Each quarter we preview one of our Vancouver boot camp or cross training and fitness clients to talk about their experience with our classes.
Bryan Jones: Positive mindset yields positive results.
Bryan has been training at Precision Athletics for almost a year now. He attends the Crosstraining and Fitness (CTF) classes coached by Dave Sims, CrossFit Level 1 Certified Coach. These classes follow the philosophy of CrossFit training in that it involves fundamental functional movements performed at high intensity and the workouts are constantly varied. Some of the movements in this class take some time to master, but Bryan has demonstrated dedication and determination in his training which is why we’ve asked him to tell us about his experience.
Charlotte: What is your favourite part about the crosstraining and fitness classes?
Bryan: Every day is new. Crossfit is not your normal gym training: every time you show up, you are doing some different strength exercise and workout. It changes daily, so you never get bored!
C: Variety is definitely important when it comes to working out to keep things interesting. What keeps you motivated to come to the classes?
B: I was motivated to start by my mother. She had a stroke due in part to her poor health, and I decided then and there to not end up like her. My motivation was to become healthy and fit, and now I am motivated to get stronger, fitter, and have a happier, healthier life. So far, so good!
C: Sorry to hear about your mother and thank you for sharing. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is imperative to one’s health, especially in the later years of life. It’s great that this brought awareness to you and that you have taken your fitness to the next level. What are your current fitness goals? How has Precision Athletics helped you toward reaching these goals?
B: I have a few goals. I was overweight when I joined Precision, so one goal was to lose some of that weight. Since then, my goals have changed, really. Now, to be honest, I want to see how fit I can get! I am about to turn 40, so could I get into a Regional Competition for old guys like me? I have to wonder…
C: This year with the CrossFit Games season, there is a new age category for ages 40-44 years. Keep training hard, and participating in competitions could be in the future for you! Tell us what is your favourite exercise and why.
B: I think my favourite exercise is the handstand push-up. When I started at Precision, I had never even done a handstand in my life. To be able to do one now, and then do push-ups while inverted seems so bizarre and foreign that it is just mind-blowing! I’m still not great at them, but I’ll get there…
C: Awesome. Handstand push-ups are grueling but once you get the hang of them, they are fun! Now, what is your least favourite exercise to see written up on that white board?
B: The sumo deadlift high pull (SDHP). Sweet lord I hate that movement. Seems so awkward to me…
C: Yep, undoubtedly, everyone has that one movement they dread. How do you transfer what you do/learn at the classes into your lifestyle?
B: Being a good CrossFitter means approaching a workout with a special mindset. You have to be excited to do it (even if there is a SDHP in there), and you have to want to be good at it, do it well and be as good as you can be. That mindset can only be successful outside of the CrossFit class. Work can definitely be a chore at times, so bringing this mindset to it can be a huge bonus. I know that if I can do a CrossFit workout, I can definitely get through a day writing reports on my computer!
C: Having a positive mindset when approaching difficult tasks will certainly make them seem less impossible. Fighting those feelings of doubt before a CrossFit workout is great practice for situations in real life. With your SDHP example, even though you have a strong dislike for them, you do your best to get excited about the challenge. With an attitude like that, you can surmount anything that comes your way! What major accomplishments or break-throughs have you had recently with a CrossFit movement? I’ve seen you practice pull-ups and double unders pretty religiously!
B: Well, when I started CrossFit I couldn’t skip or do a pull-up. Seriously, I could not get a single skip, not one! So I have definitely worked on those two movements a lot. Personally, I think every guy should be able to do a pull up so I have made sure that I can do those and recently, I have been excited about being able to do weighted pull-ups. It just goes to show how much strength I have gained through CrossFit!
C: Anything else you want to add, go for it!
B: Honestly, my life has changed since I joined Precision Athletics. David & the rest of crew have been great trainers. I am a scientist and a teacher, so I can appreciate how much skill and effort David puts into CrossFit and correcting every one in each of the classes. A number of people I knew before I started CrossFit at Precision have been amazed at the changes, and some friends I see infrequently have even not recognized me as I have lost so much weight and look so much better now that I have spent this year at Precision! I am fitter, happier, more productive, but never comfortable. I love it.
Thank you Bryan for sharing your experiences at Precision. Keep working hard and you’ll keep seeing results!
If you have n0t tried our Vancouver Boot Camp and Cross training and Fitness Classes we offer a free week of classes. Email Charlotte at [email protected] to book!
