October 2018--Joe Kaiser

1. Tell us about yourself, your family, your occupation, hobbies/interests.
I am 32 years old and have been married to Michelle for 11 years. We  have 7 children and numerous little house pets/pests. I have lived all my life right here in St. Marys, growing up on our family cattle ranch. I work as a tile setter for my Dad at Kaiser Floor Contracting. I have a wide range of hobbies mainly involving the great outdoors. I enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and hounding out our native flora, fauna, and geology (basically any excuse to get outdoors in a world that is practically all indoors).  I could see us with a few livestock animals within the next five years as the kids get old enough to care for them.

2. When do you start CrossFitting? Why did you start? Why do you continue now?  

I started the week after Easter back in 2015. I had developed a host of physical ailments before this point and needed to do something different to address them. I had spent years doing physical therapy and just really wasn't making much improvement. Doc got me started on a diet a few months before I started which really helped me transition. I continue  working out now to keep the beastly ailments at bay and to maintain my body for my physical job. I experienced such dramatic positive results health wise, that I became a coach in order to open up the possibility for more members and classes. I wanted the opportunity to be there for others who could benefit from what CrossFit has to offer.

3. Do you remember your first WOD? What were your thoughts after your first WOD?

The first WOD I did after On Ramp was Karen. 150 wall balls for time. Talk about brutally humbling! I was so thoroughly destroyed and numb from it that I couldn't even feel embarrassed for finishing last in the group. I was just so delighted that it was finally over. I still get the butterflies when I see it on the schedule.

4. What do you enjoy most about CrossFit?
I think I enjoy the community element the most. I grew up playing team sports and never really realized how big of an impact that left on me. I tried working out for a time after high school on my own, but found it to be very boring, monotonous, and unrewarding. CrossFit is great at re-creating the social dynamic of organized sports, but with much, much less risk for injury.


5. What is your proudest CrossFit moment?
That's tough to say! I think my proudest CrossFit moments are when I am able to help an athlete perform a movement or goal that they had not yet attained. The most notable was when Mark Thomas completed absolutely legit, full depth OHS for the first time! He had to spend about 45 min. mobilizing and working on his depth before he finally hit them on his final set!


6. What is your favorite movement or lift? What is your least favorite?
My favorite lift is clean and jerk and my least favorite movement is probably anything involving running.


7. Have you had one or two challenging CrossFit goals that you've achieved recently? What are your current goals and how close are you to reaching them?
My most recent goal that I achieved was hitting 225 on my clean and jerk. Now that I did that, though, I realize that that is just not enough, so now I am shooting for 250  :) I would also like to get to the point where I can string together 5 muscle ups at a time. I think if I could attend class a little more regularly, I could probably get to that point by the end of next year.


8. What makes CrossFit different from other fitness programs that you might have tried in the past?
CrossFit is so much more balanced physically than any personal fitness programs I have done in the past. There are so many things we do in the box that I would NEVER do on my own. Some of those things I used to do when on a team during competitive sports, but they were so miserable that I always found something more comfortable to do when it came time to working out on my own. This is the only program I have done where I find myself willing to do those painful, miserable movements again, and I attribute that to the camaraderie factor.


9. What impact has CrossFit Benedictus had on your life, in and out of the gym?
CrossFit has had an enormous impact physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Physically it has helped me get back to being healthy again while also helping to be more ready for some tough  job sight conditions. Mentally, I am clearer than I used to be and my memory has improved ( I can throw out a name to one of my children, and actually get it right the first time!). Emotionally, I feel more relaxed in the midst of stressors than I normally would be.  (But don't test me too hard!) Spiritually, I have benefited from the strengthening of the will that is associated with persevering thru our demanding workouts.


10. Tell us about your nutrition and how it has changed, if any, since starting CrossFit
I started everything off in CrossFit by getting on a diet. It was kind of a hybrid paleo diet that really worked! I lost 40 lbs in 3 months! I had to continue modifying it as I went along to accommodate health issues I was working thru. Since my health has improved, I have gotten a little lax with it and need to get back on track. It really does impact performance!

11. If you could write a WOD for the classes to do, what would it look like?
Linebacker Territory
4RFT
8 Power cleans (Men RxA,B,C : 155,135,115)(Women RxA,B,C: 95,75,65)
200 M Sprint

12. What advice do you have for others about the importance of the dedication of taking care of yourself, of investing in yourself?
I think it is very important to practice good stewardship with the body God gave us. When other people depend on us, we have the obligation , to the extent we are able, to be up to the duties and challenges that we will have to face. If we do not maintain and foster the gift of good health that God gives us, then we are in a sense like the unprofitable servant who buries his talent.


13. What advice would you give to someone new to CrossFit or who is thinking about giving it a try?
It is a big commitment and you must be willing and able to fit it into your schedule on a regular basis. You will get out of it what you put in! There are so many intangible benefits to CrossFit that you will never get to experience unless you give it a try.  It truly is worth the effort, both for yourself and for the people that surround you in life.


14. Open Forum:
Everyone has real limitations in this world but I think we also tend to carry around a host of self imposed ones. CrossFit is a great tool for identifying and removing these superficial obstacles enabling us to really get down to business and tackle the important things in life. It can really help you to better know who you are and where you are at.( though probably not right after a MetCon  :) I thank the Carrolls for providing us all with the opportunity to take advantage of everything CrossFit has to offer!