TUESDAY
Here’s an athlete profile on JM Jackson! JM has been at Thor Fitness for quite some time and no matter how busy he is in his life, he makes the time to get his workouts in. He always tells me how CrossFit has not only changed him physically but it’s definitely a stress reliever as well. He’s one of my bff’s and is a super dedicated CrossFitter. Thank you, Kristie, for letting JM get his workouts in even after the birth of your new baby girl!!
Where do you live?
Currently, I live in Farmingville with my wife Kristie, and my three children Kelan (5), Travis (2), and Kamryn (3wks).
What brought you to Thor Fitness?
I love competition and pushing myself. When I was in college, I played Ice Hockey and was a member of the Swimming & Diving Teams (after a broken hand shortened my junior hockey season), so I’ve always been conditioned for sport-specific training. Since college, it’s been difficult to find those types of physical outlets. I tried the conventional training approaches but they never stuck. I have to thank James Metzak for introducing me to CrossFit two years ago. Having lost my father about a year prior, I was pretty lost (and 25 lbs heavier) so it was the perfect time for something new.
What were your goals? Have you achieved them?
My overall goal is just to be the best version of myself that I can be. Sure, like all of us I love the occasional PR, but I don’t get hung up on the weights so much and focus more on just making steady progress. I’ll set max lift goals when we work toward them but otherwise it’s just about moving forward. This is why anyone who knows me can attest to my frequent and often unprovoked meltdowns during my coaching seasons because it keeps me out of the box too much!
What do you do when you are not at the gym?
When I’m not at the gym I’m usually coaching two varsity sports or spending time with my family. My wife has been incredibly supportive of me during these past two years so I try to make sure my house is in order before heading to the gym.
What crossFit exercise or lifts are your favorite and least favorite?
I like the rower and double unders in wods. I rowed crew during grad school so it’s a skillset that’s in my wheelhouse. As for the DU’s, I sucked at them when I first started so I just worked at it after wods for a few weeks and they started to come together. I also like pistols and HSPU’s although I’m not very good at the latter. My favorite lift is power/squat cleans. My least favorite is probably anything involving the snatch. My shoulders are messed up from hockey so it’s been a challenge but I’ve gotten better along the way.
Any other tid bit info…
I think one of my favorite things about CrossFit is that you can lose yourself in it. I’ve joked with friends that when my fingers lock around the bar, I instantly feel better no matter what is going in my life. Everything else seems to fade away. Get your friends into CrossFit if you can because everyone has something in their lives that weighs heavily on them. Ironically, lifting heavy things makes them easier to deal with.
I love these athlete profiles!!! Who is next??!! Don’t be shy. Let me know if you want to do a profile, please!!
As you know we have our holiday party coming up on Saturday, December 13th at The Grill Room in Hauppauge. The cost is $35 per person for open bar and appetizers. If you want to come and pay per drink, you can do that too. I have a sheet started on a pad on the whiteboard. I need a head count of who is coming regardless of open bar or not. I have to let the owner know how many are coming a week before the party. The restaurant will be closed down for us. Last year we had a great time. I hope to see you all!
And don’t forget this Saturday we’re bringing back the weightlifting/oly class on Saturdays at 10 am with Santiago. He will have something different programmed every Saturday. Classes will include weigthlifting, olympic lifting and skills.
STRENGTH:
Back squats
5 x 3
CrossFit WOD:
EMOTM x 18
Odd min: 15 double unders
Even minutes: 3 bear complex 115#/85# RX+ 135#/115#
1 bear complex = power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push jerk
LEVEL 1:
EMOTM X 18
Odd min: 30 singles
Even min: 2 bear complex 85#/55#
EXTRA CREDIT:
Tabata abmat situps 8 sets for a total number of situps