February Member of the Month, Brian Knopf!

Sunday Open Gym
On The Minute x 20
Minute 1- 15/12 Calorie Row
Minute 2- 15 Shuttle Runs
Minute 3- 20 Kettlebell Swings (53/35#)
Minute 4- 20 Abmat Sit-ups

Congrats to our February Member of the Month, Brian Knopf!! Learn more about Brian below..

1. When and how did you get started with CrossFit?
I started CrossFit in July 2014.  I had absolutely no idea what it was about and had never even heard of it. I would go to the YMCA occasionally to exercise. A friend of mine told me a story about going to lunch and the waitress kept telling him about how CrossFit changed her life.  I thought to myself, “Wow, I need a change so I will give this thing a try.” I told my wife, Kristin, I was planning to go to DayBreak CrossFit and she told me there is a closer one called CrossFit Union next to the Field House.  The next day, I simply went and tried it.  The music was blaring; people were giving the workout 100%. We got to do cleans and drop the barbell letting it clang on the floor. I remember getting in the car and texting Kristin that CrossFit was so cool!  
 2. Favorite workout?/Least favorite workout?
I like variety. There is a workout called “The Seven.”  It is a Hero WOD and around 30 minutes long and has plenty of variety. It goes like this: Seven Rounds. One Round is 7 HSPU, 7 Thrusters, 7 K2E, 7 Deadlifts, 7 Burpees, 7 KB Swings, 7 Pull Ups (parts of it I scale). The short number of reps (7) for each movement lets you go unbroken. You rest between movements. The first time I tried this workout was back in the CrossFit Union days, and I could not even get past 5 rounds under the time cap. We repeated the workout a few months ago and I finished all 7 well under the time cap!  I hope we get to do it again.
 My least favorite would be anything with a walking lunge.  Walking Lunges were in the Open 16.1 and I still remember being sore for days. 
 
3. What’s the wallpaper on your phone right now?
I have an inspirational quote on my phone. It is a picture of a mountain with a cabin. It says “You weren’t born to just pay bills and die.”  The point here is to get out and experience life.   
4. What genre of music would you be?
I usually listen to country music when driving because it is pretty chill, like me.   However, the play list at Tilt II has enlightened me to other types of music. My 11 year old daughter, Madison, takes the kids class.  On Monday, she was getting ready for school and needed some cheering up. She asked for a PB&J sandwich for breakfast.  So as I am making the sandwich I put on that song by Galantis, “Peanut Butter Jelly.”  I turn around and she just laughed and said “I heard this at CrossFit!”    
5. What’s the last thing you searched for on Google?
“Elementary School Science Fair Projects” My 9 year old son, Hunter, and I need a good idea for the Loring Science Expo coming up in two weeks. Let me know if you have any good ideas.
6. What’s your favorite cheat food?
Oreo Cookies. I am working on a nutrition program with Nicole DeMichele and asked her how to incorporate Oreo’s after dinner.  
7. What superpower would you want to possess? 
The power to communicate with dogs. I always wonder what our dog Ella is thinking.   
8. Tell us three things that we may not know about you?
 Let me think…
1) So depending on when you started at Tilt you may or may not know this:  I used to be quite a bit bigger than I am now. I have actually lost 4 pants sizes and around 35 pounds since beginning CrossFit. 
2) In the summer, I bike to raise money for several charities. The longest one is a 160 mile trek from Plymouth across Cape Cod. I have both a road bike and a mountain bike. Let me know if you ever want to go biking.  
3) I will take my first swimming lesson on Saturday morning. I don’t really know how to swim and have always wanted to learn.