January, 2016: CrossFitter of the Month: Matt Jackson

Congratulations to Matt Jackson, our January 2016 CrossFitter of the Month!!!

Matt is our member of the month. He works really hard and has accomplished a lot here in one year.  He is always improving and is always looking for ways to get better. Please congratulate Matt and read a little bit more about him and his journey here at CrossFit Silver Fox. 

v Age:  24

v Occupation:  Continuous Improvement /Process Improvement Engineer

v City:    Batavia

v When did you start CrossFit?  December of 2014

v What do you do when you’re not here?  When I am not in the gym I am either hiking, hanging out with my friends, or watching some type of sporting event.

v What brought your to CrossFit Silver Fox?  I needed to change my workout routine. I needed something that would get me to work out on a more consistent basis. I went to high school with Jason, and when I saw an ad for his gym in the paper I thought I should give it a try.

v What keeps you at CrossFit Silver Fox? I always feel challenged by the workouts, and I always feel like there is something I can improve on. Also the people are pretty great too.

v Biggest Improvements/struggles with CrossFit?  My biggest improvement has been the amount of weight I can lift. A lot of that is because my flexibility and technique have improved a lot, which has allowed me to lift more than I ever thought I would be able to. My endurance has also improved a lot from where I was on my first day. My biggest struggle has been nutrition. I don't eat as healthy as I should.

v How many days do you train at CrossFit Silver Fox?  I usually try to make it to the gym 3 - 4 times a week.

v What makes your come in and train on days when you don’t want to?   I don't have too many days where I don't want to come in and train. I think part of the reason is because I am not at the gym everyday, and the other part of it is I know I have to train hard to meet my goals and to keep myself from going back to who I was on day 1 of my CrossFit journey.

v What is your approach towards nutrition? I can't even say I have an approach. Before I started CrossFit I was eating a lot of high calorie foods. Now I mix in salads and healthier meals more often, but I am still eating a fair amount of high calorie foods. When I do eat high calorie meals the portions are much smaller now than they were before I started, but I am still not eating as smart as I should be.

v If you could design your own workout   I enjoy running, so I would definitely incorporate that into the workout. I also like wall ball and rowing. My legs are hurting just thinking about a workout with those three.

v Favorite workout?   I enjoyed the Memorial Day Murph we did as partners last year. We have also done some other partner workouts in the past which I like. I think those type of workouts bring out some of the best parts of CFSF. They increase everyone's competitive nature and increase the amount of encouragement everyone gives one another.

v What is the most challenging part of your CrossFit journey?   Other then nutrition, I would say the most challenging part for me was the first few weeks after I started. Looking around  the gym and seeing everyone lift more than me or complete workouts faster than me was tough because I am such a competitive person. Once I started to see progress though, like my weight going down, clothes fitting better, times getting faster what everyone else was doing became less and less important.

v Super Power you would want most?  X-Ray vision for reasons you can ask Ritchie about the next time you see him.

v Any advice for new comers?  When you first start it’s important to be patient. Don't feel like you have to be on everybody else's level right away. Focus on being better today then you were the last time you were in the gym. That could mean doing a lift you haven't done in a workout before, or having better technique on a lift you have done already, or adding a little more weight, etc.  It takes a lot of time to learn all the movements and build endurance. Don't beat yourself up because you can't do what others are doing. Focus on competing against yourself, and the results will come.

v Favorite activities outside of CrossFit?  Hiking, spending time with friends, running, watching sports, and playing guitar.

v Name something about yourself that is a little known fact.  I am part of the Adirondack 46ers club. In order to join you need to climb the 46 mountains in the Adirondacks that are over 4,000 feet tall.  I have also climbed all 28 fire tower mountains (basically a regular mountain, but when you get to the top there is a tall steel tower that forest rangers used to sit in to identify potential forest fires) in New York State.

v Accomplishments at the gym. PR’s, Weight Loss, etc?  I have lost 15 lbs since starting CrossFit and at least 5% body fat. I have also got my dead lift and squat max over 300 lbs.

v Goals for the remainder of the year?  Lose another 10-15 lbs, and get to the point where I can do pull ups without a band.