I found CrossFit during a period in my life when I was doing a lot of running. Too much running. My IT bands had gotten so tight I could only make it a couple blocks down the road before I had to turn around and go home due to knee pain. My roommate at the time (EDCF co-owner Chase Heckendorn) was experimenting with some CrossFIt workouts and following the mainsite WODs. I decided to join him to get some exercise since I was sidelined from running. I had experimented with a couple CrossFit workouts from the main site before, I had made up some workouts at the park with my roommates, but I had never gone all-in and followed any CrossFit programming for an extended period of time. Within a couple weeks I could feel a noticeable difference in my knee, I tried running again and felt better on that run than I had in a long time. I knew it wasn’t just from rest, I knew I was running too much, and doing too little of everything else.
My fitness background is fairly typical for someone who grew up playing youth sports and worked out in a globo gym. In high school I picked up weight lifting while playing football, but I didn’t have good direction nor did I seek out the right information. My workout knowledge came from the internet, body building magazines and coaches who weren’t exactly specialists in strength and conditioning. I did a lot of bench press and not enough of anything else. In college I continued the body builder workouts, back and bi’s, chest and tri’s, leg days, “cardio” and all but that didn’t last longer than my freshman year. The repetitive grind of that routine finally got to me, by the time I moved off campus and the location wasn’t convenient I stopped working out completely. It would take me two years to find running and to get back to an active lifestyle and eventually find CrossFit.
I started CrossFit in May of 2011 and I completed my CrossFit L1 in May 2012. Although I still enjoy biking, running and endurance sports, CrossFit is my main form of exercise. CrossFit has changed my body and mind in many positive ways and I am excited for everyone who discovers what it can do for them. By shifting the focus of fitness from vanity and aesthetics to true health and wellness, CrossFit is transforming the fitness industry and I am proud to be part of that movement.
I have a beautiful wife Emily and we have two awesome boxers Elmer and Henry. I graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 2005 where I played two years of Varsity football. I graduated from Texas A&M University in 2010 with a Bachelors of Business Administration-Accounting and Masters of Science in Finance. I am a CPA, I work full-time for the commercial real estate company the Gaedeke Group and run the business affairs for EDCF. I also coach the endurance class on Sunday morning, come see me!