1. What was life like before you became a member?
Before joining the keystone CrossFit community, I had no structured exercise, fitness, or movement regimen. I had no sense of community. I would buy tons of work-out gimmick shit, home gyms, a Tonal (Nat still gives me shit about this almost on a daily basis so if anyone wants to buy it, please hit me up!) and never use it, and it was very discouraging. It made me feel like I was weak mentally and couldn’t finish anything. I was getting rounder and weaker every month, and it was taking a toll on me mentally.
2. At the time you enrolled, were you already exercising? What was your previous background in fitness?
I was one of the fitness kids in high school in weightlifting in general, and this precipitously changed in college, and then even more in med school where I literally ate ice cream cake covered in maple syrup for breakfast every morning and Chinese buffet every night. and then WAY more when I became a dad three years ago. I had lost 80 pounds towards the end of medical school but quickly found about 70 of them shortly thereafter.
3. What originally prompted you to seek us out?
Dad bods are only cool for so long, then it just gets exhausting not being able to walk up steps without getting short of breath. I wanted to feel good in my body again and have the youthful, athletic feeling as I moved about my day. I knew I needed some sort of structure because the whole self-directed fitness thing has failed me time after time. (also, the real answer to what prompted me to come to keystone was my friend and neighbor Laureen Sheypuk, she made me!)
4. What was your goal when you originally signed up?
I just wanted to feel good again. I wanted to feel good about my body, feel good about sticking to something and accomplishing something.
5. What have you liked best about working with us?
The community for sure. That’s what keeps me coming back every week. I feel like I’m missing out on something when I’m not there! In reality I know I’m just missing out on a bunch of pain and sweat and suffering, but I love it, and I love doing it with my 6pm group! I love having the Coaches keeping me on track and encouraging me. I love working out with my wife Natalie, of whose fitness journey I am proud beyond words.
6. What are you most proud of achieving since you started?
The fact that I’m still going! 3 days a week for about 16 months now is a big accomplishment for me. I would have given up by now and resigned to a life of obesity and joint pain if it wasn’t for the community (and for Natalie making me).
7. With everything that you have accomplished, has your view of yourself changed?
Yes, I am reminded that I can do hard things, and that there is value in continuing to do hard things, and that growth comes from doing hard things. for the last several years since graduating school I have been missing the growth mindset and the joy of working towards a goal that i had experienced with school for so many years, and I’m so happy to have found it again with this lifelong fitness journey through CrossFit!
8. What would you say to anyone else who might be dealing with any similar struggles you did?
Just fucking do it! (can I say fuck in this?) there is always an excuse not to join or not to come or not to push yourself, life happens but fitness needs to be a constant. Fitness and life is truly a matter of suffer now on your own terms or suffer later on life’s terms.
9. Do you have any special moments/memories?
I remember how accomplished I felt when I received a postcard in the mail from one of the coaches after my first RX’d workout last year, I remember so many PRs that I never could have imagined accomplishing prior to joining. My favorite memory is of one of the 2025 CrossFit open workouts, I had to stay after a 6pm class to finish it at the last minute and it was just me but a bunch of outstanding individuals from my class stayed behind for almost an hour to help me finish and cheer me on and it truly made me perform so much better than I would have without them. To this day I feel like that was my strongest workout and I know it was because of those guys pushing me and staying late with me and I’m so grateful for that.
10. What is your favorite movement/lift?
Ski erg and deadlift!
