CrossFit Kalamazoo FEATURED ATHLETE January 2019 |
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Matthew Olk is on deck this month as our featured CFK Athlete! |
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CFK Featured Athlete: Matthew Olk Age: 27 Occupation: General Manager Date Started CFK: August 21, 2017 In general, what is your athletic background? I played soccer in high school. How did you learn about CrossFit Kalamazoo? I had heard about it through friends and seeing posts online. I’ll be honest, I was super nervous to try it because I didn’t think I was “fit enough” but boy was I wrong! The only thing I regret about CrossFit is not starting sooner! How has CrossFit Kalamazoo changed your life, lifestyle, and level of fitness? CrossFit is something that I am very passionate about! It has completely changed my life. I eat better, I am stronger, I am happier, I have more energy, and I have met some of the most AMAZING people. CrossFit has changed my lifestyle just by making me realize the importance of staying active and eating well. It has totally changed my level of fitness! When I started CrossFit, I was 180lbs. and around 23-25% body fat. Now, I stay around 175lbs. and am between 10-12% body fat! It wasn’t easy, but once you get it, you really GET it! It becomes an addiction. Seeing the changes in my body has been so amazing, I never EVER thought I could be this fit, but most importantly healthy!
List short/long term goals you would like to accomplish through CrossFit Kalamazoo:
Short term goals- Strict bar muscle up, Complete “Kalsu” workout Rx, be the best coach I can be.
Long term goals- Improve my bar gymnastics, squat snatch 200lbs, 8-10% body fat, place top 3 in an RX competition
What do you like most about CrossFit Kalamazoo? 10000% the people! I have met some super amazingly awesome people and have built relationships that I will carry with me wherever I go in life! These people have changed my life! <3 |
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What advice would you give someone thinking about starting CrossFit Kalamazoo? You’re probably feeling intimidated at first and that may be what is keeping you from starting, but don’t be! When I first started I almost turned around and didn’t go into the gym because I was so nervous. Now, I look back and laugh. Just give it a shot and let it change your life. EVERYONE is here to help and motivate you to be the best you that you can be! What is your favorite CrossFit movement? Omg, so hard to choose just one! A couple favorites are cleans, snatches, thrusters and any gymnastics movements (muscle-ups, HSPU, burpees etc.) What is your least favorite CrossFit movement? Hmmmm, I would say the movement that I could improve upon the most is my back squat, I should be squatting more I feel like. I don’t really have a “least favorite”. What are you currently doing to try to improve your diet? I live about a 95% paleo lifestyle (with the exception of a drink or cheat meal here and there. Balance is important). I didn’t kind of get off track in December with graduating and the holidays but will be resetting with my second round of Whole30 in January! Favorite movie: Lol, Titanic!
Favorite and/or current book: Any of the Harry Potter books!
Favorite music genre/artist: Blue October. In general, I like alternative rock and rap. Achievements you’d like to highlight within your life: First generation college graduate as of December 2018, woot woot!
List a few things we don’t know about you: I have a 7.5 year old American bulldog/pit-bull, but she’s pretty much a human! I grew up on a farm. I collect sea glass as a hobby. I love to cook.
In 10 words or less, what does CF mean to you? Constantly varied, functional movements at high intensity with AMAZING PEOPLE!
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WE ARE JUST ORDINARY PEOPLE DOING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS! |
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Foundational Movements of CrossFit Intro to the Burpee! "The burpee is a mainstay movement in CrossFit used to develop fitness. In certain populations, the burpee (prone to stand) is a critical skill required to safely lower one's body to the ground and stand back up." - CrossFit "Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans" - National Council of Aging Burpees are a full body workout and they help you gain strength in the entire body. With each repetition, you will work your arms, chest, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core. With some volume accumulation, burpees will have your arms and legs shaking and feeling like wet noodles. Burpees significantly differ from isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep extensions as they train the whole body as one kinetic chain. Burpees will also help improve your conditioning and respiratory endurance quickly for those with either body composition or basic performance goals. CFK Athletes have a love/hate relationship with the burpees as they add intensity to the workout of the day! |
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Make 2019 About You! CFK On-Ramp Class - 6 Week Session Have you started on your New Year's "get back into shape" resolution yet? If not, CrossFit Kalamazoo has a program and coaches to help you succeed in meeting your goal. The first step is to start with our On-Ramp Class! Contrary to popular belief, anyone can do CrossFit. You don't have to be fit to start. No matter how old you are, or your current level of fitness, we are ready to help you make a life change! All you need is a desire to improve your fitness and health! Our On-Ramp classes are programmed to ease you in to CrossFit and will eliminate any intimidation about getting started! The On-Ramp Classes (2 weeks) are bundled with an unlimited monthly membership (4 weeks). The On-Ramp portion includes 5 classes scheduled with a Coach over a two week period. Once you complete the 5 On-Ramp Classes, you'll advance on to our regular classes and have 4 weeks of unlimited membership! The On-Ramp Class is programmed to teach new Athletes the basic fundamentals of CrossFit. We'll go over nutrition, stretches, gymnastic/body weight exercises, metabolic conditioning, Olympic Lifts and Power Lifts. The flow of the class involves mostly coaching, is similar to a regular workout and is scaled so our new Athletes can master the movements in a smaller group setting before joining the larger class. Our On-Ramp Rate is $200! This breaks down to only ~$8 a class (5 On-Ramp Classes and estimate attending 20 classes during the unlimited 4 week period after On-Ramp). Please call 269.251.1677 to schedule a start date! |
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Try A Class - 1 on 1 with a Coach! Our "Try A Class" is designed specifically to introduce you to the basics of CrossFit Kalamazoo and will include a short WOD (work out of the day). It's designed to give you an overview of CrossFit Kalamazoo, will give you a feel of our class format and provides a good workout! Your "Try A Class" can be scheduled with a Coach on: - Monday - Thursday: 5pm, 6pm, 7pm
- Friday: 5pm, 6PM
- Saturday: 10AM
This is a great opportunity to try out a workout at our facility, meet the Coaches, and visit with our CFK community! Each class is 1 hour long. The cost to join this class is $10 (limited to newbies to CrossFit and does not apply to experienced CrossFitters dropping in). When you sign up for our On-Ramp class, the $10 intro fee will be applied to the cost of the On-Ramp class. Reservations are required so please call or text 269-251-1677 or send an email to crossfitkalamazoo@gmail.com to reserve a spot. Since class starts on the hour, please arrive 15 minutes early to check in, complete a waiver and stretch. You can also register, prepay and complete the waiver on-line. |
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