How long have you been doing CrossFit? What are your favorite things about the sport?

I’ve been doing CrossFit since May of 2013, so almost 4 years now. My favorite things about the sport are the variety and constant evolution. Just when you get good at something they make a new, harder version or introduce a new movement you need to work on, and that keeps training interesting every day.

How many times have you competed in the CrossFit Regionals in the past?

This will be my second time at regionals, last year I went with the Balance team and I’m even more pumped to go back again this year.

What are your goals for the CrossFit Regionals this year?

My goals for the CrossFit regional this year are to stay consistent throughout the entire weekend.

Our team is so solid when we are all on our game I want to be able to say I did everything I could to help the team finish as high as possible.

What are you most looking forward to for the CrossFit Regionals? What are you most nervous about?

I’m most looking forward to the atmosphere at the regional, its really cool to be competing with a group of people that push your ability every workout. Its really cool when you crush a workout together and get to share the excitement. I’m most nervous about whatever the strength event is.

How has your training been going so far? How many hours a day do you usually spend training?

Training has been going great, really just working on getting healthy and tightening up my skill work and learning to work well as a teammate. I average 2.5-3 hours of training a day but that includes warming up and transitions between workouts. Some days will be longer and some shorter depending on how my body is feeling.

What does a typical day of training look like for you? A typical week?

A typical day of training includes stretching out and warming up for about 15 minutes, then some strength work, then usually 2-3 metcons followed by some skill and a little mobility if I have time. That’s pretty consistent for 7 days a week with the exception of Thursday where I usually just do 1 metcon and then an hour of skill and mobility work.

How often do you train with the rest of the CrossFit Balance team, versus training on your own?

I train with Jon everyday, but as far as training with the whole team usually twice a week. We try and get together on Saturday and Sunday to work as an entire team.

How is it different training for the team competition than as an individual?

Team competition for me is much more fun, but also comes with a lot of pressure. It’s awesome when everyone is working well together and the team is doing well, but its super disappointing when you make a mistake that effects 6 people as opposed to just affecting yourself.

Are you doing anything different to prepare for the Regionals this year than in previous years?

I’m training smarter and listening to my body more, I don’t want to be over trained this year and would like to go into the weekend confident that I can take all the volume and recover quickly.

Was there anything that surprised you during the CrossFit Open this year? Are there specific kinds of workouts you’re expecting in Regionals this year?

I was surprised to see the dumbbell used in two different workouts. I am expecting a workout involving the Worm obviously, and a long team chipper as well as some fast partner and individual workouts.

Are you following a nutrition plan while you’re getting ready for Regionals? How do you change your nutrition in preparation for the competition?

I don’t have a specific nutrition plan I follow I basically eat the same thing everyday and mix it up on the weekends. For competition I like to make sure I don’t change my diet much because I don’t want to eat something different and have it affect how I feel or perform.

What does a day look like, food-wise? What’s your go-to healthy meal, either to make at home or eat on the go?

A day of food consists of:

Breakfast- 2 egg omelet with a glass of chocolate milk and a bowl of cheerios with whole milk

Snack- half a peanut butter sandwich, kashi bar, banana

Lunch- turkey sandwich, protein bar, peanut butter crackers, veggies, handful of almonds

Pre workout snack- yogurt, half peanut butter sandwich, protein bar, apple

Dinner- chicken breast with a side of brown rice and ground beef, protein shake, banana

How do you balance training for Regionals with everything else in your life? What do you like to do when you’re not training?

Balancing work and life with training makes for long days sometimes but its really just a matter of getting into the routine. Once I have my routine set it’s hard to break it. It also helps that I really enjoy training so I make sure to make time for it everyday even if it means sacrifices in my social life.

When I’m not training I like to do anything outside or active, and sometimes a couple hours on the couch watching a TV show or a game is the best recovery. Also sleep – I love sleep.

What’s something you wish more people knew about CrossFit/CrossFit competitions/etc.?

I wish they knew how cool the community is, and how great people are to each other in and out of the box.