Name: Richard Ramshaw
Hometown: York, UK (England)
Age: 51
Occupation: Financial Controller at Schlumberger
When did you first start doing CrossFit?: Following my work relocation from the UK to Katy I was looking for a new sport and my good friends Gary and Hazel recommended I try CrossFit, they had recently joined CF Katy. So at the age of 47 I started Crossfit.
When did you first start training at CrossFit Katy?: I joined CFK in November 2017
What class do you generally attend (morning/afternoon)? For the first 18 months I attended the 6:30 PM class, it wasn’t ideal but meant I could train around my work schedule. I met some lovely people who I’m still friends with today. I then moved to the 6 AM class which is my home now, great coaches/ people and camaraderie, love it.
Favorite WOD: I love double unders now, during the COVID lockdown I taught myself DU’s and now I love them.
Least Favorite WOD: anything containing overhead squats (squat snatch) either with a barbell or dumbbell, I struggle with shoulder mobility, but I’m working on it…
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: From my teens to early 30’s I played soccer for local teams in the UK. When I hit my 30’s I wanted to try something else so I turned to triathlon where I really enjoyed the multi events/ training aspect of the sport, at the age of 40 I completed my one and only (so far) Ironman. I then focussed more on running, joining a local running club which like CFK had a friendly community spirit, completing several marathons in my 40’s.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD... My very first WOD was at CFK on a Saturday morning, it was a partner WOD of Walls Balls, Box Jumps and Run. I remember the first time I was introduced to a barbell (never ever done any lifting before in my life), Mike got a 45Ib bar and added two ten pound weights and said let’s see what you’ve got, turns out it was very little, from then on I trained with the 15lb trainer bars.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I started CFK in November 2017 off the back of running in the London Marathon that April. Anybody who has done any distance running knows this takes all upper body muscle away, runners don’t tend to do much upper body strength work. Since then my overall functional fitness and body shape has improved significantly over my years at CFK. With all the different movements in CrossFit it is important to stretch and really work on your mobility, this is something I’ve really focussed on over the past 12 months.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced since starting CrossFit? I’m now obsessed with Crossfit. I'm not happy if I miss a WOD. Fortunately during the COVID lockdown I managed to set up a small gym in my garage, which was very useful during those 2020 lockdowns.
Name one goal you have reached since joining CFK and one goal you want to achieve: Having never done any crossfit before joining CFK I have achieved so many goals both through my strength and lifting plus gymnastic skills. In the future I’d love to be able to do a handstand walk and butterfly pull ups.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFK moments: When I finally managed to do a reasonable weight on a squat snatch, it wasn’t heavy but it was a big moment for me.
Any advice for people just getting started? You need to be patient and committed, if you haven’t done crossfit before it takes time to learn all the movements whilst building your functional fitness and strength.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? I enjoy cycling, I cycle most weekends with Mike Trevino from the gym around the Fulsher area. If I hadn’t joined CFK I wouldn’t have met Mike and got back into cycling so that’s another positive.
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