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 May Athlete of the Month is Chase Pitman! Chase started his CFA journey back in February of 2016. He’s a solid staple in the infamous 6:30 am crew.  It’s been really great to see the progress Chase has made in his time here! He’s been putting in the extra work, especially over the last few months, to reach the goals he’s set for himself and all that work has certainly paid off in his time here! Not only is Chase a great example of how drive and determination can guide you, he’s also a great personality to have in class. We’ve enjoyed Chase’s positive attitude and watching his continuous growth and we’re excited to see him continue to progress for many more years! Chase, we are proud to have you as our May Athlete of the Month and as an awesome part of this community. Thanks for the early morning giggles and all your hard work! Congratulations!  

State your Name and/or Nickname please:

Chase Pitman.

Words to live by?

There are two sayings I try to remember every day.

1) “To have a friend, be one.”

2) “One see’s clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”

What is your fitness background?

Well, my Dad made me play football through my Freshman year of high school? I also took a half semester weight lifting class in college. Other than that, I guess the best answer would be: None?

How long have you been CrossFitting?

If you don’t count the one class I went to in 2011 (you shouldn’t) that would be about 454 days. If you don’t want to count that back, I started on Feb. 1, 2016.

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

Well, it was the first time I had woken up before 8:00 am in months, so mostly I just felt tired. But I was also pretty intimidated and unsure what to think. Coming in and seeing the 5:30 am class absolutely had me questioning whether I had made a terrible, terrible mistake. But after the first day, despite being exhausted and a little overwhelmed I felt comfortable in the gym. And the workouts are just as hard, if not harder, today.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?

It’s a toss up between the 6:30 crew, washing the gross gym grime off my hands after a bunch of burpees, or when a workout is over.

Current Training Goals/PRs?

Currently, I’m pretty determined to master double unders and handstand pushups.

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

My biggest piece of advice would be to figure out what’s driving you and constantly keep that in your mind. You don’t have to be a lifelong athlete or even a monthlong athlete to be successful as long as you’re dedicated and willing to work. Honestly, you’re probably going to be last in a lot of the WODs early on but don’t let that discourage you. You’re not there to prove anything to anyone but yourself (unless you are, in which case, ignore everything I’ve said), so ask questions and focus on yourself and not the people around you.

What is your cheat meal go to?

Sour Neon Gummy Worms. Or any artificially flavored, artificially colored, sour neon gummy animal including, but not limited to, bears, sloths, and octopi.

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

I was pretty proud of myself when I first RX’d an entire workout. But it’s a toss up between that and the one time I hit 100 meters exactly in the rowing game.

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

I would call it: Lazy Sunday=

14 minutes of jump rope. Every time you stop jumping/miss a jump, do 2 burpees.

(I have no business creating a WOD)

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

This is starting to feel a lot like Tinder, but I enjoy hiking, ultimate frisbee, camping, reading, cuddling with my dog, and eating candy. I’m also pretty interested in music and politics. I listen to way too much NPR and podcasts. On top of that, I’m the best dang furniture salesman you ever did meet.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…

I won the invention convention in 3rd grade and the geography bee in 5th grade.

Longhorns or Aggies?

I like sports too!

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

Ladies, I’m single.

Happy last week of April CFA peeps! I’ve had several requests to update folks as to what they’ll see in the programming in the coming months so let’s get into it!

Before we start I  want to outline a few basic themes you’ll see (and you’ve seen) with the programming:

• Strength and skill focuses run on a 6 week calendar, and are coupled together to maximize the time we have in class.  The goal is to get consistent touches at light, medium, and heavy loads in each lift and skill to create a level of mastery we can’t achieve by putting these movements in the programming randomly and sporadically.
• Skills focuses throughout the year are designed to build on top of one another and safeguard against injury. What this looks like in practice is a simple to complex movement progression, and single limb to double limb progressions in most cases. An example is: doing single arm ring rows and single arm presses to eventually progress into strict pull-ups and handstand push-ups.
• The conditioning work we do progresses from longer work when the strength progression is in a lighter phase, and shorter more intense workouts when we’re lifting heavier in the progression. If you prefer one side of the coin more than the other just be patient it will show back up after a few weeks.

• We also include conditioning “tests” every other week or so. These tests will be retested in the future.  I will keep folks apprised of when a test or retest is happening and whether it falls into the category of long, light, heavy, bodyweight, or team focused.
• Finally there will be other elements including cashouts, skill warm-ups, and additional strength / skill work peppered in to round out the program. However the above represents the core work that will keep folks moving forward over the long term (2+ years).

Strength & Skill Focus for May

We will conclude our snatch / single arm strength focus in May and have a post test tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 6th.  The strength cycles do have some overlap, so we also have a pretest scheduled for Tuesday May 16th for the Jerk. Our Jerk strength cycle will be coupled with DB split squats in preparation for the front box squats in July.
The snatch weights will get heavier this May and if you did a good job of dialing in technique and practice early on in the cycle you should be able to perform at heavier loads without overthinking your technique. If technique is still lacking, schedule a hybrid session with your Coach For Life (if you’re not on hybrid or don’t know what that means, shoot us a message 😉 ) for some additional technique work, and / or keep your weights at the lower percentage we’ve already seen in April. Success in any lift will always be more abundant when you’re consistently “making” lifts, even if the weight is a bit lighter. Particularly in a snatch people commonly stall out when they are chasing weights and “missing” more attempts than they make.

Conditioning Test in May

Below is the tentative schedule for conditioning tests in May.  Some may shift by a day or two as the weeks get put together, but all of these test will be seen in May.
Heavy – “Back in Black” Monday 5/1
Bodyweight – “Cindy” Friday 5/5
Heavy – “Fox on the Run” Wednesday 5/3
Team – “Team Murph” (Can also be used as a “long” pretest for Murph in July if you plan to do it solo) Saturday 5/27
Long – “Plenty of Gas” – Tuesday 5/30

*Please remember to record your scores for these workouts as they will be retested 4 to 8 weeks from the initial tests.  They’ll also be tests that pop up consistently year over year.

Lastly, if you’ve been consistently hitting the workouts Rx or the scale-up versions and feel like you’re ready for some additional work please schedule a hybrid session with your CFL. They are more than happy to assess whether additional volume and accessory work is appropriate for your development. More isn’t always better, but there are specific things your coach can help you with if you feel like you’ve stalled out in a specific aspect of your fitness.
Hope this is informational for everyone’s brain as we make our way into the last month of spring. As always, feel free to ask any additional questions you may have in the comments!