Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do outside the gym?
I’ve been living in Andersonville with my then-girlfriend-now-wife for almost 5 years, and in Chicago overall since 2009. You can usually find me riding my bike around the neighborhood getting wherever I need to go, even when it’s freezing out. I’ve been working up in Rogers Park at S&C Electric for over a decade and I’m definitely known as one of the “bike people” there. I play as much golf as I reasonably can (thanks for all the tips, Ozzie!), have season tickets to the Chicago Fire, and spend a lot of time walking my 75-pound pit/lab/husky named Popeye.
What initially got you into training, and what keeps you coming back?
I injured my back during the pandemic, and recovery took a really long time. As things were getting better and I needed to restart weight training, I had a lot of concerns about reinjuring myself so I decided to find a gym where I’d get good direction and feel confident in building strength while minimizing injury risk. Enter: Hardware
What are your fitness goals? How close are you to reaching them?
Truly and honestly, functional fitness. Have enough core strength and flexibility to stay active and avoid injury. I don’t see this as a journey with a destination, but instead continuous improvement and maintenance. I’m miles beyond the capabilities I had when I started at Hardware, and in a few years, I look forward to saying the same thing about today.
What’s an accomplishment or goal you’ve reached at Hardware that makes you the most proud?
I’d not done a lot of barbell work in my life before I joined Hardware, and my back injury was definitely instigated by – if not directly caused by – poor form on a deadlift back in 2020. Getting confidence in and successfully completing heavier deadlifts is my biggest breakthrough at Hardware. Oh and completing a full Murph. That was awful. Wow. So much running.
Favorite WOD/movement?
I like big lifts with the bar, so power cleans and snatches are a lot of fun for me. And as I’ve built upper body and core strength at Hardware, anything on the rig.
Least favorite WOD/movement?
Burpees over the bar. Why. Why must you make me go all the way to the floor just to get back up and jump over something.
Any advice for someone interested in trying out Hardware?
Do the hard thing you’ve not done before. That can be as simple as completing your first Workout, as complex as mimicking some ridiculous lift that Owen does, or anything in between. Ask for help along the way and you’ll make great friends.