Athlete of the Month: Jeff Ellis

Athlete of the Month: Jeff Ellis

Birthday: February 21

CrossFit Birthday:  Roughly 13 years ago.  A bit more than 5 years at my first box, 515

How did you hear about CrossFit?  Originally, my supervisor was doing it at lunch in the office’s gym.  515 I found when I decided trying a box was now or never, and it stood out as the best option.

How has CrossFit changed your life?  When I first started the “.com” wods at lunch in a company gym, it quickly became the best part of my work day.  That lead to me wanting to change what I spent my time on and ultimately helped me with an arduous career change.

Having 515 has made living in Iowa without family nearby a lot more enjoyable and has made Des Moines feel more like home.  Being around like minded, determined, nice people is infectious and it has an impact on the rest of your day.

Crossfit has also been a large factor in my revamping my diet and other hobbies.  I’m a lot more mindful of what I eat and how long I’m sedentary, because both noticeably make the workouts harder.

Favorite & least favorite movements:  Favorite would be snatches, which is probably my best lift and the only one I Iearned at 515.

Least favorite, short of a burpee bar over thruster, is just Cindy in general.

Family info: I’m originally from Madison WI.  Adora and I have been married for 13 years.  We have two boys – Scott (5) and Jack age (3).

Something interesting about you: In total, I have 3 undergraduate degrees from Iowa and Iowa State.  While I was set to work for NASA, my full-time gig is stay-at-home dad.

Also I received a black belt and then taught martial arts from 7th-12th grade, all volunteering.  I really enjoyed helping.

Favorite saying:  For this stuff: “Obstacles are those things we see when we take our
eyes off the goal.”  In general: “You don’t need a reason to be nice to someone.”

Favorite TV show or movie: Right now my favorite show is The Mandalorian.

Favorite songs to workout to:  Anything with a fast enough beat.  This morning’s row was too F*** I’m lonely.

What movement or skill were you most excited about when you were able to do it?  When I cleaned 225 for the first time in a wod I knew this programming was working and I was pretty pumped.

The strict bar muscle up was a big accomplishment for me, I still remember watching Crossfit videos when I started and thinking I’d never be able to do one.

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