S06E133 BISON 15 - Sweaty Bars And CrossFit Smack Talk - Mike Szawaluk
Host Sam Rhee sits down with Mike Szawaluk @mike_szawaluk
to trace how a single 6 a.m. drop-in turns into years of training, better rankings, and a tight crew at CrossFit Bison.
Along the way, we get into rivalry, work life, nutrition, injuries, and why the community ends up being the reason you keep showing up.
• why CrossFit beats a traditional gym for variety, skills, and motivation
• climbing the in-gym rankings by targeting weaknesses and staying consistent
• friendly smack talk and the push that comes from training next to friends
• advice for new members: join the community first and let fitness follow
#crossfitcoach #CrossFitCommunity @CrossFitAffiliates #supportyourlocalbox #crossfitaffiliate #gymowner #HealthyLiving #GymLife #CrossFit #FitnessJourney #BotoxAndBurpees #podcast @botoxandburpeespodcast @crossfitbison @crossfit
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TRANSCRIPT
Sam Rhee (00:01.336)
Welcome to another episode of Botox and Burpees, the Bison 15. I have with me very special guest, Mike Zwalik. He is a four coming up on four year veteran at CrossFit Bison. one of the people that I think brings a smile to everyone's face. He always has a smile on his face. He always brings a smile to everyone else's face while he's at the gym. So gonna talk a little bit about his fitness journey, his background.
And maybe a little smack talk between him and Chase Ferrara who just was on a little bit earlier. and so thank you, Mike, for for guesting on the podcast.
Mike (00:41.208)
Appreciate it. Thanks for having me, Sam.
Sam Rhee (00:42.84)
Yeah. So talk to me about a little bit about your fitness journey. How did you get into CrossFit and and and get to CrossFit bison?
Mike (00:51.169)
Yeah. I probably got into it a pretty traditional way, I think, word of mouth. probably a story not many people know. two people got me into CrossFit. My dad, who is was a CrossFitter at CrossFit Bison back in twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen era. but the probably the real story of how I got into CrossFit was Julia Kelly.
a long time ago we grew up with each other. she mentioned I should do CrossFit because she does it. We were out at a New Year's Eve party in Hoboken and we didn't do any partying. We just talked about CrossFit. And then about, I don't know, four or five years later, I showed up to your class, I think, on a Wednesday at 6 a.m. on a random Wednesday and
She was there and she's like, my God, I can't believe like four or five years later you're you're coming into CrossFit bison and I said I would never do another six AM, but I have not stopped doing CrossFit since that six AM. yeah. So just word of mouth, tried it once and I've never stopped.
Sam Rhee (02:09.133)
That's crazy. So what is it about CrossFit that you like and why have you stuck with it then?
Mike (02:16.031)
I think I just the workouts are great. I'm not one of those people that can go to a regular gym and, you know, do curls and you know, for for for an hour and a half every day. I I just the community is great. I I think the workouts keep me in shape. I I like the you know, it's it's difficult. I I get to do a lot of things I never have done, like muscle ups and wall walks and handstand walks. It's fun. You don't get to do that at a regular gym. So
Dave does a great job with with the programming, even though I like to give him a little crap about it.
Sam Rhee (02:50.166)
That is true. I agree. He does a great job and people do give him a lot of crap regardless. so you started to like climb the rankings at Bison. I don't know how we'll talk a little about be about being competitive and so forth, but you are a hundred and fifth at Bison back when you started in twenty twenty three when the first time you took the open. You did the open, then you are fifty third, then thirty sixth, and now this past year
Mike (02:55.368)
Yeah.
Mike (03:02.79)
Sam Rhee (03:19.756)
You were thirtieth at CrossFit Bison. and so you're not quite where Chase Ferraro is, who's twenty-first, but you're starting to climb the ranks here. You're you're right, you're the people right around you, Angelo's twenty-eighth, Andrew G, Giancomilies twenty-ninth, you're thirtieth, and Scott Sweeney's thirty-one, Brendan Wriggler's thirty-two. So what is it that's getting you
Mike (03:23.779)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (03:47.736)
Fitter and fitter everywhere you're s where you're starting to get higher and higher here.
Mike (03:54.3)
Well, thank you for telling me my rankings over the years. I I didn't I didn't know that. I know I have to chase chase chase down a little bit. But I don't know. I think you just over the years you kind of get in a groove of what you're good at, you're what you're find what you're not good at and kind of try to get better at the stuff you're not good at. it takes a certain level of care about it. I think CrossFit is inevitable. It's pretty
Sam Rhee (03:56.098)
Yeah.
Mike (04:23.162)
You you start to care. You don't go to a gym like bison and not care about getting better and trying to be fitter and competing with with your friends and trying to be better than them in every workout. So I think it's just a natural progression of what CrossFit is for me. It's I don't think of it as a serious workout all the time. I think of it as like, well, Chase put up a number, he goes before me. I have to beat that. And that kind of just drives you to be a little bit better. pushes you a little harder, something to work for. so it's fun.
It's you know.
Sam Rhee (04:54.731)
Now Chase says that you and him are very good friends, which is great. and he said you've never beaten him and he and except for this year he said, Listen, I had a baby, so it's kind of a a wash this year, but he's gonna get right back into it. But he's like, This is yeah, forget it, Mike, it's never gonna happen. How do you feel about
Mike (05:15.793)
I think he's just making excuses. he's not the one having the baby. He's he still can go to the gym and work out. I think he's just setting himself up for February already. We're in August, he's just he's scared because I've beaten him in every single workout this summer. so I I think he I think he is scared. Like you said, I'm I'm climbing the ranks. him, Brian Miller, they need to be worried. They need to be scared.
Sam Rhee (05:26.733)
Ha ha.
Mike (05:43.886)
Yes, they are older than me. They I should be beating them, but this is gonna be the year that it finally happens. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (05:49.633)
Nice. I can't wait. I mean, Brian's twenty-fifth. Chase is tw Listen, that guy's sneaky consistent, like and his pacing is on point. The guy knows how to pace. Like, you know, he he's not a jackrabbit and he maintains and you know, it's the quiet guys. You gotta watch out for them, man. They're they got a lot of intestinal fortitude there. So
Mike (05:53.944)
I know. I don't know how.
Mike (05:58.808)
Yes.
Mike (06:14.126)
They do. They really do.
Sam Rhee (06:17.015)
Talk to me a little bit about your cro your fitness history. So what did you do growing up? how like fit were you? Like what were you doing when way before?
Mike (06:28.941)
Yeah. way before obviously grew up playing all of the sports. I come from a a four person four kid family. Everybody grew up playing sports. basketball and baseball were were my two. so high school, didn't play any sports in college, wanted to have the the real college feel for me. but baseball, basketball, you know, four years varsity on each. So it was pretty just your standard.
wake up, go to the gym, practice, go home for for all of high school on that. so I was pretty fit in high school. I think college was a little different for me. I I wanted to not play any sports, which is a little bit different of a route, I think, than than most people, but I I didn't play any sports. I play pickup here and there, but didn't really go to the gym and didn't do much in college. we'll say I studied a lot. We c we can do that. but then
Sam Rhee (07:24.887)
Yeah.
Mike (07:27.242)
After college, I got a job, started working, was really involved in that. I moved away to Arkansas for work, to work in a factory for the company I worked for. So a lot of life changes happened and I wound up two, three years later just not working out. And then I came home, I was not in shape, a little bit overweight, and then I
I started processing. So there's a big chunk of my life, maybe four or five years, that I just I didn't put any value into working out. And I think since twenty twenty two, that has kind of flipped on its head and it's a big part of my my daily life. I couldn't imagine not going to the gym every day. which is completely different than what what would have happened in say twenty twenty where I was doing nothing. So yeah.
Sam Rhee (08:06.061)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (08:21.485)
I have your stats from Glen Rock baseball actually. And you and it has twenty fourteen to twenty fifteen and then twenty fifteen to twenty sixteen. I guess twenty fifteen to twenty sixteen was your last year. You had you had a home run, you got hit by a pitch once, and you had eight RBIs. How was that season for you?
Mike (08:25.919)
boy. boy.
Mike (08:43.67)
That was a fun season. I wasn't a great hitter, so hitting that home run was fantastic. It was definitely a highlight. I was more of a defensive, you know, demon pitcher. hitting was not my I let everybody else hit. but that that season was a lot of fun. I know senior year, baseball, hitting a home run in in the final season. It doesn't get better than that, really.
Sam Rhee (09:09.655)
Pretty cool. And then for basketball, let's take a look here. You averaged eight point seven one points per game your senior year. So that's pretty solid, right?
Mike (09:23.367)
It's it's okay. it's not bad. I wish it was higher. I think everybody would agree with that. That played with me. They wish it was higher. But basketball was my my better sport, I'd say, even though the numbers don't do it. I was definitely better at basketball than than baseball. I still play a little basketball here and there. so I think
Sam Rhee (09:40.695)
How tall are you five eleven? Are you really five eleven? okay.
Mike (09:44.553)
You sure? No. No, five five nine, five ten, five nine and a half.
Sam Rhee (09:48.127)
Okay, 'cause it lists you at five eleven on the Glen Rock website. So nice. Okay. I was like, what? But you did win a thousand dollars for the Sid Dorfman Scholarship for accomplishments on and off the field. So it's sounds like what accomplishments did you have on and off like off the field that allowed you to win that scholarship?
Mike (09:53.502)
Yeah. Definitely not five eleven. I wish. I wish.
Mike (10:07.071)
Yeah.
Mike (10:14.834)
That's a great question. I did do a lot of like volunteer work, blood drives, food pantry, stuff like that. just documented throughout high school. I think my mom set me up pretty good for you need to start doing this, get on the the college resume and get into a good college. So you have to do a lot of this extra outside of school stuff, just to to show you're you're a valuable human being to society. so I think that was it, obviously.
I did win the the scholar athlete of the year in twenty twenty six or twenty sixteen. so that was definitely some bragging rights out of everybody in my senior class. a lot of upset football players and I won it. So definitely still holding on to that from ten years ago.
Sam Rhee (10:48.339)
Mm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (10:55.127)
Wow.
Sam Rhee (11:00.523)
Hm. Nice. Did you and Julia Kelly go to this same year or were you different cl wow. Wow. So she saw you as a BMOC at Glen Rock at the time. So you must you must have been very popular.
Mike (11:06.727)
Yeah. Yeah, same year. Graduated together. Yeah.
Mike (11:13.682)
Mm-hmm.
I I I like to think so. Some people may disagree with you, but that's that's up to them. But Julie and I were friends, yes.
Sam Rhee (11:18.413)
All right, can I have to Okay, cool. so you went to Penn State and now you work and I looked you up on LinkedIn. You are the and you can explain this to me because I'm not in business, Associate Innovation Planning Manager for Dove Liquids at Unilever. So straight off the left. Yes. So tell me, what what is it that you do for Dove Liquids at Unilever?
Mike (11:40.551)
Straight straight off the Lincoln. Yes. Yes.
Mike (11:46.919)
so right now I manage all of the new innovations that come out of Dove for Baduash. So I don't think it's a very niche, I I'll call it a very niche occupation. but all of all of Dove Liquid, all of Dove soap, we turn it over a lot. There's a lot of new products that we launch. so I essentially from the marketing side.
Sam Rhee (12:06.861)
Yeah.
Mike (12:16.385)
of an idea to the actual production side at the factory, I manage the end to end of getting that product from ideation to shelf. so if you see a dove body wash or any dove product that's on the shelf at any of your stores, very likely that me or my team had a touch in getting that there.
Sam Rhee (12:37.239)
Do you use DoveBody Wash? Okay.
Mike (12:39.118)
I do. Well, I'm a bar soap person, but I do I've recently started using it 'cause I get it all for free now, Sam. I I have the parks. I have you should see my closet. There's about three hundred body washes in there just sitting. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (12:46.124)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (12:51.349)
nice. You know, I think you should hand them out to some of the people at Bison. I think they could really use it. Like I won't say who, but I th no. I was just thinking though, in comparison to Chase, like I I had talked to Chase, and you know, he does welding, he's fabrication, he's working with steel and you know, building these ginormous contraptions that, you know
Mike (12:57.2)
Yeah. Are you sh call out. Chase is one, yes.
Sam Rhee (13:21.249)
And then you're w making body wash. So it's like it's amazing that the people you get to meet at Bison, you know, like the the contrast in terms of, you know, jobs. you know, I mean it really doesn't matter whether it's a very masculine job or a non masculine job. You guys are all in there competing and and doing the best that you can at Bison. I love that. So yeah.
Mike (13:45.816)
Yeah. Yeah, ch Chase is a real man's man. You could say that on I work at a desk on female body wash. So is a it's a little bit of a contrast, but hey, we're we're all we're all coming to the gym and there's there's no bounds there. We still fight.
Sam Rhee (14:01.185)
Yep. Absolutely. That's that's really important. Talking about how did now like you guys are very different, so w that's the thing that always blows me away about people who make friends at Bison. Like, how did you and you have a pretty tight group of friends at Bison now, including Chase, but how did you meet them? How do you guys hang out? Like, how does that happen?
Mike (14:23.362)
Yeah. I I I'm surprised myself that it's lasted this long. I mean, when I first went to the gym, I'm like, I'm by myself, I know nobody. and then you kind of just start talking to people because you know, when I started there was a seven fifteen or eight fifteen night class that I would take after work and there was like three or four people in there. I know Andrew Mainheart was one of them. so you know, you just start talking to them and then you kind of like, All right, if I'm coming to the gym, like
people to me have to be doing this. And then, you know, you start adjusting your time classes. You go to 615. You become a little bit of a cult at 615. and then you kind of you you just you kind of just start working out with each other and it's a natural thing. And then over the years, you're just like, wow, I this guy's just like me. So Chase, it's just like we we didn't like meet up for coffee one day. it happened over like six months where we're just like
All right, we like each other. We're gonna we're gonna start start hanging out, getting getting some beers after after class or on the weekends. And you know, it kind of just spirals like that, like Brian and and Hawk, Brendan McGrail, Nick Gulam, like everybody just kind of the same person. We all enjoy each other's company. and it it it's been pretty awesome to see how s like dying on the floor next to somebody can actually turn into a a lifelong friendship.
That you like I know Chase's wife and his baby and the new baby that's coming. And like I I would never have thought that I'd be in his life into that capacity. But it's pretty it's pretty crazy how a gym can bring people like us together, just wholly different backgrounds, just live in the same area. That's the only luck that we had. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (16:11.437)
That's crazy. now you are probably one of like two people so far that I've interviewed who are single. So if you don't mind, let me and one of them was Summer and Van Wickhouse, and she's like in college still. So so let me delve a little bit and you're out of college, you've been around, you know, you've been working for a while. Let me ask you a little bit about your social life and how does that work with CrossFit? Like
Does it do you try to date like within the gym? What's it like outside the gym? Like what it what do young people do these days for social experiences now?
Mike (16:45.751)
God.
that's a great question, Sam. Thank you for outing me as single. are you are you are you are you sink? Are you wanna you you wanna go on a date, Sam? Mean yeah. no, I I think I I probably would stay away from the gym because that's the place that I go to every day. it's kind of like work. I I'm like, I if if something were to come up, I'm like, this is this is the place where I can get away.
Sam Rhee (16:52.877)
I'm just trying to publicize. I'm trying to help you.
Mike (17:17.096)
So probably outside of I mean, it's it's tough out there sometimes. but there's a lot of good people at the gym, I'm sure. I as we know, there's a lot of people that meet each other at the gym and are married and have kids because of the gym. and people probably are dating in the gym right now. Maybe we don't know. but for me it's it's just social. You know, you go out, you have your group of friends, you you go explore bars and
Sam Rhee (17:30.274)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Sam Rhee (17:43.189)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mike (17:46.469)
See see what's out there. it's it's different now, I think. It's a little bit harder, but it's you just have fun with it and whatever happens kinda happens.
Sam Rhee (17:53.405)
Hm. Do you use do so have your friends at the I think they've tried to help set you up. I has that happened? And does that person that you meet is like is it important for that person to be a CrossFitter or or or be fitness oriented?
Mike (18:09.107)
Definitely not a CrossFitter. I know some CrossFit people can be a little crazy, myself included. So I'm like, maybe you don't have to be a CrossFitter. I don't think so. I think fitness is definitely part of it. I it's if it's part of it's it it would be what I would consider to be a shared interest at that point of some type of you know compatibility around fitness and a lifestyle choice that I think at my
my elder age of twenty seven, almost twenty eight, would be looking forward to in somebody to share that interest. yeah.
Sam Rhee (18:44.673)
I n that just gave me an idea. I think if there isn't a fitness dating app out there, like I think that should be created so that like minded people like you could find also fitter people out there. if that person happened to be a crossfitter and they were more fit than you and could like beat your friend time or deadlift more than you, like would that bother you at all?
Mike (18:52.445)
Yeah.
Mike (19:08.143)
No, no. definitely not. There are there are adult I'll call them adult women in this gym that have multiple children that kick my ass on a daily basis. So it is not something I'm unfamiliar with. so that would not bother me at all. If if anything, good for them. If they can I mean I have a I've I'm happy with my deadlift. If they can deadlift more than me, then then that would be really impressive.
Sam Rhee (19:34.477)
What is
Mike (19:35.265)
They're deadlifting like four hundred fifty pounds. That'd be great.
Sam Rhee (19:38.102)
Is you wait, you deadlift four hundred plus now? Nice. Wow, nice. Man, no, you really have gotten a lot stronger over the past couple of years. There's no doubt about that. so you comp a fair amount. Like I've seen you at the nine eight, you you know, I think are you have other things coming up maybe. So what is it about comps that you really like? Like why why why do you comp so much?
Mike (19:41.678)
Yeah, four hundred plus four four ten. Yeah. Yeah.
Mike (20:07.876)
I think I my first competition was with Sally. Shout out Sally. my my comp partner at nine eight. that one was a total out of the blue. Let's do this. I was not in shape. She was in much better shape than I was, still is, but I'm like, I I don't I can't do this. I I I I've been crossfitting for I at that point was less than a year. And then you kind of go to your first one.
Sam Rhee (20:12.769)
Yeah. Yeah.
Mike (20:36.729)
You see all the people there. it is intimidating a little bit because you're like, holy cow, there's like four hundred people here just to watch people work out. It's kind of odd. and then you're like, all right, well, we didn't do that great. I definitely think I could have done better. And then you do it again next year, and then next year, and then next year. So I think it's more of a at first it was a this is a fun thing. And then it's like it's the ego takes over a little bit.
even if you're doing scaled, I definitely get a lot of smack for doing scaled and and winning scaled, I I might add. But it it's just an ego thing. You're like, I can definitely like you look at somebody like I can do better than that. I can do better. Like and then you're just like find the next one. as long as you don't hurt yourself in the process, you kind of just want to find the the best competition. but coming up, no. I think I ran a half marathon in April.
That wasn't fun. I don't know if I'll do that again. I'm definitely not a runner. but I do have a busy back half of this year. A lot of weddings. All my friends are getting getting married. And like you said, you called me out for being single. So I I'll be going to those. but yeah, next year I think I'm gonna probably do a few more. We'll see. if anybody, maybe Chase will want to do another competition with me and we'll we'll do that, see what's see what's going on that way.
Sam Rhee (21:45.047)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (22:01.841)
I have noticed, and this is probably for the past two years of the bison bowl, which is our intramural in-house comp, y you have won or podium and every time I see you up there, I don't see a happier person than you. Like you literally are beaming with joy when you win. What is it about that that just gives you so much joy?
Mike (22:21.401)
Yeah.
Mike (22:27.481)
It's such a great question, Sam. I think to my own detriment a little bit, I've created this about myself where people just don't I mean, we we're all friends, everybody we're everybody likes each other. They just don't want to see me win. Nobody wants to see me win. And bison bowl is the perfect example of this where I've done it now four years and I've podiumed or won every single year.
Sam Rhee (22:49.899)
Yeah.
Mike (22:57.506)
So I they just they they doubt me. They doubt my ability, my team skills. Whoever's on my team, I guarantee you won't say a bad word. We we are a cohesive unit. We work together very well, whoever it might be. nobody in the gym. I could call out a few people, but I won't. they know who they are. They just don't want to see me win. Just like yesterday at the amazing race. We had the only team that wasn't a formal team, first year, Dan Coda.
Sam Rhee (23:00.556)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (23:20.258)
Yes.
Mike (23:27.113)
Nick LaSala, Anthony Gerald, and Kiernan and myself, just a a thrown together scrap of the like bottom of barrel team, and we won. We crushed it. Team Gray beat everybody by a w by by a wide margin, and nobody was happy except me and the team because we did it. It's just it keeps happening, Sam. It keeps happening.
Sam Rhee (23:46.909)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (23:50.328)
You definitely have a bad news bear mentality about you, I think. There you go. The ragtag ragtag bunch who is is scrappy. I love that. All right, nice. Do you do you yeah, do you expect to duplicate that again next year for the bison bowl as well?
Mike (23:57.438)
Yeah. Yeah. Just gotta keep winning though.
Mike (24:07.37)
Yeah, of course. There's I don't think I think Dave now knows that whoever he throws our way, has is a serious contender for for winning, for getting up on that podium again. So yeah.
Sam Rhee (24:20.117)
Nice. I love that. what do you do for your nutrition now? Do you do anything differently? Like how do you do you focus on it at all?
Mike (24:30.483)
I should be more focused on it. I think summer kinda got away from me. But I if we compare it to like twenty twenty two me to today me, it's just completely changed. It's it's more meat and potatoes and vegetables. Like I eat the same thing every day. Chicken, ground turkey. I'll throw in the occasional steak on the weekend if I'm if I have the time or you know, I just want a a a good steak. but
From a food standpoint, I I I think I've realized how important just from somebody who doesn't have like a nutrition or medical background, just a normal guy consuming food. it is such a major part of one. If you want to work out hard or just feel okay in the morning, food is like number one. Like you could work out as hard as you want, but then, you know, sometimes like you go and eat Chick fil A or Wendy's, like it's just it's not the same.
But nutrition I've definitely tried, at least. I'm not great at it. especially with some of the some of the beers that we have, celebratory beers. It it gets to be a little bit. but nutrition is is number number one. I I definitely put a lot more focus when I'm going to reach for something on the shelf than I did before.
Sam Rhee (25:45.449)
It do do you meal prep for yourself or do you do a meal service? 'Cause it must be like a challenge 'cause that takes a lot of time.
Mike (25:53.819)
Yeah, I'd meal prep. specifically for work, just to bring my own food to work. It it it's it's a money saver, it's time saver, and I know what I'm getting. the food at work is good, but I don't think it would be the same if I didn't meal prep. just a peace of mind of like, okay, I know exactly what I'm eating, how much, and I know I'm not gonna be
sick after or, you know, I I'm doing something good for myself by meal prepping.
Sam Rhee (26:27.307)
Mm. Have you had any injuries since you've been crossfitting at all?
Mike (26:33.458)
I had an injury coming into CrossFit. I dislocated my shoulder, my left shoulder, playing men's league softball in twenty twenty one. so that's been an issue just snatching. but it's been okay. I think the only injury I've gotten from CrossFit is last summer or two summers ago, I was doing a partner WAD with Chase, actually, dead of the summer.
Sam Rhee (26:40.033)
Sam Rhee (27:00.756)
Mm, mm.
Mike (27:02.874)
It's like a hundred fifty million degrees out. And there was muscle ups. And Chase, like you said, is a big sweaty man. He was sweating all over the bar. And I got up and he he only did one muscle up, by the way, because he he can't do them. So I had to do most of them. and my hand slipped and I broke two ribs on on the bar. I just my hand slipped out. I crashed down on the bar. I went down to a knee and we were supposed I did all the muscle ups, and he was ready to run. And he
Sam Rhee (27:23.139)
shit.
Mike (27:32.695)
Screams at me to get up. I'm like, I think I just broke my ribs. She goes, No, you're fine. And I'm running a four hundred wheezing. I'm like, No, I think something's really wrong. I I can't breathe right now. And I finished the wad, did more muscle ups, and then I got an x ray, and lo and behold, I had two broken ribs. Yeah. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (27:49.7)
my gosh. Nice. Wow. But in true CrossFit fashion, you finish the Wad and someone was and while someone was yelling yelling at you to finish the Wad and suck it up. Nice. How long did that take to recover from?
Mike (27:56.081)
Finished it.
Mike (28:00.014)
Yep. Yep. Yeah. it was we ribs are weird. because you can do a lot, but there are certain things that you can't do. Like I couldn't go upside down. I couldn't do a wall walk, couldn't could barely do a dumbbell snatch, just the way that the body moves in that. I think it was like four to six weeks before I was like the ribs were fully back, breathing was fine, tenderness, soreness was gone. so it took about a month, I'd say.
Sam Rhee (28:29.719)
Would it hurt when you breathed?
Mike (28:31.704)
Yeah. Yeah. Every inhale. It was like a you f you you felt it, it like a sharp jab. but they were they were clean, clean broken. It was it was tough. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (28:37.325)
Mm.
Sam Rhee (28:41.643)
Wow. for the record, I didn't say that Chase was sweaty. You said he was a a big sweaty guy. I I don't actually know how s
Mike (28:48.964)
We'll go we'll we'll go back to that. I think you did say that. I think
Sam Rhee (28:54.704)
So w what are your plans in the future at this point? Like do you have fitness goals? Do you have s other aspirations? Like d what you you said you ran a half marathon, so why what made you decide to do that do that? Do you do other sports? Do you play softball? Do you do stuff?
Mike (29:08.304)
Mm-hmm.
Mike (29:13.963)
Yeah. well the half marathon was just a random text. It was like, We should do this and then everybody's like, Okay, we're not doing anything on this date in April. So started running a I didn't really train for it. I think I probably ran a total of ten, twelve miles, maybe maybe fifteen miles to prepare for it. And then I I'm like, All right, well, now I have to go out and and run it. I remember I was like at the eight mile mark, I look and I was running next to Sally and I go, This is the farthest I've ever ran and I still have to run like
Six more miles. This is crazy. I don't do much. golf is definitely my biggest now out of CrossFit activity. I know there's a lot of talk about who's the best golfer in the in the gym. I know my CrossFit rank right now is 30, but I think top five probably for golfer in the gym. yeah. Yeah, I that's a self-proclaimed.
Sam Rhee (30:06.635)
Really? Wow, that's very impressive.
Mike (30:12.066)
Top five, but just knowing what I'm up against on some of these bison outings, there's no way that there's more than five people better than me. Brian Miller is definitely not better than me at golf, he knows that. Braya. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (30:21.163)
Really? He's a very he's a good golfer. A little inconsistent but very good. Like he has a smooth s swing, like when he really?
Mike (30:28.299)
Yeah. He's got weak hands. That's his problem, Sam. He went to a he went to a golf instructor and the the instructor told him that he had weak hands. that's a true story. but he has never he has never beaten me in golf. He's beaten me in CrossFit, fine, but he's never beaten me in golf.
Sam Rhee (30:36.726)
Sam Rhee (30:45.709)
Hm. Do you think that's a mental thing?
Mike (30:48.212)
I think I think it is. I think I'm a lot like more mentally tough than he is. which plays a huge, huge role in in the golf game.
Sam Rhee (30:52.461)
Mm.
Mike (30:59.956)
I wish it w I wish I was more mentally tough in CrossFit 'cause I think I might need it there. I'm a I'm a little weak in CrossFit. But go go go get me on the golf course. I'm a different different person.
Sam Rhee (31:04.51)
Ha ha ha.
Sam Rhee (31:08.322)
Ha ha.
So, man, if you were to give yourself starting at CrossFit again or someone who is starting CrossFit now advice, now that you look back on what you've been doing so far, what would that advice be?
Mike (31:19.916)
Okay.
Mike (31:31.958)
Ooh, I would say
Become the biggest part of the community that you can make yourself become. I think the fitness will follow. because everybody's there. If you're going to a CrossFit gym, you want to get in shape or you wanna get stronger. I think that's a given. I think getting into the community first and getting involved in all the extracurriculars that this gym does, whether it's like the holiday event at your house or the amazing race or just
the CrossFit open party or just going out to dinner or lunch with some of the people. I think that's the biggest thing. I think getting in and making yourself known and not being afraid of, you know, making yourself a fool and getting friends and enjoying the community is probably the biggest thing. it's definitely changed my life. I know I I've thought about moving, you know, move closer to work, go to Hoboken, live in Hoboken, multiple times over the last four four or five years. And
The only thing that I keep coming back to is I can't I can't leave the gym. So I don't want to move far away, where I can't come and see my friends and hang out with them every day. now that might change in a little bit, but right now it's the community keeps me around and people like Chase are the reason that people come to this gym.
Sam Rhee (32:54.785)
Yeah. that means a lot, I would say. And it I think it also reflects how big of a part you have become at the gym. You are beloved, even if you take a fair amount or more than fairer share of ribbing and and and slings and arrows. I think people do it because they love you, like they just think you're the most awesome person. And I know you always bring a smile too.
Everyone's face every time Sasha drops in. She always tries to drop in with the afternoon because she knows all of you guys and you guys bring a lot of fun and just like a lightheartedness to it, which she really enjoys. you guys are super just like you said, open and accessible as people and I think that that that can make all the difference in the world when you start at a gym, just just to let yourself be that receptive and that's pretty cool. So
Mike (33:49.065)
Absolutely. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (33:50.603)
Well, I understand you're taking a big trip to Iceland, so good luck. Are you gonna go to CrossFit Reykjavik and check that out or no?
Mike (33:59.951)
If I I will be packing clothes. I don't know where the itinerary will take us or if there's time, but I'm gonna look it up probably right after this now that you mention it and see see if it matches up and I would love to drop in there. That's it's if I do I'll make sure to send pictures.
Sam Rhee (34:16.555)
Yes, make sure and make sure you say hi to Annie Thor's daughter and Catherine and everybody there when you throw down with them. All right. Well, thank you so much for taking the time, Mike, and I'll see you at the gym and I can't wait for the next open. This is going to be so much fun to watch you guys compete. All right, take care. Thank you.
Mike (34:21.173)
Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Mike (34:38.545)
Can't wait either. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Awesome. Thanks, Ann.
