You are hereAthlete Spotlight: Michael Arnold
Athlete Spotlight: Michael Arnold
Michael with Coach Mini
Happy Birthday, Michael! Yesterday Mr. Arnold celebrated his 52nd birthday and accomplished his first WOD as Rx'd! Michael found out about CrossFit from his friend and fellow CrossFitter Dirt Diva (http://trailgirl.blogspot.com/) and joined CFO via a Community Day Workout. Congratulations Michael on your first, and certainly not last, Rx'd WOD-- we look forward to many more PRs in the coming days!
How did you find out about CrossFit? Post your first encounters to comments.
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Let me be the first to congratulate you Mr. Arnold! Well done!
Mr. Minium - found it on the internet. A Google search on defining fitness. Followed CFO on the internet from your Broadway days.
I got kicked out of my last gym. Cried. Consulted google, I belive I did the search: "bodyweight and Oakland and exercise." Found Crossfit. Begged MJ to come with me. She did! (MJ is a good friend!)
Congrats, Michael. Here's to many more WODs as Rx'd!
I found Crossfit because a friend of mine in New York couldn't shut up about it.
By the way, if anyone is looking for inspiration in improving their 4x400 times, here's a video of Hicham El Guerrouj setting the world record in the mile - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvCsj7eJKKA
3:43.13...damn...
I had a friend that always looks for quirky new things on the internet. She introduced me to kettle bells and crossfit. Although she never came to the gym, I joined when I found out other firefighters were going. My motivation to work out was at an all time low so xfit's high intensity, short duration workouts were perfect. I believe the workout had deadlifts and rope climbs, the rest I can't remember. I do remember "fight gone bad" that first week and Candace telling me later that my score was pretty sad :)
Great job Michael! I will be looking for the first muscle-up :)
Butch at Suigetsukan Dojo introduced CrossFit to Sam L. back in 2005. He got me into it, and I intoduced Nicole O. to the concept. We then met Mike and Jim at CFO Mark 1 in 06. So without Sam there would be no CFO (in it's present form) and no CFEB, so thank him when you see him!
Mr. Arnold....it was great seeing you quietly working hard today. I wish I could shut up and concentrate on what I was doing in the gym as much as you do. And I saw you getting real close on your handstands on the box the other day...keep up the good work.
I found CFO by googling "oakland and berkeley and firefighter workouts." I was still up in Sun Valley Idaho and getting ready to make the big move back down here and also very ready for all the life changes that would accompany it, and I couldn't be happier.
Congratulations, Michael, that's a really big deal! I was waiting on Annie at Pizzaiolo and we began talking about exercise, I told her I'm crazy when it comes to working out and she said she was, too. I asked her what she did and realized I wanted to be that kind of crazy. So, a year later, here I am. Gotta love it.
Happy Birthday Michael.
In my dedication to the study of sword and sorcery and all things apocalyptic, I ran across the Gym Jones training video for 300.
I read about Mark Twight's gym, found out about Crossfit, and went to San Francisco to train with Kelly and Adrian. They have no noon class so I crossed the bridge.
Michael - Congrats on the workout my fellow Aquarian :).
I found out about CFO from Tamara, who raved about it all of the time - ESPECIALLY because the workouts were so short :). I was the type of person that would be at the gym for 2-3 hours, fighting other's who wanted to use the machines and freeweights. I had dropped in a few times early last year and liked the workouts, but it took me a while to finally commit. I finally started CFO in late September '07 and have not been back to the gym since then.
hey michael, you were in my group for the community workout- i can't believe how much better you are now, and that was just a short time ago. it's really great.
how i found crossfit: so allen currano had been trying to get me to do xfit for awhile.. i was like, whatever, the workouts are too short and i already run for an hour and i climb, i don't need it, it sounds gimmicky.
then i took a spill off a rock and pulverized my ankle, and allen told me again. i was like, dude what am i going to do when the workout involves squats or running? but i crutched in to see mike and nicole anyways, thinking it would just be good till i got my cast off.
and now i can't imagine life without it.
In 2000 I was training Jiu-jitsu at a school where BJ Penn had trained. The guy had just won the world championships (first American at that) and he was in better shape than anyone I knew. He would roll through a whole room of fighters tapping them all out and was never breathing hard enough to open his mouth. He said Crossfit was his workout so I gave it a try. My first work out was Tabata sprints with some pull-up thruster medley. I was pathetic and puked a little in my mouth.
and... Happy Birthday Michael. Glad you found us.
Thanks for the support everyone. What a great group! Looking forward to continued workouts with you all.
Congratulations, Michael. I hope to meet you soon.
I found Crossfit by reading a marketing blog post that pointed to the somewhat famous and alarmist NYT article in which Coach Glassman says something like "If you're afraid of breaking your neck doing handstand push ups we don't want you in our ranks." That was enough for me.
I was woefully out of shape, suffering from the classic white-collar ailments and thoroughly disenchanted with "traditional" workouts. I'd tried to start spinning and doing stuff with those pilates balls, but that was just too lame.
My first two workouts were pretty much the warm up--I could do two consecutive pull ups and maybe 15 push ups. On day three, I nearly killed myself with a heavily modified Linda and afterward went shopping with my wife. I had to stop and rest at regular intervals as we made our way through the stores.
I did CF alone for 8 months, sharing results online with a friend in Vermont. Finally I went to CFO when it was at the karate school, and the coaching and community got me completely hooked.
Now I've got a friend from high school and my 64-year-old father into it. Even though I've had to take an extended break these past three months, I can't imagine not exercising this way.
nice work michael. congratulations.
i found crossfit when a good friend of mine started telling me about her son-in-law (christopher) who joined some strange gym in emeryville with insane workouts. sounded good to me.
Chad got Scott and I to go to the san francisco crossfit and I did fight gone bad and l almost died. i have no idea how i got convinced to show up at the oakland crossfit, but i did, and then i got converted and began to proselytize.
Congratulations Michael! These inspirational performances are most welcome...
Met this woman at a breakfast w friends and asked her what she did for a workout (she had just had a baby and looked pretty hot)... Anyway, she told me she did Crossfit w her husband (who happens to be Dave C from HQ). Looked it up when I got home - totally hooked. Thanks Sage wherever you are!
years ago i was keeping up with a buddy of mine through his online journal. he started another one that was dedicated to crossfit. his results were amazing, but i thought he was crazy. it took me a few years, but eventually i realized crazy was exactly what i needed.
While on a business trip in Santa Cruz, I was introduced to Eva Twardokens. We worked out. Then I met Mike at Mavericks, wearing a fetching smurf-like hat. I knew it had to be part of something bigger. The rest is history.