December Athlete of the Month: Chris Stodden

Congratulations Chris, you are our NoCoast Athlete of the Month!

Chris is still fairly new to our NoCoast community, but he has taken on the challenge by showing up consistently, working hard, and recently participating in our 75 Day Challenge this Fall. His dedication and hard work have already produced results that we can see and Chris can feel! We are so grateful for Chris to be a part of our community and we look forward to his fitness gains in the new year!! 

Quotes from Chris:

“The effects of CrossFit on my family have been profound.  My son was a wrestler, so we decided to try CrossFit to focus on his training. It opened this door to all this information and training modalities that honestly put him on another level. Then we took that and applied it to my daughter's training. CrossFit was really instrumental in my kids athletic success and propelled them through College at an elite level.”

“Getting rid of the sugar from my diet (in the 75 Day Challenge) really helped my overall metabolism, digestive system and weirdly I don’t crave it like I used to, it feels pretty amazing.”

Age:  54

Athletic/Sports history/highlights:   

I played football in college, raced mtb short track, and some jiu jitsu. I really enjoy being outdoors hiking and riding my bike.

How long have you been CrossFitting? 

8 months

How did you get into CrossFit? 

I’ve always wanted to do CrossFit, since seeing it in the late 2000’s.  However, my wife and I always prioritized our kids' activities. After we made that last college payment, I was really excited to be able to do CrossFit and start this new journey.  

What is your favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?  

My favorite WOD was the Linchpin Test 13 (400m run and burpees 20 down to 1), it was REALLY hard but once you did it, it felt awesome!  My favorite movement is probably Thrusters, I feel like you can get into them and really grind.

What is your least favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?  

Most of the gymnastic stuff is still really elusive to me, but baby steps!

What is your most memorable CrossFit moment? 

It was doing the Murph on Memorial Day. My first Hero workout with everyone and it was really neat being part of the community. My brother is a Navy Seal so these workouts are very meaningful to me.

How did our 75 Day Challenge go for you? And what were your big takeaways?  

At first it was really hard, drinking all that water. But I think Sam recommended drinking 40 ounces before you have your first coffee and that sets up the rest of the day. I would also supplement some protein cuz it was hard getting enough, with working out that often. No candy around Halloween was hard for me too.  But getting rid of the sugar from my diet really helped my overall metabolism, digestive system and weirdly I don’t crave it like I used to, it feels pretty amazing..... reading 800 pages of Sartre this book was out of my wheelhouse!

How does nutrition play a role in your fitness and recovery?  

I supplement protein, and I try to take some creatine after a workout to aid with recovery. For a while I was getting really sore after WODS, but I started taking a Beet pre workout powder and it seems to have helped. 

How has CrossFit improved your overall wellness? 

I’m getting ready for my annual physical, so I will find out! But I can say my recovery, endurance, and mental health has been really great since doing CrossFit. My trajectory before CrossFit wasn't great. It's really hard to rev up to the level you do in a WOD with everyone, and you keep yourself accountable to being the best version of yourself.

How has CrossFit changed your family?  

The effects of CrossFit on my family have been profound.  My son was a wrestler, so we decided to try CrossFit to focus on his training. It opened this door to all this information and training modalities that honestly put him on another level. Then we took that and applied it to my daughter's training. CrossFit was really instrumental in my kids athletic success and propelled them through College at an elite level.

Advice to new people:

Keep coming as much as you can. Everyone has hard days or days you just don’t feel it, but the magic of CrossFit is the community, you're there with others probably going through similar stuff and you get to have a daily achievement.