June Athlete of The Month || Tony Campos

Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.

Our June Athlete of the Month is Tony Campos!  Tony started his journey with us in January, but he’s no stranger to CrossFit! You’ll either find him strolling into the 8:30 am class with our “coffee crew” or sweating it out with the noon class. He works extremely hard, but you’d never know how much effort he’s putting in, because he always has a smile on his face! (Who smiles during thrusters?!?!) 😉 . He pushes himself to be better every day is always there to cheer on those who are working with him. We’re so happy to have Tony as our June Athlete of the Month and as an awesome part of this community. Congratulations Tony!

State your Name and/or Nickname please:
Tony Campos or big tones or the hispanic titanic (lol thanks Daniel) or Dr. Campos if you’re one of my students…I guess I have a few nicknames.

Words to live by?
Anything in life worth doing is worth over-doing. Moderation is for cowards.

What is your fitness background?
I played football growing up, so the gym life was ingrained in me at an early age.

How long have you been CrossFitting?
I’ve been CrossFitting for a little over a year now. I took a break for awhile when I moved back to Austin from Minneapolis.

Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?
My first day CrossFitting was with Jason Prudhom and Vinh Huynh at Mash Mafia Minnesota. We did 5 rounds of 5 push-ups 10 sit-ups and 15 squats in the fundamentals course. I thought I died. If I compare that workout to some of the regular CFA metcons, it’s a fairly straightforward workout, but it was really difficult when I first tried it. I have a long way to go to reach my fitness goals, but I’ve come a long way.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
The Coaches!!!! I think I’ve taken a class from almost every coach and y’all are amazing! The one coach I haven’t taken a class with is Zach. I’m sure he’s a great coach but let’s be honest here…I would be too busy staring at him because he’s just too darn good-looking.

Current Training Goals/PRs?
I want to be able to snatch 225 lbs and clean and jerk 315 lbs. I’m not anywhere close to those numbers right now, so I have my work cut-out for me.

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?
Stay the course! The majority of us are terrible at CrossFit when we first start and I think that’s kind of the point. The workouts seem impossible your first month. You’ll end up scaling the workout and struggle through it. You’ll be sore in places that you didn’t think you could be sore. And eventually, you end up doing the workouts as written and you’ll surprise yourself with what you can do. Moral of the story: if you show up a few times a week for the CrossFit classes, you end up doing workouts that you didn’t think you would ever be able to do.

What is your cheat meal go to?
I really want to say pizza, but that’s way too easy. Pizza is like the universal cheat meal. Bread, tomato sauce, cheese, more cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage. My goodness, pizza is delicious. After describing pizza, I think I’ve convinced myself that pizza is my favorite cheat meal.

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout. Workout? What workout!?! I really want a slice of pizza right now. Just kidding. Anytime we have a workout with running, I’m proud of myself if I can get through the run without walking. I’m hoping one day, I’ll look at a workout with running and not want to curl up in a ball and lay on the floor to try to find a happy place.

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?
21-15-9 heavy deadlifts (275) and hand release push-ups, run 400 meters between sets.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
I really like bar trivia. I went every Wednesday for about 3 years during graduate school. I like drinking beer, hanging out with friends, and answering pop-culture trivia questions. That’s not weird, right?

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
I read books about math in my free time. If you’re a dork like me, I recommend Fermat’s Enigma by Simon Singh. It’s a good read and you don’t need a math background to get through it.

Longhorns or Aggies?
Longhorns! I graduated from UT and teach Analytical Chemistry there! Sorry not sorry, Wes.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…
Thank you all for letting me be apart of the CFA community! I have enjoyed meeting all of the members and the coaches. If I haven’t met you yet, I look forward to meeting you!