Your King of the Point for December is Bob Fiedler. Bob has been an athlete all his life! He holds an outstanding track record as a hammer and weight thrower. Bob is an integral part of our community. In 2019, he has led the CJP Open Nights - Flex Appeal team, ran the Ragnar Cape Cod race and placed 1st at the GetEastieFit Throwdown scaled division. We love seeing week after week his kind, humble and true spirit of an athlete. Thank you for trusting us and making us a part of your day. Congratulations Bob!
What brought you to East Boston?
We moved to Boston from upstate New York for Shannon's work. East Boston was where we landed and we haven't second guessed that decision since we moved here.
What drew you to CrossFit?
I've spent the majority of my life as a competitive athlete, with strength training as a major component to my training. Before moving to Boston, I struggled with staying on a regular schedule to a normal gym and my workouts suffered. When we moved to Eastie, I joined CJP to have a place geared towards making me more fit in general and reintroduce a competitive aspect to my exercise program.
What was your expectation on your first day at CJP? How has your perception changed since that day?
I was apprehensive about joining as the only CrossFit skills I had were weight lifting, and have really struggled in the past with my gymnastics and conditioning. After starting, I was pleased to find how quickly I progressed in the other disciplines. Though I still have much to work on, I am leaps ahead of where I was when I started.
What keeps you coming back to CJP?
The excellent programming and the encouraging coaches fuel drive for self improvement, and keep me coming back every day. The gym and the people from it was one of our major considerations when considering to buy a house, and ultimately one of the reasons why we are staying in East Boston.
What are some of the changes you have experienced in your physical appearance, strength and/or body composition. How have you used this outside of the gym?
I am at the peak of my overall physical fitness. Though I may have been stronger in my olympic lifting as a collegiate athlete, I lacked the level of conditioning and all the gymnastics skills that I have now. I've used these skills to compete in the Battle of the Beasts CrossFit competition with a coworker, and competed in an open track meet this past spring.
Biggest improvements/struggles with CrossFit?I've improved (and struggled) the most in gymnastics since Starting CrossFit. I could barely do a single pullup when I started, but now can proficiently do them through a whole workout.
If you could create your own WOD, what movements would you use?
I would include hang power cleans, toes to bar, and burpee box overs. Strength, gymnastics, and conditioning.
Meat head nickname (with explanation)?
Big Rig - Once while running in upstate New York, somebody yelled "Big Rig! That's what I'm talking about!" as I passed in front of their porch. I laughed for the next quarter mile. When I told the story to my friend the next day, the name stuck.
If you were to encourage someone on the fence of joining the CJP community, what would you say?Take the step towards self improvement, commit to going. Start at your own pace and listen to your body, but commit it to yourself. Half the battle to being a fitter you is just walking through the door regularly.
Big Rig - AMRAP 145 T2B
7 Hang Power Cleans
9 Burpee Box Overs
P: 135/95, 24"
F: 95/65, 24/20"W:
10 Ab mat sit-ups
10 KB Swings
10 Ab mat sit-ups
10 KB Swings
10 Step ups or 5 Burpees
Honestly, I was thinking it was going to be like the other CrossFit boxes I had been to before CJP. I thought I wasn’t going to last and that my first class was going to be a try out. I was surprised by how much commitment and effort the coaches put into each of us to make us better, a month try out turned out to be 3 years of continuous work. What started as a couple days a week turned out to be a life time commitment.
I was brought to CrossFit because of the functionality it provides for every challenge life versus just bodybuilding or power lifting. CrossFit forces you to break through mental barriers and past what you thought you physical or mental limit was.
We have something at CJP that I see and appreciate at every CrossFit gym I’ve ever vistied: a community of capable, caring judges and athletes of all shapes and sizes united under one goal of helping each other to get as fit as possible. That was my expectation when I showed up here on Day One (June 2015), and that perception hasn’t changed at all in the four years since.
