October Athlete of the Month: Cody Skinner
State your Name and/or Nickname please
Cody Skinner
Occupation?
I’m a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym Cedar Park, an educator at lululemon athletica, and a semi-professional rockstar. I’m also an occasional guitar teacher and pedicab driver.
Words to live by?
No shirt, no shoes, no problem.
What is your fitness background?
I grew up playing every sport imaginable. My dad was a college and semi-pro football player and a competitive baseball, softball, and volleyball player. My parents actually met on the volleyball court. I started with roller skating and t-ball, and by high school I was playing baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. I was actually on a tripple-A hockey team out of Dallas before I got burned out on the sport. In college I did a year of rugby before switching my major to music and getting lazy. After spending a couple of years getting fat and out of shape I became a gym rat, then went through a rock climbing phase followed by a marathon running phase. At some point along the way I heard about crossfit and started messing around with some of the main site WODs. Then I joined up at CFA and the rest is history.
How long have you been CrossFitting?
I think it’s about a year and a half now. Maybe not quite that long.
What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
I love the workouts and I love the people. Wes and Tristy are AMAZING coaches, plus we have access to people like Chad Vaughn and Carl Paoli. And that’s just the staff. Some of our members are truly amazing, one-of-a-kind people. Anybody who’s worked out in the same class as Sleeves or Darlene or Carissa knows what I’m talking about. Seeing Darlene in the final WOD at the games might be the high point of my year so far.
What are your training goals?
Achieve total awesomeness! Basically, the way my personality works is that I’m fairly compulsive about seeking out new skills to learn or areas to improve on (read obsess over). My ultimate goal is to compete. Right now I’m working on getting my shoulders healthy and trying to get crazy strong. I also want to master muscle ups and hand stand push ups. And the olympic lifts. And everything ever.
Favorite sport or activity?
CrossFit wins it hands down. Rock climbing is a distant second.
Recent adventure you’re planning?
I’m hoping to take Fresh Millions on tour to NYC and back in October. If it all goes according to plan we’ll be crammed into the mini-van with all our gear for about 18 days. Travel WOD, anyone?
Tell us something we don’t know about you?
I read 3-4 books a week.
Longhorns or Aggies?
Texecutioners.
You were the run away winner of the mustache contest last spring and not coincidentally you also just finished playing ACL for the first time. Explain to us the rock star/mustache relationship/evolution?
It was a long journey, one that began several years ago in a place called Denton, TX. I was studying classical music and sporting a beard. When I moved to Austin, the beard was right at home but the classical music was quickly replaced by an insatiable need to plug in and play that funk! Eventually I just out-rocked the beard. I knew only a curly mustache would give me the proper swagger to finally achieve that next level of strength, speed, and rock stardom.
Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words?
crossfit gives us plenty of opportunity to feel pain, frustration, and exhaustion. Fortunately, it also gives us a chance to make friends with those feelings, and that’s the beauty of the sport. So next time your legs are burning and you’re gasping for breath trying not to puke as a callus rips open on the palm of your hand, just remember how much fun you’re having. 🙂
