013. After 10 months of rolling my eyes and listening to “the Riv this and the Riv that” and hearing about all these new “friends” he had made, I finally joined.
2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?
CrossFit is the only thing I have ever done for fitness (outside of Volleyball) that I have stuck to faithfully for a long period of time. I will bitch and complain how awful a WOD is going to be, how bad it was and say that I’m never doing it again, but know walking out the door I’ll be back at 5:15 a.m. the next day. I joined to lose weight. I no longer weigh myself. I feel healthy and strong and that makes me feel more confident than being a size smaller.
3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?
I enjoy anything with the barbell- none of the gymnastics/skills crap! I would say I’ve improved the most in the gymnastics/skills movements but I still have a LONG way to go.
4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?
Hands down – the Community. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would form so many new friendships at a gym. Sometimes it shocks me how some coaches and my fellow athletes have more confidence in my capabilities than I have in myself. It’s something I have never experienced before, even playing collegiate volleyball.
I picked this picture because it was at my lowest point in CrossFit- I had just torn my ACL. I thought I was done. Little did I know it was just the beginning…. Even with my banged up body I still had a smile on my face…. Amazing.