Matt refused to be outdone by wife and former Athlete of the Month, Kari. So he made a strong push and ran a hard fought campaign to ring in the New Year having secured the nomination of CFE’s January Athlete of the Month!
Actually that’s not what happened at all. The coaching team decided to nominate Matt because aside from being the nicest person we’ve ever met, he’s also super dedicated to putting in the work to achieve his goals.
The funny thing is that when Matt first came to CFE he was weary of joining because he feared his work life wouldn’t allow for him to consistently attend class. But within a matter of weeks he was making it in at least 5 days a week. Now we can’t keep him out of here. And it’s because of that consistency and hard work that Matt has been able to scratch so many goals off his list. Next up will be his elusive ring muscle up! Congrats, Matt and thanks for sharing!
Profession: I’m a Hospitalist at an acute rehab hospital, which means that I take care of the medical aspects of patients’ care while they are receiving intensive physical, occupational, or speech therapy after a significant injury.
Athletic background: Previously I was in the Army and was introduced to CrossFit by a great guy in my program in 2009. I first started dabbling with the website, then joined a CrossFit gym in Virginia with my wife. I was consistently inconsistent, meaning that I wasn’t able to squeeze Crossfit into my routine while juggling work and family, which is why I still am a newbie after all this time. This continued until I joined CrossFit Epping, and the gym was the right place for me to transition towards consistency.
What is CrossFit to you? CrossFit to me is more than just 
constantly varied, high intensity functional movements. It’s hard to explain, but the closest I can explain it is similar to the process Aristotle described about Eudaemonia, where you are working towards doing the right thing and living the right way, both physically and mentally.
Why CFE? The coaches and community are excellent. One of the barriers for me being more consistent with CrossFit was my prewod jitters. The sound of 3-2-1 gets my adrenaline up without me even moving, and after a stressful day at work, it was easy to ditch going to the gym and head home instead. The welcoming atmosphere at CFE was helpful to beat that inertia, and I look forward to class even when I am humbled by the workouts. What I love after a trip to the pain cave is the shared sense of accomplishment with the other people in the class. There are people from all walks of life in class, and the community grows closer through these shared painful experiences. I have a lot of the gym equipment at home, and it’s not comparable to the experience in class.
What inspires/motivates you to continue? There’s a saying that if a woodsman had only 5 minutes to chop down a tree, he would spend the first 2 minutes sharpening his axe. CrossFit is a big part of that sharpening process for my life. I notice I have more patience with my kids, sleep better, and think more clearly at work.
Advice for someone hesitant to try: There’s a misconception that to do CrossFit, you have to be super athletic already and be able to handle fire breather workouts. In reality, we are all learning and it is a process with people at different stages. The key with CFE is that the coaches are great at helping you wherever you are.
Proudest achievement: It’s not the handstand push up, bar muscle up or weights I never thought I would be able to lift. For me, showing up is the key with CrossFit, and this was my biggest challenge previously, so I am most proud about just making it to class consistently.
Greatest challenge/weakness: picking the bar up in a workout when I’m gassed.
Goals: Definitely a ring muscle up.
If you could design one workout: Partner WOD, rope climbs and rowing (a little R+R)
Special interests: Skiing, golf, orchids
constantly varied, high intensity functional movements. It’s hard to explain, but the closest I can explain it is similar to the process Aristotle described about Eudaemonia, where you are working towards doing the right thing and living the right way, both physically and mentally.