May - 2026 - Phil Dvorak

Phillip Dvorak - May 2026 Athlete of The Month

1. Tell us about yourself, your family, your occupation, hobbies/interests.
I was born and raised in MN and grew up with 10 siblings. I was always an active kid and loved being outside. I participated in Cross Country, Wrestling, and Track and Field while I was in high school. I am married now with two kids. I have worked at Andax as a sales representative for 4 years. My hobbies include golf, going on walks with my kids and my dog, spending time with family friends sharing our experiences.

2. When do you start CrossFitting? 2022 Why did you start? My wife and her family heavily influenced me to give CF a try. Why do you continue now? I continue going to CF because of the health benefits, the higher energy levels. I also believe God has given us a body and mind that are meant to be worked and challenged for their betterment and I believe CF helps me strengthen both my mind and body.

3. Do you remember your first WOD?
I only remember it had burpees in it. What were your thoughts after your first WOD? Why did I never do a burpee in any of the sports I did growing up.

4. What do you enjoy most about CrossFit?
The people. I show up for class with people who I genuinely admire and have come to consider as good friends. No matter where they are in their own personally CF journey sharing the gym with these dedicated individual makes the Box a truly enjoyable place.

5. What is your proudest CrossFit moment?
I would say my proudest moment was the second time I finished Ivy. The first time I did that WOD I wasn’t able to stand straight up for 2 days so I spent the next year working on the GHDs and the next time we did that WOD I not only got a better time but I was able to recover much quicker and that visual improvement was a great testament to the work I was putting in.

6. What is your favorite movement or lift? What is your least favorite?
I enjoy any movement from the pull up bar. My least favorite is any squat with weight over your head.

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?
I had a goal of always trying to place in the top 3 in the box for all my work outs. While I can’t say I accomplished this in every WOD it did result in me pushing myself further than I would have otherwise pushed. My current goal is to improve my double unders so I no longer have to scale any WODs.

8. What makes CrossFit different from other fitness programs that you might have tried in the past?
I like the structure of CF. I enjoy having a work out programmed for me and having the experience of the coaches going over technique and making sure we are working safely and effectively.

9. What impact has CrossFit Benedictus had on your life, in and out of the gym?
CF has greatly helped me work through my long-term side effects of Covid that I have been battling since 2020. This has had a profound improvement on my quality of life. CF has also helped me deal with lingering back issues from a snow boarding accident back in 2017. The targeted strengthening of my back has allowed me to not only improve my lifts in the gym but also improve my day-to-day life.

10. Tell us about your nutrition and how it has changed, if any, since starting CrossFit?
Since starting CF I have been encouraged to take my nutrition more seriously and I have committed to cutting out heavily processed foods and sugars. I also have tried long fasts to help my body repair.

11. If you could write a WOD for the classes to do, what would it look like?
It would be a 21, 15, 9, with different movements. Round of 21 would be pullups and 155 lb deadfift. Round of 15 is chest to bar pull ups and wall balls and the round of 9 would be muscle ups and 30” box jumps with a 15 min cap.

12. What advice do you have for others about the importance of the dedication of taking care of yourself, of investing in yourself?
I find your motivation for investing in yourself becomes much more meaningful when you have others in mind for your reason to better yourself. I find my motivation and dedication comes from thinking of my family. How can I expect them to better themselves and to dedicate themselves to delayed gratification if I quite or take the easy way out. So, my advice is to find someone in your life that you would be willing to improve for. I also recommend learning to love the process that allows you to attain your goals. Don’t chase the feeling of accomplishment. Learn to love the process that allowed you to get the accomplishment and let the feeling of accomplishment be the side effect.

13. What advice would you give to someone new to CrossFit or who is thinking about giving it a try?
CF is a great example of delayed gratification. It is an investment. It could take 3 months, 6 months or in some cases years before you start seeing significant results. Trust the system, trust the program, lean on the people in the box who have been your shoes before and stick it out. You are guaranteed results if you keep up with it.

14. Open Forum:
CrossFit Benedictus has been an amazing community who genuinely care about each other. I have never had a bad experience with the personnel and I can say with great confidence that the people running the organization are the most thoughtful and caring people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting both inside and outside the box. My personal experience with them have shown me that I am more than just a guy working out at their facility. They care about our wellbeing and have given more to this community than we could ever ask for and for that they all have my eternal thanks and prayers.