April 2023--John Hoffman

1.Tell us about yourself, your family, your occupation, hobbies/interests.

​I grew up in Olmsted Falls, a small town outside of Cleveland, OH. Having been home-schooled in 6th through 12th grade, I didn’t play much in the way of organized sports, and gravitated to individual sports like tennis, shooting firearms (later on shooting in USPSA and IDPA competition), archery, camping, Kajukenbo (a Hawaiian hybrid of a variety of traditional martial arts), and some hunting. I did play a lot of backyard football though, which my knees remind me of whenever the weather changes.

I moved to Saint Mary’s in September of 1993 to attend Saint Mary’s College and decided to make Saint Mary’s my home. I ended up going to K-State, then the seminary, and then back to K-State to finish my bachelors in Mechanical Engineering Technology. My wife, Kristina is the sister of one of my classmates from the seminary, and we ended up meeting after I had left the seminary and while visiting his family. In 2004 my lovely wife, Kristina and I got married, and we have 6 boys and 3 girls, with number 10 on the way. I work in engineering, doing primarily design work. My hobbies at this point seem to be trying to keep up with all of the kids activities and CrossFit.

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

I started CrossFit October 16, 2021. My son wanted to join, but since he was 16 at the time he couldn’t join unless a parent did (with Andy and Joe allowing an exception to the norm, Thanks guys!), so I signed up. Also, I was doing Exodus 90 at the time, which requires regular intense exercise. Since it wasn’t getting done, I thought that CrossFit might help. It was also apparent to me that I didn’t have the fortitude to work out on my own, as I have tried numerous times and stopped.

I continue doing CrossFit because frankly, I feel better than I did 10 years ago. It also helps to get that “piss and vinegar“ out of the system, which I believe leads to having a bit more patience, and helps to clear the mind. Also, the friendships that are gained and the encouragement that everyone gives each other.

The great coaches that we have are another reason that I continue to come. Years ago, I damaged both knees and shoulders through bad technique and or too heavy of loads (neglecting stabilizing muscles) while lifting weights. Of course doing that on my own without coaching. The coaching has lead me to be comfortable with weights again, and the coaches have stopped me at least a couple of times when I could have hurt myself (I know, leave your ego at the door!). Generally I enjoy the workouts, and when I don’t, it makes me realize that those are the things that need work.



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

Having a memory like a sieve, I looked it up. It was Dirigatur, which involved hand stand holds, deadlifts, burpees, and DB thrusters. Fortunately, I didn’t have to scale the burpees, but had to scale the rest of the workout. My thoughts ranged from, “Wow, this is harder than it looks”, to “Why am I doing this to myself”, to “I am in much worse shape than I thought”. ​

4. What do you enjoy most about CrossFit?

Things that I enjoy about CrossFit are the camaraderie, coaching, and pushing to try things that are out of my comfort zone. It is actually fun most of the time (maybe from the combined pain of everyone doing it together), and even when it isn’t fun, there is a great enjoyment when it is over.
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5. What is your proudest CrossFit moment?

My proudest moment at CrossFit was when I was able to do the workout as prescribed, rather than having to scale the workout.

6. What is your favorite movement or lift? What is your least favorite?

Deadlifts are my favorite lift, and over head squats and running are my least favorite.


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?

A couple of relative recently achieved goals are toes to bar and wall walks. Current goals include getting double-unders figured out, and being able to get pull-ups. I need to put in more auxiliary work outside the box to get these goals though.

8. What makes CrossFit different from other fitness programs that you might have tried in the past?

The variety of workouts, coaching, and group training are big differences from other fitness programs that I have tried. Also the sustainability. With other programs I would start and stop. Mostly stop. With CrossFit I push much harder than I ever would with the other programs. A big part of that is working out with a group, where we are all suffering together.
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9. What impact has CrossFit Benedictus had on your life, in and out of the gym?
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The biggest impact is that I feel better than I have in years! I have also made new friends that I look forward to working out and visiting with. Outside of the gym, I think that it has helped to develop some patience. It seems that I don’t overreact to situations as much as I used to. I also have a lot more energy than I used to.

10. Tell us about your nutrition and how it has changed, if any, since starting CrossFit?
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My diet was actually pretty clean (low carb, high protein) when I started CrossFit, but eventually I ended up doing the carnivore diet for a while, and that helped drop the 5-10 pounds that I just couldn’t seem to get off. I haven’t been eating as cleanly as I should lately, which has definitely reduced performance. One thing that I have definitely noticed is that the cleaner one eats, the quicker the gains, and the quicker the recovery.

11. If you could write a WOD for the classes to do, what would it look like?

Lock and Load
AMRAP 10mmin
5 T2B (B Hanging knee raise, C ABMAT)
5 Deadlifts (RxA,B,C M: 185/135/95 W: 135/95/65)
6 Slam Balls (M: 20, W: 15)
9 Burpees


12. What advice do you have for others about the importance of the dedication of taking care of yourself, of investing in yourself?

Christ said “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.“ [Matthew 5:48] I don’t believe that this is reserved for just the spiritual life, but also for the mental and physical. If that is the case, then none of these things should be neglected, and all should be worked on to the best of our abilities. Without taking care of self, taking care of our obligations is harder than it needs to be. With taking care of self, it makes one more capable of taking care of duties for ourselves and for others. Neglecting oneself physically, mentally, or spiritually leads to imbalance in life, so all three should be developed.

13. What advice would you give to someone new to CrossFit or who is thinking about giving it a try?

To those new to CrossFit, I would say just keep showing up and doing the workouts! Leave the ego at the door and progress will come. Listen to the coaches, who are there to guide us to do movements safely and efficiently.

To those thinking about it, Just Do It! I was encouraged to join several years ago, but didn’t, and my biggest regret concerning CrossFit is that I didn’t start years ago. I had the mentality that I should get in shape first (haha), but the reason to do CrossFit is to get in shape. CrossFit works with you whatever your starting point is and helps you make progress. Everything is scalable, and sooner than you think, you will be doing exercises that you didn’t think that you were capable of. Plus you just may find that you enjoy it.

14. Open Forum:

Many thanks to Doc and Mrs. Carroll for starting CrossFit Benedictus, and Andy, Mindy, Joe, and Bridget for continuing it. I’m sure that there is much more work and sacrifice behind the scenes than any of us realize. Thank you to my family for allowing the time to go and putting up with the talks of the crazy WOD’s that we do. Thank you coaches who give great guidance in performing movements currently, and stopping us when it looks like we will hurt ourselves. And thank you fellow box mates. Working out together makes for a great time, and makes the workouts seem not crazy, even when some times they appear to be. ​