Darian is that classic Crossfit member who's employment gets in the way of us seeing them more. That doesn't stop Darian training the way we believe as due to his understanding of the benefits of Crossfit he is eager to fit the workouts into his week when away from CFTT.
Darian to date with us has only 82 attendances in 16month but due to the benefits we now have of members being able to complete the programming outside of our facility Darian should continue to progress. We have been able to work with Darian at times outside the box to give him inspiration to compete and complete the workouts members do on a daily basis.
He is also living proof of what Crossfit originally was designed for and that is armed personnel. Darians work in the Army could mean at anyone time he needs to prepare for the unknown, at CFTT that is what every member trains for. Its functional, high intensity and constantly varied. The programme therefore does not only make the office worker fit for everyday life but also Armed personnel.
Darian again shows the diverse people we are blessed with in the box which is why we love what we do.
Age: 32 years young
Occupation: Royal Engineer, British Army
When did you start at CFTT? October 2018
Sports / Fitness background?
Been in the Military for just over 13 years, so before Crossfit I had already done a lot of physically and mentally challenging activity, as well as events. Football has always been my sport which has seen me represent the army, as well as Sunday / Saturday league football since 13years old. Like most I have taken part in a lot of running, circuit training, interval training, as well as your standard weights programme in the gym, however Crossfit has increased my overall level of fitness with the the way workouts are designed and the varied nature of the programming
Why did you choose CFTT?
My first experience at Crossfit Hartlepool came to an end when I had to relocate to Hetton le Hole and I was definitely wanting to continue using a CrossFit gym. After trial sessions elsewhere I felt the atmosphere of CFTT was the closest I had found to CrossFit Hartlepool. I loved the whole vibe of the gym, the members and coach relationship grew on me the more I attended. It was love at first site from my first trial session from coaches to members :-)
The facilities available to me and the timetable are great, credit to everyone involved.
Favourite Crossfit Benchmark WOD?
I find Murph the most mentally and physically challenging due to the high volume of reps, especially pull ups, which is something I have struggled with in the past until recently.
I recently performed Chris Kyle in the box, which was 160 Burpees and a 2000m Row and I surprised myself with how well I performed and achieved a time of 20 minutes 14 seconds. Weirdly found it enjoyable and found a very good maintenance pace for both exercises.
I love the fact that I complete a workout that shows my respect to fallen heroes who have served their country.
What kind of progress have you made over the past year?
In the past year I have noticed a significant improvement in my cardiovascular endurance, which has proven very beneficial to military physical training and routine. I have found physical exercise a lot less arduous and believe in my own ability a lot more.
One thing I am particularly impressed with is my ability to perform Burpees, strict pull ups, kipping toes to bar, kipping pull ups and my press-ups. My ability to perform these foundation movements has shown with my performances and scores in WODs over the weekends, whether it be individually or in team and partner workouts.
What the biggest misconception about CrossFit?
A lot of people think the lifting with people with limited training experience is a bad mix and I've seen the comments about injury risk. Clearly an injury or muscle soreness is going to occur if you've gone from training on an elliptical trainer, to throwing a barbell over your head doing a power snatch, but the lifting technique and coaching is absolutely superb and you get the opportunity to build strength and other fitness components.
Another misconception is how difficult the workouts can appear on the whiteboard. There could only 2/3 movements, low reps and a small time cap, but it is unbelievable the energy you exert and the feeling of fatigue hits home when you've completed the workout in the quickest time.
Advice for someone looking to start CrossFit?
A lot of people simply do not give CrossFit the time of day with some saying its too hard but its that simple "you'll never know until you try it"
If you're looking to lose weight, improve your endurance, feel more body confidence, seeking variation and be surrounded by like-minded people who are trying to achieve the same as you - go for it and give it a try.
Don't be phased by other people lifting heavier weights or performing exercises you've never seen before. The coaches will scale the workout and provide different movements to match your ability, you will get the same out of the workout as what everyone else will.
What's next? What are your goals for the future?
My goals for 2020 are to remain consistent with my training and nutrition, which means keeping on top of the programming, maintaining the percentages of my lifting to make sure I am hitting the correct weights with the correct lifts.
I would like to be able to perform at least 10 strict pull-ups and get them comfortably into double figures, as the pull ups ties nicely hand in hand with the current military fitness tests. The strict pull ups will provide a good base and foundation for a lot of other gymnastics further down the line, as well as my biggest goal of muscle ups eventually.
My Olympic lifting is a huge weakness of mine, which is something I need to encompass more in my training and not just conduct workouts that I am comfortable with coaches call this "cherry picking". Not only that, but to maintain and improve my cardiovascular endurance for a good engine for longer individual or partner WODs.
A personal goal for me is to compete on a regular basis for experience and exposure of competition and to see where my fitness levels are and to see where I need to improve both physically and mentally.