Before starting Crossfit, Zack never thought of himself as an “athlete.” He didn’t grow up playing sports and was never focused on health and fitness. Through high school and college, he gradually put on weight and picked up other bad habits, including a pack-a-day smoking addiction. After college, he decided to make a change. “I didn’t want to be a person who came home from work and just plopped down in front of a TV,” he said. He cleaned up his diet and started working out — losing over 50 pounds in the process — but something didn’t feel right. “It was like I was on a hamster wheel, trying to keep going so that I wouldn’t slide backwards and re-gain weight, but also never really moving forward.” Almost four years ago, he jumped off the hamster wheel and into Crossfit. “I loved that it was about doing things, not just looking a certain way — I finally started to think of myself as an ‘athlete’ and take pride in what I could do physically.” His favorite accomplishments include learning to squat below parallel, getting his first muscle up, and finally mastering double unders. After moving to Philly and dropping in at several gyms, he came to Thermal because he liked the community, the coaching, and the programming. He has continued to make progress and set new PRs over the past year, including his first handstand pushup (after years of struggling) and his first 400+ deadlift. His advice for anyone on their own fitness journey: “Find something you enjoy, but make sure it challenges you. You have to have fun, otherwise you won’t stick with it. But if you don’t hate it at least a fraction of the time, you’re probably not pushing yourself.”

1K Row Buy in

Then, 5 rounds for time

11 Dead lifts (205/135)

21 Double Unders

w/ 5 Sit-ups OTM

Cash Out

For Time

30 Cal Bike