ATHLETE PROFILE
Name: Keith Garvin
Hometown: Bryan, TX
Age: 46
Occupation: Television News Anchor/Reporter
When did you first start CrossFitting? June 2015
When did you first start training at CrossFit Katy? June 2015
What class do you generally attend (morning/afternoon)? Morning, 9:30 a.m.
Favorite WOD/Exercises: Ball over shoulder, deadlifts, & sit ups
Least Favorite WOD: Anything above the shoulders, especially thrusters (they were invented by the devil himself I’m sure).
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I played football in college at the University of Nevada & I was a runner for about 7 years before starting CrossFit.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? My first day was June 9, 2015. We did bench press, then a WOD with a 1000 meter row, kettlebell swings, & burpees. Leah was my coach and she was super helpful and encouraging so I made it through that day in decent shape. It was the next three months that almost killed me. After I started attending on a regular basis I found myself looking for the manliest way to quit…everyday. I just couldn’t see putting myself through that much pain for the long haul. But a few months down the line we did almost the exact same WOD as that first one on 6/9/15 and I actually saw a good amount of progress. After that day something clicked and I was hooked.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I’ve gained about 12 pounds of muscle while cutting my body fat percentage to 10.3% at last check. The 46 year old Keith isn’t faster or stronger than the 20 year old Keith in college but CrossFit has made 46 year old Keith a better version than 20 year old Keith.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? For one, my faith is very important to me and I see a lot of parallels/applications in CrossFit. Also, for the seven years I was a runner I always trained & competed by myself. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about myself during that period but until I started CrossFit I didn’t realize how much I missed being part of a team. You obviously have to get through a WOD on your own, but to have coaches pulling for you and your classmates pulling for you & celebrating your gains is awesome. Life has its tough moments but we were designed to get through it together and CrossFit is a perfect reminder of that.
Name one goal you have reached since joining CFK and one goal you want to achieve (example: deadlift/squat/press ___ pounds; do a pullup; do a WOD RX’d, etc.): I can finally do double unders on a pretty consistent basis, including 40-50 in a row sometimes in a WOD. But as I’ve learned with everything else in CrossFit, you have to stay sharp and practice all your skills on a regular basis or you get rusty. I still have a ton of goals but one that sticks out is proper butterfly pullups.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFK moments: There were a couple of WODs in the Fall of 2016 where I looked on the board and I had some of the top times/reps of the day! I don’t know how that happened and there may have been a lot of people absent on those particular days but nevertheless I was happy to be close to the top!
Any advice for people just getting started? Stick with it. There will be times when you feel embarrassed, inadequate, weak, & extremely frustrated but realize you are improving, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Believe in yourself & your coaches and you will see progress.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? Serving at church, reading, Game of Thrones, chupacabra hunting
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