April 2020 Athlete of the Month - Doug O'Grady

I am so happy to announce that Dougie is Mr. April 2020. There have been some ups and downs with consistency but Dougie has been so committed and driven. This goes for before the quarantine and he has been all in ever since. I cannot say enough about this guy. He has the biggest smile on his face every time I see him and is excited to be at the gym every day he can. One of the best coaching memories I have is a few years ago when I helped Doug get his first bar muscle up. He was practicing for a while at open gym. He was failing one attempt after the next and couldn’t follow through. I walked in the gym and said hi and asked what he was doing. A few minutes later, I gave him some pointers and he hit a muscle up fast and smooth. It was one of the best reactions ever. I think it’s on video somewhere. Doug’s passion and drive is incredible. He joined one of the first weightlifting groups and was by far the most improved throughout the 16 weeks. It really goes to show that hard work pays off. Something very few people know is that Doug knew my cousins growing up. I learned this a couple months after he joined the gym and it has opened up just how much family means to him. His family is everything! If you talk to Doug more than 10 minutes, you’ll hear a story about his brother and his kids. Dougie has a huge heart and his such a selfless guy. I’m proud to know him and call him a friend.

Written by: Coach Rob Moloney

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Q&A
Why did you start CrossFit?
I started CrossFit because the first time I saw a CrossFit gym was down in the west end of Long Beach. It was very intense looking and the people running were in such great shape. I was intrigued by it but it didn’t come into my life until later on. As soon as I committed to it, I lost about 15 lbs and gained muscle and core strength like I hadn’t seen on me since I was in my early 30’s. I also saw fast results and how fast I was as compared to other people around my age. When I got really into it and we had short runs and sprinting in the wods, I was in the middle of the pack. About a month later when I had lost the weight, I was wondering why everyone was running so slow. I said hell with this and I just took off and blew by everyone. With that being said, one day you’re on top and finishing first and then on the next day you finish dead last and almost die. Either way you leave and feel like you are a beast once you’ve recovered. CrossFit definitely humbled me when I got ahead of myself and thought I was better than I was. Which is something we all need at times. 

What is your athletic background?
My background was predominantly boxing. I walked into the west end boxing gym at about 12 years old. I fell in love with it. I especially loved sparring after hitting the bags. The west end of Long Beach was not a really nice place to grow up in back then. I had to learn how to handle myself quick. In high school I wrestled a bit too. The training in both is very similar to CrossFit. All timed rounds with intense workouts that leave you completely gassed.  I didn’t really start lifting weights till I was about 41. I always excelled at body weight workouts. I’m definitely living proof that muscle has memory. 

How long have you been a member of and how long have you been doing CrossFit?
I’ve been a member of CFIP since June of 2017. I started doing CrossFit since around February of 2017. I dabbled in CrossFit after Hurricane Sandy and that is how I met some of the original members and coaches from CFIP. I was too busy with the volunteering and a  foundation I started to stay with it at that time. The seed was planted then and it grew when I came back to it. 

What is you favorite thing about the gym?
My favorite thing about the gym is the sense of community and how everyone is helping each other. The coaches and my friends from our gym are the best and have dragged me out of some rough times. I don’t even think they knew they had helped me as much as they did. So many people inspire me in our gym and that list is big and it’s growing. Sometimes it’s just a text or a call and I get back into it and I feel good in a short time. Sometimes it’s a partner wod with certain members and we absolutely do amazing. The right people can motivate each other.  I also love the hero wods and everything that comes with them. 

What is the biggest challenge you have overcome since joining the gym?
The biggest challenge I overcame since joining the gym is pacing myself to not to redline early. I come out like a tank and Dr. Jeremy calls me a Junk Yard Dog! Coach Rob worked with me on many wods and one day it just clicked. All the coaches do something that helps or inspires me and then that movement or lift is done totally different. This week I was doing the gymnastics strength part of the workout and due to the repetition of doing the same thing better each week, I was doing and holding a handstand. 3 weeks before on zoom, I fell on my face every last handstand of the set!

What is you favorite moment at the gym so far?
My favorite moments of the gym were when I did a ring muscle up on my 50th birthday. My oldest son Liam, recorded it on my phone. I feel that I am setting a good example for my boys. Especially if they see me do well at the more complicated movements. My other favorite moment was when I made a last minute decision to take the 8:00 pm class last year with coach Kyle and I deadlifted 515 lbs to top the leaderboard last year. He was great at motivating me that night. I should say all the time really. Being 51 years old and being on the leaderboard in 3 events, was something I never thought I’d do. Those numbers just looked out of reach for me but because of this gym, they weren’t. 

What is your favorite “cheat” food?
My favorite cheat food is milk and cookies! 

What would you say to someone who is thinking about starting?
If someone is thinking about starting or is a beginner in the gym, I would and I do encourage them. When they say that it’s too hard or they don’t want to get hurt, I tell them that we modify every movement to prevent injuries and also to keep them moving well through the workouts. I tell them the changes in their body will come so rapidly and they will never get the same results in a conventional gym. I explain that it’s having a personal trainer in every class that knows your strengths and weaknesses. Coach Nikki saved my back on a workout in a class, just by observing that I was in pain holding a sandbag. The coaches are watching out for the members here and not just teaching a class. 

What drives you?
What drives me is I want my kids to learn by power of example from me. That even though I’m not that young, I can be the healthiest version of myself. They play 10 sports between the 2 of them. When they come to the open and they see me doing my best and working as hard as I can, I hope that stays in their mind. 2018 open they were cheering and going nuts when Mike Hyland nailed a 307# squat clean with 10 seconds left on the clock. Seeing me on the leaderboard and doing difficult movements that other 50 something year old Dads aren’t doing. I love living a healthy clean life and even though I’m not great at everything, they see that I’m doing the best that I can. I hope to inspire and motivate them and anyone else that thinks they can’t. A man came into the gym asking coach Anita about the workouts. He said he was too old and he couldn’t do it. She pointed to me and told him “he’s 3 years older than you and he’s doing it.”She said he couldn’t believe it something like that. I was doing sets of toes to bar and I do know it was one of those workouts where I was on point. When the younger members tell me that I’m the goal for them, at 50 + years of age. When I was 37, I lost my twin brother to drugs and alcohol. I buried him on Christmas Eve. Worst day of my life honestly. In the years to come I got married had kids.  I didn’t drink, smoke or do drugs but I was killing myself with food and I was 248 lbs. I guess it how I was dealing with his death and then all the situations that kept popping up in my life. So at 41 years of age I started working out again and by the age of 48, I found myself back in a CrossFit gym. I was hooked to say the least. In the summer of 2017 I was around 176-178 lbs. So yeah being a power of example is what drives me. 

What is you biggest fitness goal right now?
 My biggest fitness goals are first to be comfortable at around 185-188 lbs. I have about 10 pounds to go! I’d like to string sets of double unders together. From boxing for so many years, I can fly at singles faster than almost anyone. I just can’t wrap my mind around the doubles. I’ll get it and I’ll be able to fly through them once I do. I’d like to learn handstand walks and to be able to string sets of ring muscle ups and bar muscle ups together too. Work on my flexibility but most of all to stay motivated and not take anything to seriously in the gym. We have fun in our gym and I know when I’m in a class, something outrageous or inappropriate could be said. Thanks for selecting me