ATHLETE PROFILE:
Name: Lezlie Reeves
Hometown: Grew up in Magee, Mississippi & have lived in the Katy area for 13 years
Age: 37
Occupation: Co-Owner of Crossfit Katy, Owner of Family Table
When did you first start CrossFitting? June of 2009
When did you first start training at CrossFit Katy? Besides a few travel wods here and there, I have trained at Crossfit Katy
What class do you generally attend (morning/afternoon)? 8:30/9:30am
Favorite WOD:
I love a heavy EMOM of cleans or deadlifts and tall box jumps. Throw in Chest to bar pull-ups or Handstand Push-ups and I’m a happy camper.
Least Favorite WOD:
Either 13.3 > 150 wallballs, 90 double unders, 30 muscle ups or 15.5 > 27-21-15-19 Thrusters, Row for Cals
Tell us about you sports & fitness background:
I cheered in high school and played some bad tennis. As an adult, I rode the fitness roller coaster. I’d get excited about a program but couldn’t stick with anything longer than 3 months. Then I would pay some big box gym my membership for 6 more months before I tried something new which would only last a few months.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?
My husband, Drew, started at Crossfit Katy in the park with Neal in March. I was skeptical (I don’t like fads) so it took me a while to buy in. I don’t remember my first workout. I do remember my stomach being in knots before I pulled into the gym on Provencial (back when we didn’t know what the wod would be) and being very sore from all the movements that were new to me.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?
My body has gone through a lot of change over 7 years. My goal shifted from wanting to be skinny to focusing on being strong and performing well. I’ve gained a good amount of lean muscle mass (10-15 pounds) and lost fat. I had not touched a barbell before meeting Neal at CFK. I now love lifting and while I’ve learned a lot of new skills my strength gains are what I’m most proud of.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?
Crossfit Katy has changed my life. I learned about whole foods and the concept of food as fuel. While I am physically much stronger than I was 7 years ago, I am also mentally stronger and more confident than I was before. Fitness has become a non negotiable part of our lives.
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 didn’t really have performance goals before Crossfit…everything was about the scale. My most impressive accomplishment was hitting 300# on my deadlift. I always want to be stronger so my next big (lifetime) goal is to complete a bodyweight snatch which means I need to add 20# to my current max. I’m also chasing a ring muscle up. I’m aware that both of these take consistent practice and work outside of class time.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFK moments:
7 years at Crossfit Katy…I can’t come up with a favorite moment. My favorite is the people….traveling to competitions, Regionals, the Games…everyone cheering one another to be better during the Open…the marriage proposals…the babies…rallying around the Sausers…We aren’t perfect. There are times we are all a little too “me” centered. But allowing people to be people and encouraging one another to be the best they can be…that’s my favorite.
Any advice for people just getting started?
Everyday bring your best. Stop looking around at what everyone else is doing and simply give what you have to give that day. Some days you’ll come in ready to take on the world. Some days your success will just be that you showed up. Be consistent, work hard, ask for feedback when you need it, get your nutrition in line. Set small goals and big goals, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
I love spending time with my family – Drew and our 3 kids – and friends. We are active in church at Second Baptist’s 1463 campus. I also recently launched a new business – the Family Table – where my goal is to help others get healthy meals to their busy families.
ATHLETE PROFILE:
Name: Drew Reeves
Hometown: Slidell, Louisiana
Age: 38
Occupation: Landman, co-owner of CrossFit Katy
When did you first start CrossFitting? March of 2009
When did you first start training at CrossFit Katy? March of 2009
What class do you generally attend (morning/afternoon)? 5:00 a.m., #earlyriser.
Favorite WOD:
Anything short with moderate weight (Grace) or longer grinders with a body weight component (Murph). I like cleans and pressing better than squatting.
Least Favorite WOD:
Anything with heavy squatting or lots of wallballs. I’m not a fan of Kelly or Karen.
Tell us about you sports & fitness background:
I played recreational soccer growing up. In junior high I wasn’t overly athletic and enjoyed playing video games. When I started high school my mom told me I wasn’t going home every day while she was at work to sit on the couch so I had to pick a sport. I tried football my freshman year, I was short, stocky and slow so they stuck me on the offensive line. I think I ran the 40 in 6.7 seconds. I hated it so I did baseball in the spring, and kept playing rec soccer in the fall and spring. The running and a growth spurt changed me into a skinny kid going into my sophomore year. I played soccer the next year and then that spring went out for football again. Being tall, skinny, a soccer player and the brother of the varsity kicker they said go be a kicker. I played one season of Division III football as the kicker at Rhodes College in Memphis and then transferred to Southern Miss. I sporadically attended the rec center and played every intramural sport a frat boy could play. After getting married my wife and I dabbled in running and we had on-again-off-again relationships with big box gyms, with little to no real goals or motivation.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?
I was jogging regularly with a buddy, about 2-3 miles in the mornings a few times a week. He started talking to a group of us about this new workout stuff he had seen online and wanted some of us to try it out. He and I went out to Cinco high one day and he brought some dumbbells and we did some version of a 400 meter run with push-ups and dumbbell presses. A few weeks later he told me he and his wife had won an auction for free one month memberships to a guy running these workouts in a park and I should come check it out. My wife had just finished doing a bootcamp and enjoyed it so I figured I would give something new a try to keep up with her. Turned out it was Neal running CrossFit Katy out of the back of his Tahoe in our neighborhood park. I can’t remember the first workout other than it had four or five rounds and each one had 200 single jump ropes. I couldn’t string together very many singles and when I did I was taxed. I quit after three rounds and I was worn out.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?
I have seen a ton of changes over the 7 years. Initially I didn’t change anything about my diet and weight just dropped off of me. I went from a soft 185-190 pounds to a very lean 150 lbs. In the early years diet was not much of a focus for me. I soon realized I needed to dial in my diet if I wanted to perform better and increase strength. I tried various diets and have settled in on a modified diet plan that works for me incorporating clean eating, little to no gluten and trying to stay within certain macro levels. I have put back on the 30-35 pounds I lost and now stay between 180-190 pounds which is a good weight for me to perform well in longer workouts but also be able to move fairly heavy weight. My strength numbers have all increased substantially since I started and I am consistently improving my workout times. I am in the best shape of my life. I look forward to working out, pushing my limits and improving where I can when I can.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?
I love the workouts and what it has done for my overall health, but more than that it is the people that you meet and the shared experiences with those people that I never expected to gain when I joined. I never expected to like working out in a group class, moreover I never expected to make lifelong friendships in a gym. CrossFit has been a place for me to meet and get to know people I would have never had an opportunity to meet had I not joined. It has also changed the way Lezlie and I look at health and fitness for us and our children. It has been an activity we enjoy doing together and sharing (most of the time, ). So I guess overall, I didn’t expect it to have such a big impact on relationships the way it has for me.
Name one goal you have reached since joining CFK and goals you want to achieve (example: deadlift/squat/press ___ pounds; do a pullup; do a WOD RX’d, etc.):
The biggest achievements/goals I can remember are:
– have been getting double unders down, it took me three years to be able to actually string more than a few together and successfully do them in a workout.
– Muscle ups in an Open workout two years ago. .
– I just recently did Fran in under 5 minutes which was a long time goal as well.
– Hitting 430# on a deadlift and power cleaning 250#.
Goals I would like to achieve . . . .
– Continuing to CrossFit 4-5 times a week as long as I can and continuing to improve strength and endurance;
– Mastering butterfly pull-ups;
– 200 lb overhead squat;
– 250 lb clean & jerk;
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFK moments:
There are a ton, some of the most memorable are watching:
– Sectionals at Camp Mabry, the early days of the CrossFit Games when we were watching everyday people come out and compete to make it to the Games.
– Attending Regionals 2014 when CrossFit Katy made it to the Games in 2014;
– Going to the CrossFit Games to watch CrossFit Katy, knowing how much time and effort they had put in to get there.
– Most of all I enjoy seeing everyday people in the gym at any given moment just pushing themselves beyond limits they thought possible while others support and cheer them on.
Any advice for people just getting started?
Keep the big picture in mind every day you walk in the gym. Don’t get too high and don’t get too low. Celebrate your successes and learn from your mistakes. Listen to the coaches and those that have been there for a long time. Constantly set new goals and work towards them. Diet matters. Record your workouts and lifts. Get more out of it than just a workout, take time to meet who you are working out with each day.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
I love spending time with my wife and our three kids. We enjoy traveling, exploring the outdoors, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, biking, kayaking, etc. We enjoy attending our church Second Baptist where we volunteer in the children’s ministry and I serve as a deacon. I also enjoy watching football and baseball. Specifically the New Orleans Saints, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, the LSU Tigers and Houston Astros.
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