August Athlete of the Month || Leigh Price

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.

This month, we are absolutely thrilled to honor Leigh as our August Athlete of the Month! Leigh has been an absolute joy to coach from the very beginning. When he first walked through our doors, our conversations started with a few nudges in a direction that seemed almost too good to be true: eat more, move… less?
While it wasn’t quite as simple as that, the approach was far less complicated, restrictive, and exhausting than anything he had tried in the past. And instead of chasing quick fixes, Leigh committed to the process.
Week after week, month after month, he diligently tracked his progress, asked questions, made adjustments, and trusted the plan. Eventually, he was able to look back at the accumulation of all those little wins and truly see just how far he had come. And WOW—has he made a ton of progress!
But perhaps one of the best things about Leigh’s journey has been watching him learn to appreciate those little wins along the way. Progress isn’t always dramatic, and he’s done a great job learning that consistency compounds.
Leigh is also deeply involved in his own journey—as he should be! He consistently books his Goal Review Sessions on time, comes prepared with questions, and takes an active role in reviewing and understanding his progress. He is incredibly coachable, and he has trusted the process enough to see for himself that living a healthy, balanced life doesn’t have to take over your entire existence.
Leigh, you’ve put in the work, stayed curious, trusted the process, and earned every bit of this recognition.
Way to go, Leigh! This honor is very, very well deserved!

State your Name and/or Nickname please:

Leigh Price

Words to live by?

Strive for happiness and kindness!

What is your fitness background?

I’ve always yo-yo’d between bouts of road cycling, a confused approach to weightlifting and giving up and eating an entire family platter of nachos. CrossFit seems to have hit the perfect spot for me – I love the variety and it’s a more sustainable approach for me.

How long have you been CrossFitting?

Just over a year, but long enough to give unsolicited TED Talks about it to friends.

Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?

I’m Australian, so the first thing I had to wrap my head around was weight and distance conversions! I was also translating a foreign language of CrossFit acronyms, struggling to keep up and generally wanted to stop halfway through class to go eat an entire family platter of nachos instead. These days it’s a lot more fun and I’ve learnt a ton about technique, it’s usually the highlight of my day.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?

The laughs and fun with all the regular folks.

Current Training Goals/PRs?

I’ve been focused on a body fat % goal and am getting pretty close. How will I celebrate this? By eating an entire family platter of nachos to partially undo the hard work.

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?

Consistency has done more for me than motivation ever has. Just keep showing up. Scale movements without guilt, ask questions, celebrate the small wins. Comparing yourself to others is a trap.

How do you balance staying focused on training when life gets busy?

I travel often for work, so that’s usually a challenge. I try to keep nutrition in check as much as I can, convince myself I’m actually going to use the hotel gym this time, but at least get some cardio in if I can.

What is your “cheat meal” go-to? 

I’m quite partial to an entire family platter of nachos.

How do you use your fitness outside of the gym?

Carrying all my HEB bags inside in one trip, the true benchmark of a fit Texan. The mental health benefits are a big factor for me, too.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your fitness journey?

I’ve had a couple of back injuries that been disruptive over the last year. Reframing my approach to this has helped – these days I head back to class and work around it, rather than sitting at home and drowning my sorrows in an entire family platter of nachos.

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.

Almost every week I realize my body’s now capable of doing some little thing that it was never able to before. Those moments never get old and they happen constantly.

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?

Let’s call it “The Intersection of I-35 & Slaughter”.

30 minutes of EMOM, alternating between 10 squats and 10 thrusters. An experience that’s too long, incredibly frustrating, and somehow you’re still moving even if at a snail’s pace.

What keeps you going on the days you don’t feel like it?

Remembering that I’m going for mental health benefits first and foremost. That makes it easy. Also remembering that this is the reason I’m able to eat an occasional entire family platter of nachos.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

Heavy metal, comedy, world travel, architecture, photography, tricking unsuspecting people into eating Vegemite, and uhhh… eating entire family platters of nachos.

Tell us something we don’t know about you.

I taught Vanna White some heavy metal moves on-camera when I played Wheel of Fortune last year.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…

Bet on your future self. That person seems pretty awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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