Bo Stephan

  

Occupation:
Golf Professional

Which class time do you usually attend?
6 AM

How long have you been CrossFitting?
I did some introductory workouts that Matt programmed for me before i1uvit opened, but they were pretty basic. I started CrossFitting full-time when i1uvit opened in January 2013.

How did you find CrossFit i1uvit?
I met Matt when he moved up here and got to work with him for a while at Homestead. I knew of his involvement with coaching and he was awesome enough to work with my golf team at Western Washington University, doing some early morning training sessions with them on campus. When I found out that he was opening a gym, it was a no-brainer. I was there the first day that he opened and I’ve been going ever since.

What is your athletic/fitness background?
I played college golf at Western Washington University for four years and I continue to coach the women’s golf team at Western. I’ve always been interested in a bunch of sports and outdoor activities, but throughout high school I knew that I was most competitive as a golfer and if I wanted to play an intercollegiate sport, it was going to be golf.

Favorite W.O.D.
My favorite WOD is also the first WOD I did at i1uvit…HELEN!

Favorite lift or movement:
Muscle-ups. I’m not the best at them but I love doing them and love when they’re in WODs. I think they’re such a great challenge.

Least favorite W.O.D.
Ummm…definitely 7 minutes of burpees! I had the pleasure of doing that particular WOD at 6 AM and I was the only one in class!

Least favorite movement:
For those of you that made it to Cretus in Lynnwood early this year, you know without question my least favorite movement is any type of L-Sit. More specifically…L-Sits on parallettes. I hate them, and sometimes lie in bed at night dreading having to do them once again….Seriously!

Favorite life quote:
I honestly don’t have a favorite saying or phrase. I do like the word “Believe” though. I think it’s such a great motivator during a workout since it applies to everyone, at every level and is a quick inspiration to help push through a tough moment, movement or workout.

Favorite “guilty pleasure” food:
Currently asada tacos from pretty much any taco truck (soon to be replaced by any & all burritos at Chipotle) & Ben & Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns Ice cream (if you haven’t tried it you’re missing out). I have way too many guilty food pleasures and it was really tough to narrow it down to these two.

How has CrossFit changed your life, lifestyle, and level of fitness?
I just love how it has made me feel. It has totally changed the way that I eat, drink and rest. I know when I’m working out at 6AM the next morning that I need to eat quality foods the night before, drink a ton of water and get to bed at a good hour or I’m going to be feeling it during the WOD the next morning.

Who or what motivates/inspires you to keep coming back?
The thing that keeps me coming back is definitely everyone in this gym. I love my fellow 6AM peeps, but when I can’t make the early class, I love that everyone in every other class throughout the day is just as awesome and just as inspiring. There is such a positive vibe of people just trying to improve and get better/healthier/faster/stronger that it is honestly hard not to be motivated.

What is your proudest CrossFit achievement?
My proudest CrossFit achievement is seeing how much my two kids are into it. They’ve been to all of the competitions that I have participated in and it absolutely cracks me up when we get home and one of them is doing “burpees over the foam roller” while the other one has the pad of paper and is judging. :-) I love that THEY can’t wait until they’re old enough to start CrossFitting.

Name one goal/personal achievement you would like to achieve through CrossFit?
I only recently started recording workout times. The goal that I want to achieve is just to get better at lifts and workouts that are comparable. I love looking back through my book and comparing how I did on a similar workout a few months back.

Hobbies/Interests outside of CrossFit?
I love spending time with my wife Kim and two beautiful girls, Rian & Izzie. I also love to golf and I’m so glad that I’m able to do that as a profession.

Any advice for new members?
Just give it a try. In the year & a half that I have been going to i1uvit, two things stand out that absolutely blows me away:
How fit people have gotten and how much fun the process of getting fit is.

Workouts are different each day and week, and there are definitely movements that are a struggle while you learn them, but if you try it and stick with it you’ll improve so much and get so much fitter in the process.

Any additional thoughts/shout-outs/comments:
I can’t begin to give enough praise to the coaches of the gym for being the motivators that they are. I’m always so impressed with how well all of the coaches at i1uvit know each and every member. What weight to use, any physical limitations and exactly when to push you a little bit harder during the WOD.

Thank you also to all the members who are so supportive of me and each other. And special shout out to the 6AM class. It’s not easy to be nice at 6 in the morning sometimes but you all are awesome!