Sweatiest Angel - May 2017

Congratulations to our Sweatiest Angel for May 2017 - Max Lamb! The Sweatiest Angel award is given each month to the CSC athlete who displays significant work ethic, a willingness to support others and a true sense of camaraderie inside the gym. 

Every day Max brings energy, a desire to learn and the passion to motivate and elevate his fellow athletes. As with many of us he has come a long way through work ethic and a desire for self improvement. A short time ago Max wrote a guest blog post discussing his growth through CrossFit and fitness. Read it HERE. Unfortunately Max will be off soon to pursue awesome new opportunities in New York City. Never lose sight of your goals Max, and your passion for improvement.

Congratulations Max. We're going to miss having your energy at CSC!

Max sled pull during CrossFit Outside The Box at CWRU

How long have you been doing CrossFit?  

Max: Got into CrossFit in Santa Monica, California during Summer 2015. So 3 years from today.  

What do you do when you're not at CSC?  

Max: I am an avid Cleveland sports fan and love going out with friends to watch games. During the summer, I work as an umpire for OHSAA and do 10U-19U baseball. I try to stay pretty active when I'm not doing CrossFit, such as swimming, running, or biking. Finally, I'm a pretty big nerd when it comes to finance and love reading/listening about the stock market. 

What is your favorite WOD/movement?  

Max: Burpees/ Dubs  

What is your least favorite WOD/movement?  

Max: Any sort of pull-up movement. But damn do they make your arms look good after a workout...  

When did you come to find CrossFit and realize it was for you?  

Max: My first workout in Santa Monica in Summer of 2015 was quite painful but I loved it. I had never worked out with a group of people before, and I pushed myself harder in one workout than I had my entire fitness career. I really was looking for a sense of belonging in college and immediately had found a like-minded community that shared the same values I had. I wanted to feel good in my body and I could see everyone who bought into the program were reaping those benefits. It became almost like an addiction. 

What were your expectations when you started CrossFit?  

Max: I think like everyone who starts, my expectations were pretty low. I walked into the gym seeing all these people with 6 packs and moms that probably could deadlift more than me. I was a pale, chubby kid who ran every 3 days because it was relaxing. So when I saw all the barbells and pull up bars, I knew it was going to be a long road. I never expected to be able to do things I'm able to do today. I also didn't realize how hard it truly was until sprinting through the first round of a workout, only to find there were 7 more rounds to go. I was scared to be uncomfortable.   

What are your goals for CrossFit now?  

Max: Finding some goals was kind of tough for me in the beginning. When I started, the goal was to simply get back in shape and be able to complete workouts at my scaled capacity. I wanted to at least be able to do most of the movements, if not at a scaled capacity to some degree.

However, after joining CSC, I had reached those goals and needed to find a deeper meaning towards what I was doing. The reason I love CrossFit so much is that you have to be so diverse in every facet of fitness to be good. I want to be good at EVERYTHING. Running, swimming, lifting, planning, breathing, etc. Obviously this is impossible, but it keeps me up every day on how I can get better. My true belief about ideal fitness is a person's ability to be good at anything you throw at them. My goal is to be good at anything life throws at me, whether I'm running to catch the morning train, or carrying 6 yards of mulch from the front yard to the back.

That said, I can't lie to anyone that I'm not striving for a better 6 pack or to look better in the mirror. Every punk 20 year old like myself have those motivations. But I think that's what separates me from the rest of my demographic. I'm committed to the programming and everything CSC has done to get me where I'm at today.  

How has your experience with CrossFit been?  

Max: My first year in CrossFit was just for fun and getting used to the movements. I enjoyed spending time with gym members both inside and outside the box. Santa Monica was a great start because of how many other activities were available for the community to do besides CrossFit.

CSC was really a turning point for my CrossFit career. It really got me more serious with the sport and practicing more advanced movements. I was spending more time in the gym besides normal class time and dedicating normal study time for lifting. Coach Adam was really helpful in me gaining confidence in myself and my abilities to push harder during workouts. Without CSC, I don't think I would have felt comfortable to workout with some elite athletes last summer in NYC. My experience with CrossFit has changed my life drastically. (See Max's blog post) 

One thing you've done at CSC you never thought you would do?  

Max: The bar muscle up was really huge for me. I never thought I'd get my thunder thighs above that bar. Also beating Dan in workouts. I live for those moments. 

What advice would you give someone just starting CrossFit?  

Max: Leave your ego at the door and get ready to learn. I'm 3 years in and still don't have some/most movements down 100%. There are people half my size that have warm up sets with my PRs. There's always room to improve in different movements and workouts. And don't avoid being uncomfortable. I try to make myself uncomfortable all the time doing new movements or trying new things. It's really helped me in living a healthier lifestyle and finding a deeper meaning behind why I CrossFit.