Member Spotlight: Mike D.
We are starting something new here on the blog. When we hear of an athlete smashing a goal they had set for themselves, or doing anything else that is especially awesome, we want those stories to be heard. Today, we are going to share some words from Mike D. Some of you may or may not know this, but Mike recently ran a 5 minute mile and deadlifted 500 lbs. in the same day. Pretty great stuff. We asked him to write something that described how he accomplished these things and what motivates him every day. This is a long one, but it’s worth the read:
“I’ll start with where the idea of where my challenge to run a mile in under 5 minutes and deadlift 500 lbs in the same day came from; my head. That’s it. My goal is to better every day, and to inspire. I wanted to push myself to do something I wasn’t sure I could actually accomplish. Also, I asked Alex Viada, who is by my estimation one of the best athletes in the world (if you don’t know the name, look him up), if he knew anyone other than himself, or had any clients that could do what I was attempting. His answer was no, so I was intrigued. Really, I just wanted to see what I was made of.
First, let me tell you my “secret,” which may come as a surprise. If you take nothing else away from what I write, or you just don’t want to read it all, remember this paragraph. Over the years, I’ve learned that a lot of people (myself included at one point in time) think there is some magical formula, or workout, or program, or supplement that will give you the edge, but the biggest factor, BY FAR, is effort. EFFORT. That’s the secret. Showing up when you don’t want to. Working harder on days when you’re tired. Getting to the gym consistently. Doing things you don’t necessarily love simply because you want to get better. The two most common questions I get are, “How do you have the time?” and “Do you get a lot of sleep?” The answers are: I make time, and no I don’t. I am in school 38 hours a week and I have work to do on top of that. I also have a form of sleep apnea, so I sleep significantly less and significantly worse than the average person. I wish that were different, but that’s life.
I was never the biggest, or the strongest, or the fastest when I was growing up. In fact, not only did I not lift weights until college, but when I played sports, I was frequently the last person to finish any run. A little overweight, slow, and not very strong; that was me. First mile I ever ran was about 9 minutes. So I’m not saying any of this to brag at all, but rather to point out that I know what it’s like. I am not genetically gifted and I don’t get more sleep, or have an easy schedule, or anything else. I’m just a guy that works really, really hard. And so can you. That’s my edge. I love quotes, and I could write down a thousand that have helped me along the way, but here’s one from Will Smith that always stuck with me:
“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me, is, I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. You might have more talent than me. You might be smarter than me. But if we get on the treadmill together, right. There’s two things. You’re getting off first, or I’m gonna die. It’s really that simple.”
That may sound a little extreme, but that’s me. I live and I train every day like it’s my last one. That’s how I am different. My mindset is that you simply will not outwork me. Do I get there every day? No. But I try.
This is largely where CrossFit comes in. I shouldn’t say CrossFit, I should say CrossFit Federal Hill. Without a doubt, the single best thing I have taken from this gym is the support. As a powerlifter, I had some aggression which I took out on the weights. I got into powerlifting because I missed competition and I needed an outlet for my emotion. I trained by myself and motivated myself. When I switched gears to training for CF, my attitude changed. The aggression eased, I became happier, and I found balance. I enjoy it more. I’ve made a lot of amazing friends, met a lot of people who really believe in me, and have motivated people that I didn’t even know were watching. I love to inspire and the best reward I can ever receive from what I do is when someone asks for my advice because of something I’ve done or tells me they were able to do something because I pushed them, and I’ve gotten that from this gym, often unexpectedly. The camaraderie and community is incredible and it helps me keep that edge. To be completely honest, I didn’t think the training in CF would help with my goal. But it did. Though I trained extra on my own (If you want details, feel free to ask me. I’m always happy to advise), my conventional deadlift got better and the constant running or cardio in WODs (thanks Geo!) definitely helped me with my mile time and learning to push the threshold. CF has helped me get stronger at a lot of different things. I’ve gotten more mobile (seriously!), I care more about movement quality and enjoying myself than numbers, and most importantly, I’ve found a family. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this gym has not only made me a better lifter, but a better person.
I can’t thank you all enough for being such a great group. I know a lot of people draw from what I do, and I love that, but I’ve taken a lot from you all as well. I am still very new to CF and everyone is always willing to help, both coaches and members. I no longer feel like the guy in the corner that people were afraid to talk to. So the last thing I want to say is thank you all, keep working hard, and never slow down. You can always do more than you think.”
Strength WOD
(Build up in weight every minute, power or squat)
WOD
**Do not drop weight from overhead if you have 10’s or 15’s**
Candace making it look easy!