Athlete of the Month: Ben Cioffi

“When Susie said to me “Hey, what do you think about being athlete of the month.” I think my actual response was “Uhhh….sure?!” But in my head I was thinking well I’ve only been here since August and sometimes I still feel like the new guy.

Growing up I was always the short skinny kid, so short and skinny in fact that in high school I could still wear ‘youth’ sized shirts. I ran track throughout high school, but even in track I was sort of lazy. I never really did the drills I was supposed to and because of that my track career suffered. It wasn’t until I turned 20 and started college that I decided I don’t want to be the skinny lazy kid anymore and bought a gym membership at my local gym. With nothing more than some badly written articles and a few pictures of Arnold as inspiration I started hitting the gym daily and drinking ALL the protein powder.

I found that what I was doing wasn’t yielding the results my 20 year old brain wanted and I grew board with the gym. Over the next 9ish years I had done or tried almost every type of workout, bodybuilding, powerlifting, rock climbing, boxing, spin, circuit training and everything felt the same. It wasn’t what I wanted and I eventually got bored. My bodybuilding days were the closest to what I was seeking, the way I worked out I LOOKED good but always felt like crap, I was tired run down and always sore. Eventually it just wasn’t worth it.

6 months ago my wife asked me if I wanted to try a crossfit gym and I was a little hesitant because I had seen the games and these people were monsters in my head. But the first day we walked into the gym and had our first meeting with Suzie I knew I was going to be hooked. The first few workouts killed me and they still continue to kill me to this day. I have never done anything this intense and I have also never seen this type of progress in my body in such a short time.

I am bigger and stronger now than when I was bodybuilding BUT I actually feel good, better and healthier than I have in a long time actually. As much as I love the workouts and the progress I’ve seen, it’s easy to say that the number one thing that brings me back eager every day has been the community. I usually tend to be the less social person but everyone I talked to was always so welcoming. All of the coaches at Crossfit 128 are amazing at not only running classes but being extremely motivational, they all know when and how to push people to do their best.

All I can say to all the coaches and people who I’ve worked out with is thank you. Thank you for being so welcoming, so motivating, so helpful. And especially for those times when you’ve been done with a workout and can’t breath but still cheer me on til I’m done with mine. It not only makes me want to come back everyday, it makes me want to be that person for other people. So, thanks!”

1) 4 sets of :

5 Bench Press

Rest :60 secs

15 Russian KB Swings (heavy)

Rest :90 secs

2) “Uncontrollable Rage”

AMRAP 20

4 Handstand Push Ups

6 Curtis P’s (95/65) (1 rep = Power Clean + Lunge Right Leg + Lunge Left Leg + Push Press)

8 Burpees