The Parkers

Name: Jonathan Parker

Hometown: Carol Stream, IL

Age: 31

Occupation: Controls Engineer

When did you first start CrossFitting?: August 2013

When did you first start training at CrossFit Katy?: August 2013

What class do you generally attend (morning/afternoon)?
5:30AM Crossfit, 6:00 AM Burn, 6:30PM Crossfit

Favorite WOD: Anything Squats, except Overhead, and a lot of people will not believe me, but I like Burpees, now.

Least Favorite WOD: Anything Running and/or Pullups

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:
I was a geek in High School, tried out for the Tennis Team, didn’t get in. In college, I gained the Freshman 30, started biking and running, lost 60lbs by the end of Sophomore Year. Being a boy scout, I started a minor in Kinesiology, just in case engineering didn’t pan out. Although I never finished it, I’ve always wanted to get my personal trainer license, as that was my area of study. After college, I just fell off from working out and eating right.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?
I have my brother to thank for that. After my 30th birthday, I saw a picture of me, and I looked huge, I never thought I was that big, until I weighed myself, 265 lbs, the heaviest I had ever been. I had heard of CrossFit from around the web, the bad stuff, and was iffy about it. My brother told me I should just try it. Emailed Neal, and came in around late August 2013. All I remember from that first WOD is that it had running and how slow and tired I felt after the first 400m warm-up run.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?
Since joining CrossFit, I have lost 63lbs, I see muscle where I didn’t have, mainly my Quads. Although, I didn’t have a baseline of blood pressure, Heartrate, & body fat before I started, I do know now my blood pressure is typically around 100/70, resting HR is around 55-70, body fat is now down to 23.8%

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?
I didn’t think I would find a sport that I really love, next to Football, and want to participate as much as I could. Also, the family environment at our box and other boxes I have visited on my travels, just goes to show you, how much people care about you and your health.

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.):
Goal I have reached, is getting down to my Wedding Weight. Goal I want to achieve, so many to pick from, but I want to get my Front Squat in the 300 club.

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFK moments:
The in house competitions, even though, I do not place well, it is always a fun day. Also, the Christmas parties and gift exchanges, always a blast.

Any advice for people just getting started?
Leave your ego at the door, and if you hesitant to join, believe me, it may seem hard at first, but you will get the hang of it, and your body will thank you for doing it.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
I said I was a geek, so I am a big table top game enthusiast like Cards Against Humanity, Bananagrams, Ticket to Ride to name a few. And I am a huge movie buff, old and new. I also like Football and Fantasy Football, GO TEXANS! And I love to cook and bake, I have been known to make candy out of beer and ice cream, which may or may not be made with beer.

Name: Frances Parker

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Age: 34

Occupation: Systems Analyst

When did you first start CrossFitting?: August 2013

When did you first start training at CrossFit Katy?: October 2013

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What class do you generally attend (morning/afternoon)? 6:00AM Burn, 5:30 AM Crossfit

Favorite WOD: Deadlifts, front squats, and I actually don’t mind burpees.

Least Favorite WOD: Anything with pull-ups and running

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:
In high school I was into racket sports and played on the varsity tennis team my junior and senior year as a doubles player. I continued to play tennis for leisure in college and would visit my college recreation center on to work out, but not regularly.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?
I gained 33 pounds over the course of five years after my wedding in 2008 and continually felt lethargic on top of feeling unhappy with all the weight I put on. I looked at holiday photos one year and couldn’t recognize myself. I knew I had to change something. My husband heard about Crossfit from his brother, and I searched online to see what it was about, and honestly it seemed intimidating. However, I do get bored running on treadmills and we did try a bootcamp with a workout regime that didn’t stick, so I was willing to give Crossfit a try. My husband emailed Neal and we showed up for our first WOD. All I remember is that I felt so slow and out of breath while running and that was only after the warm-up run. There was something else with box jumps and I used a 12” box. I barely got through that WOD.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?
Since joining CrossFit, I have lost 20lbs, and I have increased my endurance. I’ve also cleaned up my eating habits, and I like that CrossFit Katy provides information sessions on nutrition. I don’t feel so out of breath while running. From my first 5k in March 2014 to last Thanksgiving’s 5k I shaved off 5 minutes from my running time. I can actually do sets of toes to bars when I could barely do scaled leg lifts when I started.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?
When I have to travel carrying luggage doesn’t seem as difficult as it did a couple years back before starting Crossfit. Carrying groceries, moving around heavy objects at home, and climbing stairs doesn’t make me feel out-of-breath like it did before. I had a theatre outing with friends and parked the car with 8 minutes before the show started. I ran all the flights of stairs including the ones from the parking garage and made it to my seat on time. Nowadays I feel like I have more energy during the day, and I generally don’t have to rely on caffeine or sugar to keep me going.

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 was surprised to be able to deadlift 205 lbs (3 rep max). I PR’d my push press recently at 95 lbs. I’d like to do a strict pull up and learn how to kip. My favorite class is burn class and to eventually do a WOD Rx’d in that class would be an accomplishment for me.

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFK moments:
It was a strength and training class with front squats. It was an increasing EMOM, and I was the last one standing and everyone cheered me to keep going. It was a good feeling to do better than I expected and have my 5:30am-ers cheer me on.

Any advice for people just getting started?
You’ll want to quit and probably feel terrible after the first WOD, but keep at it. What I mean by “terrible” is that you’ll ache, have soreness, and feel in over your head, but that’s just an obstacle you can overcome. Don’t worry about the number on the weight scale. It’s frustrating to see the number not move for weeks or months. Keep track of the number that goes up with your PR’s and measure your progress with that. You will make gains if you keep at it.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
Photography, arts and crafts, board games, and yoga.

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