Name: Jeff Neal
Age: 44
Occupation: Financial Controller at Siemens
Previous workout/exercise history before starting Cross Fit? Growing up in Lexington, KY, I was the typical jock. I played Baseball, Football and Basketball. My High School team was state runner-ups my sophomore year in football, and we won the State Championship my senior year in baseball. After college, I primarily ran and lifted weights. In 1999, I did two sprint triathlons and continued the running/weight training routine through out my 30’s. And that was what it was, a ROUTINE. Monotonous!!! In 2011, I started running again and got my wife into it as well. While she enjoyed it and continued progressing in her mileage, I still found it very boring. As I am a big military history buff, I saw an advertisement for the Civilian Military Combine, an obstacle course race through a ski resort in the Pocono Mountains. That is what I wanted to do next. The race began with an eight minute Cross Fit Pit and transitioned into a 5.5 mile obstacle course race. I finished in over 2:15 minutes. Not great, but I finished! The Cross Fit aspect, however, seemed to fit for me. Functional workouts that vary. Never boring!
CrossFitting Since: March 2013. January 2014 with CrossFit Sting.
How did you learn about Cross Fit Sting? I looked at a few places in the Cumming/Alpharetta area near work and home. One location was more focused on tri-athletes/runners (not the direction I wanted to head), and the other seemed to have rather testosterone-filled management. No Pain, No Gain is not the right mantra for attracting “intelligent” athletes. Luckily, I found Cross Fit Sting on an internet search, and everyone seemed like normal people. In talking with Danielle and her vision for the training, I was sold! (I remember our conversation clearly! We don’t ever want to cater to just one type of athlete. Our programming stays true to CrossFit and it is working for everyone. Also, everyone deserves the same attention regardless of their abilities and fitness level and we hope that you continue to feel this way Jeff.)
Was it love at first WOD? My first WOD ever was…”This is going to suck!” Then, it became…it will always suck, but it will suck less. The workouts remind me of football drills and the camaraderie of being on a team. You do not get that at a typical gym. Now, it is part of my weekly routine, and it is great to see everyone each day. (I think many people have a love hate relationship with CrossFit, it’s what keeps us all coming back. It sucks but it is short and sweet, you get a huge sense of accomplishment so you want to do it all over again.)
Favorite WOD or movements? Kettlebell Swings are my favorite movements. I think this is because of baseball. While not completely the same, it reminds me of being on the on-deck circle with the donut on my bat. Just feels right. I still need to progress on the strength side, but the KB swings are great for an overall exercise.
Least favorite WOD or Movements? Without a doubt, the overhead squat. While I am progressing, the movement is rather unnatural for me, and something I need to work on. During my weight training before Cross Fit, bench presses, squats and curls were the standard exercises, but what was missing was the balance aspect of the Olympic lifts. Flexibility is key, and clearly, something I need to work on.
Favorite Cross Fit Sting moment? My favorite Cross Fit moment was representing CF Sting at the Festivus games! In preparation the week of the event, I had never really focused on improving my rowing time or had even documented a PR for the Power Clean. I managed a 3:45 for the 500M row and 185 for the Power Clean the week before the event. Going into the competition, my expectation was to simply do my best. Well, I did the 500M row in 3:32, and PR’d my power clean at 195. It was not pretty, but I got it up! What I remember most was the cheering from the crowd, especially when doing the fifth WOD of Thrusters and Squats. It was really inspiring with all the cheering going on for all the athletes competing. (It was a great day! Heartbreaking finish for you as you just missed the podium. So many of our athletes competed for that first day. Your wife was cheering you on, looking somewhat horrified, but promised that day to give us a try for a week….now she’s a member too!)
Why do you Cross Fit? Health and Honor. Simply put I was working way too much and not focusing on my health. I needed to get a better work-life balance and get control of my health and diet. As I stated before, Cross Fit is varied and focused on variation. This just made sense to me.
Honor – Both my Grandfathers served in the Pacific during WWII. My uncle earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam, and my father is a Marine and former police officer who retired as an Assistant Police Chief.
I was fortunate to not have to serve in the military, but truly respect my family members as well as the other members of the military and law enforcement who have served our country.
When you go into any Cross Fit around the country, you typically see a US Flag and Armed Forces Flag. This is the honor and respect for which I believe in.
Tell us something new about you that we don’t already know? I have had a very fortunate life. Sports have always been a major part of my life, and I had the opportunity to play with some great players growing up while traveling the US on summer baseball teams. My claim to fame was that I hit a Home Run in Shea Stadium while on a trip to Boston and New York during the summer of 1987. It was one lucky hit, but it got out just over the 335 sign!
Professionally, I have worked for Siemens over 15 years and have lived and worked in Cincinnati, Chicago, Germany, Pittsburgh and now Atlanta twice. In my last position in Pittsburgh, I had the opportunity to travel to China, Brazil, Germany and India to support our factories with benchmark costing and financial analysis improvements.
In the words of Joe Walsh, Life has been Good to Me…. (Love your attitude and the presence you have in the gym. Cheering people on and pushing through. We are happy that you found and us and more importantly choose us for your health and honor!)