Dan Ballard is our member of the month for June! Dan started at 858 right after I came on board and he has become a staple of the evening classes. He loves to party hard by diligently coming in every Saturday morning after closing up the last class on Friday. His hard work and commitment have paid off and he is still making every single barbell movement look exceedingly easy and effortless. Congrats Dan!!!
Here is his interview!
How long have you been doing CrossFit? I have been doing CrossFit for about 5 months
What got you hooked on CrossFit? I joined CrossFit because going to the gym didn’t produce the results I wanted. I would only do exercises that I was comfortable with. With CrossFit the variety of lifts/movements/wods gets changed up, intensity of the wods, makes me do things I’m not good at, learn new and proper techniques from awesome coaches and it’s fun with great camaraderie!
What is your favorite movement/exercise? Favorite movement would either be back squat or deadlift. Combines power and intensity in the movement. Everyone looks like the HULK during these movements!
Do you have any current goals you are trying to attain? My goals in CrossFit are to basically enjoy the process of learning and implementing the coaching cues I’ve been given. Use that information to focus on progressing and being a little better each time. Hopefully this will help me loose some weight and increase my cardio.
Do you have any advice for someone starting out or considering beginning CrossFit? My advice would be patient and consistent. Everyone is at their own fitness level. When I first started I wasn’t good with all the movements so obviously the weight was lower since I didn’t have the technique down. I just wanted to throw on heavy weight for everything; to be like the other guys. Know your body and limits, learn the technique, and be consistent with coming to class and you will progress.
Fun fact about you? I had the opportunity to volunteer at a HIV health clinic in Africa