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Michael Shelby – April 2020 Member of the Month!

Congratulations to Michael Shelby for being our April 2020 member of the month! He is a loyal, long-time member of our 8:45am class (now our 9am Home WOD class), and he loves heavy metal, improv comedy, and he’s VERY well known for his costumes and outfits both in and out of the gym (He’s also made the CrossFit mainsite for his kid pose recreation photo, shown below!). Keep reading to learn more about him, and enjoy the bonus video at the end!

Michael Shelby - April 2020 Member of the Month

Michael Shelby - April 2020 Member of the Month

1) What are your hobbies/interests/talents outside of CrossFit?
a. Hacking Computers and building/fixing computers
b. Performing Improv
c. Axe and Knife throwing
d. Traveling around the planet with my wife
e. Rock Climbing, Riding Motorcycles Fast – anything that allows me to “live on the edge”
f. Metal and Hard Rock Concerts.
g. Cooking and eating weird foods. #polypig

2) Share with us one thing that most people do NOT know about you?
a. I am a hopeless introvert. But hide behind shield of humor out in public. Public will prefer a court jester to a wallflower. Humor comes naturally to me. Public performances exhausts me, but I love doing them.

3) How long have you been with us at CFR?
a. If I am alive in Oct/Nov 2020 it will be 11 years for me. So I am working through my 10+ years here at CFR.

4) Take us back to your first week here. How did you feel? Remember the workout?
a. Honestly no. Can’t recall. I think it was thrusters and burpees and running. I almost died. Except that I didn’t. And felt great and exhilarated afterwards, albeit very very sore.

5) What moment/achievement are you most proud of at CFR?
a. Muscle-up! Took me a decade. But I got it. (Note to self – MU’s are easier at lighter body weight!)

6) Design your perfect workout?
a. Rowing/Squats/KB’s (no running, no burpees, no muscle-ups!)

7) What is your least favorite movement?
a. Burpees. BY FAR! Thrusters and Airdyne are not far behind.

8) Summarize your lifestyle in 5 words or less.
a. Life is not a rehearsal.

9) Have you experienced any changes in your lifestyle now that you have been a CrossFit athlete?
a. I have become a LOT more consistent with my morning routine of AA meeting + CrossFit WOD 5 days a week. I could barely manage 2-3 times a week when I started. Heavier lifts and faster WOD times have taken second place to the mental benefits of consistent daily morning routine of hard work. Energy of the body that is able to function (without napping) and clarity/acuity of the mind that kicks in after a hard WOD cannot be replaced by coffee or anything else for me. Since the only chemical that enters my body is caffeine (no booze, no drugs for over 20 years) – There is simply no substitute for CrossFit in the morning for me. I don’t fire on all cylinders without it.

10) What advice do you have for anyone who is thinking about joining or who has recently joined?
a. Start where you are at. With consistency and ability to stay coachable – you WILL improve. Don’t cherry-pick WODs. Scale what you need to scale to avoid injury. Connect with your group. Have fun. Your body can do a LOT more than your head thinks it can do. Push yourself. Everything you want in life lies just a few steps outside your comfort zone. If you continue and do what you’ve always done, then you will continue to get the same outcome that you always got. Push yourself beyond what you think you can do, and your outcomes will become different. Murph won’t kill you. You are neither too old (I started CrossFit at 45) nor too young. Just start. Then stick with it. Consistency+ Daily Effort beats Occasional Super Effort….

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