Box Stars: Robert Hoover

Name: 

Bob Hoover

Occupation:

Lawyer at Sherman & Howard, LLC in Aspen

Something about you that we really didn't know:

I am a closet video game junkie.

How long have you been a member at Aspen Crossfit?

Since September 21, 2010

What class time do you normally attend?

0600

How did you find out about us?

A fellow hockey player told me about ACF in the Spring of 2010. I forgot about it until my wife Janet started classes in late August, 2010. I came in and signed up for elements after hearing her rave about it for a month.

Tell us about your first workout and how you felt during/after:

My first workout was the scaled Cindy that ACF uses in its elements classes (3 rounds of 5 pullups, 10 pushups and 15 squats). I was humbled. I was able to do one pullup without a band, and managed only one round of 10 pushups before going to my knees. I thought my knees were going to disintegrate after the second round of squats. The olympic lifting movements seemed strange because my only past experience lifting weights was bench pressing and curls. The concept of me doing a handstand pushup was laughable. I had a couple of talks with Erik after my first week of workouts about commitment and life change. The one question I remember is Erik asking whether I felt commitment was important. I said I thought it was. He promised me that if I committed to crossfit, I wouldn’t regret it and it would change my life. He spoke the truth, and here I am, nearing 150 workouts later, still starting my days out at ACF.

What benefits/accomplishments have you seen/ had since joining?

My body has changed so much. I had 20 years of fat to work off when I started. In January, 2010 I weighed 242 pounds and couldn’t button 40” pants. I looked like I was carrying a sack of potatoes in my stomach. I started running in March 2010, and gradually built up to 25-30 miles per week, but I was plagued by injuries – to my feet, my hips, my knees, you name it. I lost about 20 pounds between January 2010 and September, 2010, but had hit a plateau and wasn’t losing any more weight. Within a few weeks of starting at ACF, the changes to my diet and the WODs started having their effect. By early November, I lost another 10 lbs, and started moving up in weight in the workouts. My progress slowed after I was in a car accident in mid-November and had to scale way back on the workouts when I started up again in December. Throughout that time, I worked on mobility and form, and I got serious about my diet. My happiest day in years is when I jumped on the scale on February 17, 2011 and weighed in at 190 lbs – which was 10 pounds lighter than when I graduated from college, and a 52 pound change in 13 months. Ultimately I lost another couple of pounds, but getting to 190 was the major accomplishment. The work I did at ACF after my accident shortened my recovery period by more than six weeks. I was cleared for full workouts in mid-February 2011, much to my physician’s surprise. Now I am doing most of the workouts as prescribed – which is amazingly satisfying! I have re-discovered the joy of serious exertion – it’s more than just exercise! From the mental/emotional aspect of things, crossfitting and improvements to my diet have helped me deal better with the added stress that comes with being trial lawyer.

What are you future goals in the gym?

I focus on getting the most out of my WODs. At my age, my primary goal is to be fit and stay that way. You lose muscle rapidly after age 40 if you allow yourself to become sedentary. I work towards good form and the awesome feeling of pushing my body at or near its maximum capacity. I want to gain strength through olympic lifting, and I will get kipping pullups come hell or high water.

My challenges:

Moving weight overhead. . . and kipping pullups.

My favorites:

Murph, Helen, Jackie, Deadlifts and the Crossfit Total. One of our ACF local workouts – the “Incinerator” is another killer WOD. While not a workout, I like the community that is forming in and around crossfit.

Favorite WOD/workout when you are "thinkin' outside the box:"

If you mean what’s my favorite when I don’t have a Crossfit Box around to go to – anything that involves major metcon. My favorite movements in CF are kettlebells, heavy deadlifts, and slamballs – those get me fired up.

A message to anyone that might be considering Crossfit:

Crossfit will get you in the best shape you can be in, but it takes time, commitment, and focus. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how weak you think you are. If you want to know what it feels like to be fit, get in here. From where I was in January 2010 – fat, out of shape and tired all the time, to where I am now – 185lbs, in good shape, with lots of energy – would not have happened at any other gym or with any other form of workout other than Crossfit. It’s not easy, and it’s not for people that are casual about fitness.

Write your own question – (Optional). Do you like Burpees?

Hell no, but I recognize that they are effective!