July 2023
Get to know Chris’s Success Story at Fit2Live Below!
This month’s spotlight is on the laid back, soft spoken leader Chris Pena.
Chris has been showing up and kicking butt at Fit2Live since November of 2019 and is a proud member of the 250 class club!
He’s easy to talk to, offers tons of support and doesn’t shy away from hard work.
Chris is a Navy Veteran and is currently working towards his BS and MS in data science at Michigan.
He’s a busy guy who consistently makes time to work on his functional fitness at Fit2Live.
For these reasons and many more, Chris has been chosen as our member of the month for July.
Tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do outside of Fit2Live, family, hobbies, etc.
I grew up in El Paso, was stationed in Ventura, CA, and moved to Austin before coming to Michigan. Each place has a sense of ‘home’. I now work as a data analyst after finishing my BS and MS in data science at Michigan. Outside of getting crushed by WODs I think I have too many hobbies. Video games, reading, trying new recipes, exploring the area, watching (occasionally playing) sports, fantasy football, concerts, guitar / drums. I recently may have been influenced by another member to add golf and a card game to the list.
When and why did you get started at Fit2Live?
I moved here in 2019, and needed to find a new gym. I looked up nearby CrossFit gyms and went to a weightlifting session at the closest spot. It was a nice place, but something didn’t feel right. Fit2Live (Joust) was next on the list, and I dropped in for a class. I knew right away this was the gym where I wanted to continue my CrossFit journey.
What is your favorite part of Fit2Live, what keeps you coming back?
Everything. From Ryan’s hands-on approach and constant improvements, to the amazing coaches, the fun community, challenging workouts, and there’s even cold Fitaids in the fridge!
You are a Navy veteran. Thank you for your service. Tell us a little about your time in the Navy and maybe 1-2 life lessons or daily habits you learned from your time in the Navy.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I worked as a department supervisor and IT doing repairs, networking, systems administration, communications, and official messages. Deployments were a ton of work, but I did get to visit different parts of the world and made lifelong friends along the way. I also handled UAP / UFO sighting classification and archiving.
Life lessons:
1) You can endure more than you think you can. I think we all can relate to that one.
2) The best leaders don’t have to lead by example. They actively listen, and support the success of others.
If you could make the workout “Pena”, what would it look like
(movements, repetitions, etc)?
Buy-In
-99 Double-unders buy in (2x singles)
3 Rounds of:
-33 Deadlifts (225/155)
-33 Burpees
-33 Calorie Row
Cash Out:
-99 Double-unders cash out
Favorites!
Favorite Movie: Dumb and Dumber
TV Show: Seinfeld
Song: Pantera – Slaughtered
Book: The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
Quote: Walk with your nose in the air and you won’t see the turd you’re about to step on.
If you could travel to any place in the world tomorrow, where would you go?
Australia. Or Sweden.
What does your perfect day look like?
Sleep in, workout, breakfast with pancakes and donuts, drive around in a GT500, relax with friends and family, watch the Raiders win the Super Bowl with a metal halftime show, celebrate appropriately afterwards.
What is at the very top of your bucket list?
Buy a house and finish my project car.
Thanks for being awesome Chris! Keep up the great work!
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