Sam Rhee sits down with Detective Collin Outerbridge @couter10 to talk about how a self-proclaimed CrossFit skeptic becomes a consistent athlete and why that steady approach carries over into police work and community service. We get into small-goal progress, smart training habits, and the mindset that makes big life pivots feel possible.
• getting pulled into CrossFit through family and the gym culture
• building an athletic base
• improving in CrossFit through consistency, coachability, and small goals
• choosing law enforcement without a family blueprint
• what it takes to become a detective
• a river dog rescue that turns into a memorable lesson
• staying in CrossFit long term
#crossfitcoach #CrossFitCommunity @CrossFitAffiliates #supportyourlocalbox #crossfitaffiliate #gymowner #HealthyLiving #GymLife #CrossFit #FitnessJourney #BotoxAndBurpees #podcast @botoxandburpeespodcast @crossfitbison @crossfit
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TRANSCRIPT
Sam Rhee (00:01.166)
Welcome to another episode of Botox and Burpees. I have with me very special guest, Detective Collin Outerbridge. He is a five-year member at CrossFit Bison starting in 2021. He is also a detective in the Bridgewater Township Police Department. And I've had the pleasure of speaking to Colin. you are also one of those pretty quiet guys who don't say much at the gym, but then when you sort of talk to you in person, like
Collin (00:02.287)
you
Sam Rhee (00:31.0)
You're really friendly and there's a lot to your backstory which I hope we can get to today. So thank you so much for joining me today, Colin.
Collin (00:39.17)
Yeah, thanks for having me on I was I was actually gonna acknowledge the risk you took having a
one of the quieter people in the gym on a podcast, but thank you.
Sam Rhee (00:45.114)
Absolutely. No, when I talked to you in person, it was pretty awesome. I mean, I think I spent most of the dinner just like learning about your own backstory. So let's get started. how did you get into CrossFit?
Collin (01:03.053)
So a lot of my family was doing it. My cousin is Kelly Cabin. She's now a coach at Outlast. My brother Logan was a member at Bison for a while. Kelly's brother, Kyle Rader, and his wife Christine are both members of the gym. So a lot of family parties. There was conversation across fit, and they're always talking about the workouts that week and everything that was going on.
I'll be, I'll admit it. I was definitely a little bit of a hater at first. was like, I don't understand this stuff. I don't, it looks dangerous. I'm like, I don't know about that. 2021, I was, working patrol and I was on night shift. So I worked 6pm to 6am and my brother started texting me a lot, asking me to come to a Saturday WOD and, do the partner workout with him. And I always had a built in excuse. I'm like, I don't know, man, I get off work at 6am.
By the time I get home, it's close to seven. I'm like, I'm not going to the gym after that. And I feel like he tricked me one weekend. He asked what I was doing first and I thought maybe he wanted to golf or do something like that. So was like, I'm actually not working this weekend. And he's like, great, I'll see you at Bison at 9.15. So that was my first class.
Sam Rhee (02:19.129)
Wow. Do you remember what that workout was?
Collin (02:21.919)
I remember some of the movements. think it was snatches, bar facing burpees and box jumps. Dave had me scale the snatches to hand cleans and just kind of gave me a crash course right before the class. And that was, that was all I remember that.
Sam Rhee (02:38.413)
And then what made you decide to keep going after that after that first experience then?
Collin (02:43.466)
I loved the environment. liked the workout itself. It reminded me of, like doing PT in the police academy where it's kind of shared suffering and everyone's supporting each other and everything. And it was a lot different than I expected. The movements are far more controlled than I thought. And, I just felt like I could benefit from doing it. So I think I joined three or four days after that class.
Sam Rhee (03:12.993)
And then you've continued for five years and obviously you have some great athletes in your family like Kelly, all those other people you mentioned, but you're also one of the longer lasting people in your family. You're I would say I mean, not for you to comment on your place in the family, but I think you you seem to mar march to the beat of a different drummer. Do you think that that's true in your family? And and why do you think that is?
Collin (03:41.042)
Yes, I would definitely say I'm the black sheep. am, I'm the youngest and a lot of my siblings, so me and then my oldest cousin, Kelly's sister, Courtney, she's a little bit older than everybody and I'm a little bit younger than everybody, but my sister and Kelly are the same age and then my brother and Kyle are the same age. So I feel like Courtney and I kind of did our own thing. We were a little bit separate from everybody.
I was definitely included in stuff with my brother and Kyle, but, I don't know. I kind of just found my own interests and carved my own path a little bit.
Sam Rhee (04:19.223)
Yeah. And what was your fitness background like before you got into CrossFit? Like are were you a very athletically oriented person? Like what did you do growing up?
Collin (04:30.354)
Growing up, I played a lot of sports. My dad was an athlete growing up and played football and basketball and all that. So he always thought it was important to be involved in team sports. He got me and my brother signed up in a lot young. So I played football starting in second grade, baseball, basketball. I wrestled for a couple of years and then I got into lacrosse in fifth grade and that was my favorite sport and probably the sport I was the best at.
Sam Rhee (04:55.8)
Mm.
Collin (05:01.243)
so I did that up until Glenrock high school where I grew up. They didn't have a lacrosse team in the high school yet. So I went to a camp at Bergen Catholic and did pretty well there. And the coach started talking to my parents and was like, what's he going to do next year? Like they don't have a lacrosse program. So, we made the decision that I would go there so I could keep playing. And that lasted for a year. And I.
I kind of wanted to go back and be with my friends in Glen Rock and, still a decision I regret to this day. I stopped playing lacrosse part way through high school, but, that was kind of like the early years of, fitness stuff for me. took a little bit of a break. I was big into skateboarding. Like that was my big thing started when I was young. And I would say that was kind of the only physical.
activity that I was doing for a while. After high school, I'll give my brother credit again, he kind of approached me and was like, you don't understand how good you'll feel if you start working out. He's like, you're going to eat more, you're going to sleep better, you're going to feel better mentally. So he pushed me to go to a gym with him. I think it was a New York sports club at the time and kind of showed me the ropes. And then once I was comfortable, I was just going there through my twenties.
Sam Rhee (06:27.331)
So, yeah, I saw that you are a skateboarder and I wanna I'll talk about it a little bit later, but you skateboard even now sometimes? I mean I did see a Facebook post where it said Bridgeway Bridgewater Township Police Officer, Detective Outerbridge, grinding slappy rails and popping gnarly tricks. So do you still skateboard on occasion?
Collin (06:52.465)
I do. It's been a little bit. I'm definitely far more cautious now. When I was young, I was a little bit reckless and you didn't have to worry about getting hurt or anything like that. But I still skateboard. I just in a very different way, I would say now. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (07:07.779)
That that's wow. That's pretty cool. now you have been at Bison for five years and you've steadily improved every year. and you could just see it by the numbers if from the open. And you are currently ninth fittest in the thirty-five to thirty-nine group, which is very competitive, clearly. I mean Bobby is number one, you know, you see Nick Squire at three, Owen's four, Owen Morrissey.
Collin (07:34.436)
you
Sam Rhee (07:37.109)
And you're right behind Gorbenko, Mike Gorbenko, and above t Anthony Sansilio. So w how have you been getting better every year and improving at CrossFit?
Collin (07:43.619)
I think I just try to stay consistent. There's definitely months that I don't get in there as much as I want to, but trying to be coachable is big. I feel like a lot of times the coaches come over and they'll point out one small little thing and all of sudden something starts to click and then you realize like, all right, well, they're here for a reason.
I think it's just trusting the process and, setting small goals and just working towards smaller goals and sticking with it. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (08:26.169)
Hmm. Now, you are a detective, as I mentioned, but when you talk and I talked to you earlier, because we we had a dinner to go to and I sat next to you and we talked for a while, you are not like I talked to Evan Johnson a little while ago and his family's all law enforcement. It was like he was destined to go in law enforcement, and you seem like like your entry into law enforcement was the least likely career path. how did that happen for you? Like what
Collin (08:51.615)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (08:55.095)
What were you doing as you were growing up and then what made you decide to go into law enforcement?
Collin (09:01.141)
So going back to like the skateboarding background and all that, lot of that, especially growing up, there weren't like skate parks like there are now. I feel like there's a lot of free public skate parks now, but you had to just find places. So we were constantly getting chased out of our skate spots by the cops. And I didn't have like the greatest of experiences at times because you know,
You weren't getting arrested, but you were getting chewed out a little bit. And maybe your parents were getting called stuff like that. So I think I had a weird relationship with law enforcement growing up, but, after high school, I worked at a cigar shop in Ridgewood for six and a half years. And a lot of our customers were police officers. And then one of my brother's closest friends was a trooper, in New Jersey is a trooper. And, just hearing like all the cool stories I.
found myself thinking like, I wish I could do that. Like, I really wish that like, I could go down that path. And then one day it clicked. I'm like, why can't I, you know, why, why not? And I looked into the process of like, getting into police academies or getting hired by police departments and just went for it. And I think my whole family was shocked when I told them, like you said, we have no, cops in our family. And they were like, where's this coming from? So that was.
Sam Rhee (10:22.647)
Now that's crazy. And you've been in your department for how long now? In your tenth year. And talk to me a little bit about becoming a detective because I remember we talked and it is not necessarily the typical progression in terms of what most officers go through when you start. Like explain to me a little bit about becoming a detective and what what that entails.
Collin (10:28.468)
I'm in my 10th year. Yeah.
Collin (10:49.32)
Yeah. So everyone, once you get out of the academy, everyone goes to patrol. It's just, you're, handling all the radio calls and a mix of stuff, car accidents and medical calls and domestics and all that shoplifting. where I work, you have to be there for three years before you're eligible to put in for detective and any of the other special units like traffic. So I remember going to calls on patrol, whether it was like a house burglary or whatever it could be.
And you kind of secure the scene and then it's like, all right, let's wait now for the detectives. And then they come and they take over. And I remember thinking that was very cool. I'm like, I want to do that. I want to come out when it's something more important and do more of the investigating and the back background stuff that you don't really see every day. So when I got in, you just basically had to submit a memo showing interest. You know, I want to do this. And they put together a list of
people that are qualified for it. And the year I got in, they didn't do interviews or anything like that. It was just hand selected by the people that were in charge of the unit at the time, the sergeant, lieutenant, all that. So I got picked that year. I think they take into account different things like your report writing skills. And if you do have something like a shoplifting where the person got away, did you
just type a quick report and send it through, or did you do a little extra work? Did you follow up on a car or any leads you might've had? So I think they take that into account and I think that helped me. I always tried to put in the extra work a little bit wherever I could. So I think that's what helped me get the spot.
Sam Rhee (12:39.715)
You seem to really like the job. I remember talking to you about it. What I also didn't realize until I started I Googled you really quick. And by the way, there's another Colin Outerbridge with the same spelling of your first name, L L and he's a pastor somewhere. yeah. So I was like having to wade through all of his stuff 'cause he's pretty public and you're not. But but I would say the stuff I saw was a lot of also community involvement. So
Collin (13:01.893)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (13:09.369)
There are a couple like obviously they publicized some of it. but clearly you do a lot of public like community service. in June you were part of the forty-third annual New Jersey law enforcement torch run with Special Olympics aware d to raise special Olympics awareness. Do you remember that? And what was that like running that leg?
Collin (13:35.674)
Yeah, the torch run I've done, I think three or four years, I try to do it every year that I can. We are the last leg of our section of the state. So we get the torch from Bedminster PD and it starts at their border. It's a...
Usually around three or four in the afternoon and it's in June. So it's very hot. And, we run down two two, which is a pretty long highway during rush hour. And I don't think people like us slowing them down much, but, no, I think it's a, it's a great cause. we had, a student in my high school, and our families were close and he had down syndrome and he always took part in the special Olympics and every year.
When Glenrock would do their leg of the torch run, they would run past the high school and all the students would come outside and cheer on the PD and cheer on JJ who was running with them. And once I got the opportunity, was, it was a no brainer. was like, I want to do that. It's a good cause. And I think our leg is about four miles. So
Another reason I like doing it is every year I know I have to get back in running shape to do the four mile run and not look bad doing it. So.
Sam Rhee (14:57.241)
That's right. That's a lot of running, especially for a CrossFitter, let's just put it that way. the other thing that I saw, and tell me like why you also enjoy doing this. Like it was a year or two ago, Cub Scouts Troop 46 stopped by the headquarters. You gave them a lesson on fingerprints and discussing common evidence. Like what is your role in terms of what do you think your role is in law enforcement in terms of community involvement, like with stuff like that?
Collin (15:03.161)
Yeah.
Collin (15:28.147)
I try to get involved in the things that, where I feel like I, I can help her or know a little bit about it. You mentioned the skateboarding thing. there's a woman in our town who was running a skateboarding camp where one day a week she would set up ramps and things like that at a school in town.
And a few of my coworkers had stopped by and told her about me. They're like, Hey, we got this detective that's a skateboarder. Like you guys should link up and do something. eventually I introduced her to myself and I asked if she would let me come down and skate with them one afternoon. And my bosses were cool with it. They're like, yeah, go ahead. That sounds like a great idea. and I think a lot of the reason I wanted to do it was kind of like going back to what I said before, growing up, I had an odd relationship with the cops because we felt like.
they were always telling us we couldn't skateboard and we had to leave wherever we were. it was a good opportunity to be like, hey, I skateboard too and let's open a dialogue. Like if I ever see you in a place you're not supposed to be, I'm gonna keep it cool with you guys and explain why you can't be here and maybe try to help you find a place where you can do it. And it was a lot of fun. Like the kids were very receptive. They loved hanging out and...
I had a great time.
Sam Rhee (16:50.393)
That's pretty cool. What is the trickiest or most technically demanding move you've ever done? 'Cause I see all these like crazy things like Switch three sixty or nine hundreds and all that. Like, what was your move as a skateboarder?
Collin (17:00.992)
Yeah.
I was big into skateboarding. They call it street skating. So you find like a spot where, whether it's stairs or a rail or something like that. I loved skateboarding stairs when I was younger. so it was a little competitive, like friendly competition with friends, like who could do what trick over the biggest set of stairs. so there's a middle school, I think in, Midland park, I think it's Eastern Christian.
They had a set of 10 stairs that was very high and that was the biggest one I jumped down. took me a bunch of tries, but I got it. And I think I was the only one of my friends at the time that, that landed it. So maybe, maybe that.
Sam Rhee (17:44.778)
Mm. I do know we do know people who do go who went to cr Eastern Christians, so actually I might go over there and just see how high those ten stairs are. That might be pretty cool. now I know you do a lot of stuff as a detective, but the only thing that I really saw in terms of what you did, because obviously all the stuff you do is mostly crime related or or pretty serious stuff, was
Collin (17:55.434)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (18:10.135)
Wow, six years ago it looks like you you rescued a dog trapped in Raritan River, which I thought was pretty cool. So there was a dog, it was a brown lab, and he was swimming and he got sucked into the intake for the treatment plant there, and you actually got someone to open up the grate and you saved the dog who was swimming and was basically gonna drown and die if you hadn't actually like taken the time to do that.
Collin (18:40.872)
Yeah, it was the Raritan River. They were the owner and the dog were on the other side in Franklin Township. And I guess the owner was throwing a toy in and the dog would jump in the river, get it and swim back out. And it must have gotten a little too close to the current that was pulling into the intake there. And once it got in, it was just having a hard time getting back out. So
It's at the water treatment plant, which is like totally locked down. So I had to have an employee let me in and take me back to where they were. then that guy, thankfully he was there because the grate was very big. I would not have been able to get it, get it open myself, but yeah, we just, I was able to reach down and grab onto it and pull it out. And the funnier part of that story is that after we got him out, the owner whistled to the dog and it jumped right back in the water. And I was like,
Sam Rhee (19:35.478)
Yeah.
Collin (19:37.967)
All that and the dogs going right back in. I kind of thought he might drive around to the other side and pick the dog up from there. But, yeah, it was just a normal like call for service at that time. I was on patrol and someone called and that's why I was there.
Sam Rhee (19:39.833)
Ha ha.
Sam Rhee (19:54.201)
Hmm. now
You worked at a cigar shop for six years. Why why now I remember talking to you about this and your knowledge about cigars was encyclopedic. I did not know that there was such a deep, like knowledge base r regarding cigars. But what made you first decide to work there? And I know you love cigars. You still love cigars.
Collin (20:19.814)
Yeah. so I don't smoke nearly as much as I used to. It's, it's maybe a couple of times a year now, but I, I can't remember how it got started. I think I just tried a cigar one time and I really enjoyed it. And I was at a shop that is still open, I think in Hackensack. And it was one of those things where it was just a bunch of people hanging out in the lounge and, they all had a lot of knowledge and were pointing me in the right direction and everything. And I thought it was cool. So.
I started to smoke cigars from time to time. I worked at JR cigar, which was on route 17 in Paramus. I think the name changed, but, at the time I worked there, it was more like discount stuff. They sold, like cheaper lower end, for people to buy in larger quantities. So as I got into it, I wanted to try better stuff and just try different things out. So I went to the store in Ridgewood. I got to know Gary and Barbara.
their husband and wife, their two sons both work there. And it was just a cooler place. you could see they really had a passion for what they do and really loved everything about it and the whole family worked there. So their son who was managing it ended up leaving to work for Davidoff, which is a pretty large cigar brand. And I said, if your parents ever need help, I'd love to work here. And he was like, yeah, we're planning on asking you. So I started working for them full time.
And it was a great time. Like they were like another set of parents to me. They cared about my future. They worked with me when I had to go to college and take classes. They let me leave early, stuff like that. Taught me everything about the business and really didn't hide anything from me. Like shared numbers taught me how to do the, you know, the ordering and inventory control and all that was very cool. And then it led to where I'm working now.
Sam Rhee (22:17.271)
Hmm. Now if I don't know anything about cigars, but if I ever have to gift somebody a cigar, which sometimes happens, because I do know some people, like my my boss out at UCLA who I worked for for a while, like was really into cigars. what would you recommend for me to get that wasn't like crazy expensive, but was still like a really good cigar to get?
Collin (22:17.773)
So.
Collin (22:39.502)
I, my go-to is always Davidoff. If you don't know what they like, there's a lot of brands you can go with, but they have a very wide range and it's not, like Padrone is another great company, but I think you have to know that the person likes that type of cigar. Padrone's a little bit stronger, a little bit, a little bit different. Davidoff kind of just has this wide range.
Sam Rhee (22:42.755)
Okay.
Sam Rhee (22:47.905)
Mm.
Sam Rhee (23:02.969)
Mm.
Collin (23:05.601)
They do a lot of nice cigars with good presentation. can buy a small pack of three that has a good presentation versus just handing a loose cigar to somebody. and it's, it's just one of the classier brands in my opinion.
Sam Rhee (23:22.817)
I like that. The problem also is, and I I'll go to a smoke out every year at one of the meetings or, you know, you know, when I get together with certain people. And and I know why a lot of people don't like It's because it permeates everything that you wear. Like literally it is like y the most smokiest cigar smell that you will ever have. Like
Collin (23:40.673)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (23:50.316)
You literally have to nuke everything that you wear if you go to a smoke out because you just can't it's just a really strong smell. So it's like are you like did the people around you they were cool with that? Did you like it? Like was that one of those things that you were like, you either like it or you don't like it?
Collin (23:58.944)
Yeah.
Collin (24:08.5)
Yeah, I think you either like it or you don't. Growing up, my grandfather would smoke, not a lot, but occasionally, and he would smoke in his house. So I think for me, it was kind of like a comforting smell. We were very close with our grandparents and we spent a lot of time there. So I think being around that younger, it just was normal. Like it didn't, it didn't smell bad to me. It was kind of more of a comforting smell.
Sam Rhee (24:35.737)
That's cool. now you've been at the gym and I know through social media and also because I see you guys that you've been you've been dating Karen Melissa, right? And she is a nurse and it always is so funny because that stereotype of law enforcement and nursing going together, like there I know literally so many couples where
You know, guys in law enforcement, women's in nursing. I mean, just think of our gym, like they're at least a couple. At least I know Owen and Alyssa right off the top of my head. So how did you guys meet and was it like did your jobs have anything to do with it in terms of compatibility or anything?
Collin (25:07.563)
Okay.
Collin (25:16.361)
Yeah.
Collin (25:27.259)
so we met, we, we went to very different class times. She's an early morning person. I think she was doing a lot of the six and seven AM and I was always based on my schedule, either 11 AM or six 15 at night. so I knew of her, I knew who she was, but rarely ever saw her there. Maybe during the open or some of the other events, I would see her in the gym, but we were actually kind of set up by Dave. He.
He knew Karen a lot better than he knew me, but he knew me pretty well too through my family. And I randomly got a text from Dave one day and it was like a wall of text. My whole screen was covered. And I remember thinking like, did I do something wrong? he, have I getting reprimanded for something here? But no, he was just basically saying how similar our lives were. We were the same age. We both had careers and were, you know, established on our own and
Sam Rhee (26:13.206)
Ha ha.
Collin (26:25.513)
recommended that we go out on the date and he's like worst case scenario, you you have a fun night out, but who knows, maybe it'll work. And we went on that one date and never stopped hanging out.
Sam Rhee (26:39.075)
my God. I I don't know of Dave ever having well no, I'm sure he has, but at maybe the first one that I've ever heard that worked that he suggested as a matchmaker, as a coach for athletes at the gym. I mean, clearly he thought pretty highly of both you guys. Karam is you know, as if anyone knows her, is a really great athlete. She's very dedicated, and she spends
Collin (26:52.583)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (27:07.947)
a lot of time training. I see her working on her Oli, being at Open Gym. how I I imagine that you're there are very few people that are that like have that mindset. so what is it like in terms of you two and your workout goals and you know what you guys focus on in terms of CrossFit?
Collin (27:36.118)
I made sure to tell her on our first date that I was not as into CrossFit as her and her response was, love that. So I have to remind her of that from time to time when she's like, hey, you didn't go to the gym today. What's up with that? I'm like, hey, remember that time I told you?
Sam Rhee (27:44.953)
Ha ha.
Sam Rhee (27:52.569)
Ha ha ha.
Collin (27:55.207)
No, but she's great. She she puts in a ton of work, both inside and outside of the gym. She did a lot of other experience like she did some powerlifting before CrossFit. She's worked with nutrition coaches a lot. And so she's taught me a ton, a ton of stuff. Before meeting her, I barely drank water. And now, you know, a year and a half later, I drink a gallon of water a day. And I've seen the benefits of it.
She's helped me a lot with nutrition and things like that, eating better and eating more, which I'm still working on. But she's super supportive. She's very good at tough love. If I tell her I wasn't gonna go one day because I don't like that movement, it doesn't work for me. She's like, well, you're never gonna figure it out if you don't do it. So just go. But I think we motivate each other.
in that regard, but yeah, she's definitely the athlete out of the two of us.
Sam Rhee (28:56.161)
No, you're no slouch yourself, but yeah, she's definitely I mean, there are very few people on her level in terms of her dedication, there's no doubt about that. What movement do you not like, in CrossFit? Tell me.
Collin (29:07.663)
I have a hard time with a lot of overhead stuff. I struggle with the mobility with like overhead squats and even like jerks and push presses and things like that. just isn't the best for me. I've been talking to Bobby about doing some extra programming and working on that. And I do plan on doing that in the future with Bobby. think he...
Sam Rhee (29:10.958)
Mm.
Collin (29:35.257)
the way he talked to me about it, think he can help a lot. So I definitely am not great with that. Handstand pushups are my, probably my least favorite movement. You know, once you get the failure on those, you're done.
Sam Rhee (29:37.717)
Mm. Mm.
Sam Rhee (29:45.825)
Yeah.
Mm. I th I mean these are universal, I think, for everyone. So yeah, I I will say the same about that. I'm in a complete agreement with you. But on the other hand, I mean you are fitter and I think you know the fact that you're gonna be working on some of this stuff speaks well and you know also to your potential and capability on that. so then
Collin (29:53.39)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (30:16.363)
What are your work schedules like? So I know her you know, both of you guys have long hours. How do you guys sort of make that work? and now and you guys still go to different times, don't you, at the gym?
Collin (30:30.311)
Yeah, so it's been we've been lucky so far the first year when we started dating she wasn't working a lot of weekends and I have a great schedule. I work Monday to Thursday. So I Friday Saturday Sunday off so weekdays we we see each other very little we do live together now. So we see each other at night maybe for an hour or two, but the weekends are really our time together and
when we get to see each other. next year, my schedule is going to be different. I'm to be working more weekends and stuff. And she changed to a different role in her hospital. She's not in the ER anymore. So yeah, we'll just have to figure out how that's going to work. But we always make time for each other.
Sam Rhee (31:11.01)
wow. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (31:16.971)
Mm-hmm. No, I I I totally get that. and then what did you change about your nutrition? Do you follow a plan at this point or like how do you meal prep or how does that work for you?
Collin (31:29.166)
I don't really like follow any specific plan. try to just prioritize protein as much as I can. Try to not eat out if I can help it. That's a big thing with cops is just whatever's easiest chipotle or whatever. She does most of the cooking and the meal prep type stuff. So we do a lot of ground beef, a lot of grilled chicken, rice, try to work in some veggies as much as possible.
Sam Rhee (31:41.111)
Yeah. Right. Right.
Collin (31:58.497)
But I would say she does most of the prep in terms of like cooking larger quantities of food and then we have stuff ready to go so that we're not buying food out.
Sam Rhee (32:08.659)
Mm. Now, have you ever been injured during CrossFit and h how have you dealt with that if you did?
Collin (32:15.398)
No major injuries. I did tweak my back a couple of times. Both times were deadlifts and both times were very lightweight. I was warming up and I think that when it's lighter, sometimes you don't take the time to breathe, embrace and do all the same stuff. So I had some lower back pain for a while. I complained about it for a while and she was sick of me complaining about it. So she sent me to a PT that she had worked with.
Sam Rhee (32:18.745)
Mm-hmm.
Collin (32:43.456)
who actually has an office in 908 in Westfield, I think. So I went there and did some PT and got my back better. And they taught me lot of exercises that I still do. I always get to the gym early and make sure I do them and try to keep everything strong and work on the mobility, but knock on wood, no major injuries.
Sam Rhee (32:48.067)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (33:06.603)
Mm-hmm. What name name one exercise in the warm up that you do that you think is super helpful or for protecting you?
Collin (33:14.831)
so if I can ride a bike a little bit, I bike, but I feel like the most beneficial has been bird dogs. I think that's what it's called. And then they showed me like a single leg, kind of like a single leg RDL. a lot of my issue was my left leg and glute, like I wasn't getting good activation on with dead lifts and stuff like that.
Sam Rhee (33:25.377)
Hmm. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (33:32.558)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (33:41.261)
Mm-hmm.
Collin (33:41.842)
So I do it mainly on the left side, just to get those muscles firing up before I start moving. And I noticed a big difference. I noticed a big difference like within a couple of months of doing those consistently, I was starting to feel more soreness in on the left side. And I could tell that I was using the muscles now versus before when I probably was like more right side dominant.
Sam Rhee (34:07.287)
You know, that is exactly my s I've had that issue too, and I think a lot of people do in terms of like not firing certain muscles, either hip flexors or glutes, during workouts. And then when you overdo that and you're overcompensating either with other compensatory muscles, it it that's that's where you hit issues and all that single leg stuff you just mentioned is like critical. It's just that
It's boring and nobody wants to do it, but it's so important. So now you stuck with it for five years and within your whole group of people, there's some people who have continued and some who have not. What do you think is the big difference in terms of whatever it is? And it doesn't have to be good or bad. I understand CrossFit's not for everyone, but what do you think the difference is in terms of longevity in CrossFit?
Collin (34:34.578)
Yeah. Yep.
Collin (35:03.568)
I think for me, it's a mix of everything. It's the culture at Bison. The programming is done for you. You come in, the workout's ready for you. The coaches are great. You could tell you guys take a lot of time probably finding the right coaches. So it's always good, like even five years in doing power cleans that I've done a million times, sometimes you kind of get into bad habits and they'll
You you guys are good at pointing that out and helping people through it. and then I think it's probably the best for the work that I do. Like it prepares you for the type of stuff we're expected to do. I don't work in a place where we're constantly chasing people and doing crazy stuff, but, being prepared is extremely important because you never know when that day is going to come where you got to
run after somebody, jump a fence, whatever. So I think it's just the best overall thing for me right now. I can't say I'll do it forever, but right now it's, it's working and I love it.
Sam Rhee (36:13.185)
Hmm. If you had to give advice for anyone who let's suppose I think a lot of people around their fifth or sixth year, just where you are, start to get sort of burnt out, or maybe they're sort of sick of it, or, you know, they feel like they're not progressing in CrossFit. Like what kind of advice would you give them in t you know, or maybe they gotten tweaked and burnt, you know, with a couple injuries. Like what what advice would you give them in terms of sticking with CrossFit at this point?
Collin (36:43.675)
What's worked for me is just setting like smaller goals and always going after something. It doesn't have to be some major thing. But like I've always struggled with like muscle ups, for example. And I had a small win recently. I always did singles and one day I was like, why don't I just try to string a few together? And I was able to do it. And that was one of those like
moments that brings you back where you're like, all right, like I'm still learning, there's still more to be done. You may not see major shifts in like the weight that you can move, but there's always small things you can work on, I think. So that would be my advice, set small goals and just keep moving.
Sam Rhee (37:30.081)
And for someone who's thinking about a career in law enforcement, what do you think is the best kind of attitude or personality or type to go into law enforcement to do well there?
Collin (37:41.462)
I really think you just kind of have to have a true interest in it. I don't think personality makes a difference. I work with so many different people that come from so many different backgrounds that if you really have like the interest in it and like, I guess a passion for in a sense, I think you can make it happen. I was definitely, my family was surprised when I said I wanted to do it.
And I remember my dad saying, like, I don't know if this is the greatest idea for you, but if it's what you want, I'm going to support you a hundred percent. And my parents are like my biggest fans. Anytime I tell them something from work, they're so happy. And it's not that he doubted me. It's just that he didn't know anything about it and he didn't know where I would fit in there. And, and so I think anyone can do it, but you just have to have.
the right thoughts going into it and the right expectations.
Sam Rhee (38:44.473)
Hm. What is it about your mindset? You are somebody who has taken so many lateral or like, you know, big jumps, like where you wouldn't necessarily connect the dots going from here to here to here, and yet
You just sort of quietly set your mind to whatever it was that you wanted. You're like, wow, working here is pretty cool. I'm gonna try that. And then you did for years and years. And then you said, you know what? I'm gonna try something completely different, but you set your mind to that. Like, what is it about your personality that you can make that jump from one thing to a completely different thing, but yet totally find that to be fulfilling? I mean, coming from, like you said, skateboarder to
being on the other side as law enforcement, like that is that's a big jump. Like what what is it about you?
Collin (39:33.079)
I think I just have been lucky to have like a lot of support in my life. My family, we're all very close, including cousins and everybody. And when you have people around you that are going to be behind you and you know, if you fail, they're still going to be there for you. It makes it easier to make those leaps. So.
Sam Rhee (40:02.051)
Pretty cool.
Collin (40:02.251)
I don't know. think, yeah, I think once I get an idea in my head and I set that goal, like I want to achieve it. And that's just kind of how I've always been.
Sam Rhee (40:11.863)
Now are you are you ever gonna do a comp with Karam? Do you have one set up soon that you guys are gonna compete together in?
Collin (40:17.151)
I don't know if I'll ever do a CrossFit comp. We did a High Rocks together last year. We did High Rocks New York and that was great. It was my idea. I don't think she was expecting it. She was probably looking for another partner and I asked her, was like, what do you think about doing this? So she said, I'll do it, but you got to train with me. Like, we're not just going to wing it. So we did Bobby's extra programming for it.
Sam Rhee (40:22.356)
yeah, how was that? Yeah.
Collin (40:42.508)
And we were very prepared. Like we felt good the whole time. Neither of us crashed at any point. And it was a great, great day. I don't know about CrossFit though. We'll see. Hirox maybe. We've talked about doing it in a destination. Like they do them all over the world. So we thought maybe go somewhere cool and do it then make a vacation out of it. But.
Sam Rhee (40:52.089)
are you gonna do another Hyrux? Ano another Hyrux?
Sam Rhee (41:01.24)
Right.
Sam Rhee (41:07.105)
Mm. That would be really cool. Yeah. I I could see some destinations o overseas. That would be like very, very cool to travel to and and compete at. So yeah. All right. Well, Colin, it's been awesome. I really appreciate you sharing your life. I think there's a lot of lessons there actually that I took away in terms of, you know, I I don't know if I could ever get into that mindset of just like making those jumps, but I I'm gonna think about that. And also being at the gym.
Collin (41:16.925)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (41:37.413)
and making those small goals, small jumps. And kudos to Dave. I I am shocked that he was able to tease out the commonalities between you and Karen and and sort of get that going. I think that's that's pretty cool. So good luck. hope to see you at the gym a lot more. I mean I'm a day a morning early early morning person so I
It's hard, but maybe on a weekend. I'm I'm a bad weekend person, but hopefully I'll try to try to be in and catch you a little bit more in the weekends as well. So thanks so much. I really appreciate it. All right. Take care, man.
Collin (42:13.29)
Yep, thank you, Sam.
