During my program last year in AmeriCorps, I found a program that changed my life known as Crossfit.
As someone who has had experience with a mental health condition, I have noticed that working out has provided a healthy escape for me. I would even venture to say that Crossfit prevented some depressive and manic episodes. One Crossfit instructor, Jeffrey Jenkins, has written a plethora of articles and conducted workshops on the intersections of health and exercise.
His commitment to excellence and understanding of mental health conditions has provided another outlet and support system for me and I am confident it will be for others as well. In an interview that I had with him recently, he talked to me about a unique Crossfit Gym called Humble Beast that he opened to inspire others to have fun while getting fit.
RIZZARR INTERVIEW
1. Tell us a little bit more about your background. What about your experiences have allowed you to pursue a career in fitness?
I grew up a martial artist, Taekwondo to be exact, and I was naturally (and forcefully), tall and skinny. I was always active, I participated in 12 varsity sports throughout my high schools days and I continued to compete internationally in competition Taekwondo throughout college. It wasn’t until college that I started “lifting weights.” Once I graduated, and finished my competition career at a staggering 23 years of age, someone at a local fitness center I was attending mentioned the term CrossFit to me. The rest you could say is history.
2. Why did you decide to create your own Crossfit gym?
I never thought or wanted to own my own CrossFit gym, I just wanted to be able to program and teach a certain way. I was finding it more and more difficult to break the common CrossFit norm in the sense of programming. Finding spaces that would allow for my style of programming and ultimately trying to all of these aspects in a city so restricted by its infrastructure, led me to venture for my own setting to do so.
3. Why did you name your Crossfit gym humble beast? What exactly does that mean and imply?
The name Humble Beast came from a very dear of mine, an individual who brought me into his church and has been a great influence in my life. My wife and I had been struggling with naming the gym, and every affiliate we would come up with, was taken. When my friend, and soon to be head coach Jonathan Morgan asked me the name of our gym and we responded, “We don’t know, got any recommendations?” He immediately responded with “Humble Beast.” Not to replicate the Christian hip-hop label humble beast records, but rather to epitomize two almost opposite words, being humble and a beast, how is it possible? And there is the beauty in the name, remaining humble, while potentially being viewed as a beast? Or even, viewing yourself to some extent as a beast. It is a constant reminder that humility should come before the beast.
4. There are many critics of Crossfit who say that it is a dangerous sport. Do you believe they have valid points? What would you say to people who will not join a Crossfit gym because of those pre-conceived notions?
The paradigm behind CrossFit being bad for you, or dangerous comes from the popularity and availability of CrossFit. Like anything with limited restriction for entrance into the field, it will be populated by a wide domain of interpretations. CrossFit by definition is constantly varied, functional movement, delivered through relative intensity. It is NOT; push yourself until you pass out.
5. What about your programming makes you unique and can potentially prevent injury? Do you believe that your Masters in Mobility can provide an even more educational experience for your clients?
Thanks to my M.S in human Movement strength and conditioning and exercise psychology, I have had the ability to study the differences between strength training and conditioning with a focus on guiding and teaching proper movement mechanics to individuals as they are applied to the programmed training. This allows for two things. Number 1: A well designed training program. And, number 2: A safer delivery of movement lowing the risk of injury.
6 .What is your end goal for this gym? What do you want your clients gain from this Crossfit gym?
My ultimate goal is for my clients to be able to take what they have learned, go somewhere else, and reteach it. Since I only have access to a certain amount of clients in our humble space, it is the quality of teaching that will prompt and enable our clients to further teach others, and that is my reward.
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