Jacob has been a member of our community for just over a year now, and brings an infectious energy to the gym every morning to the 7:30am class, and will typically follow it up with extra work afterwards. Jacob has seen some huge improvements since starting his fitness journey with us, including losing over 45lbs! Read more to see what motivates Jacob, his daily routine, and the changes he’s made with fitness!

What does an average day-in-the-life look like for you? (food, training, work, recovery, leisure time, etc.): I am usually viciously woken up by my 6:25am air-raid like alarm and hit snooze one time to finally drag myself out of bed at 6:34am. I immediately put my AirPods in and blast my 'All Gas No Brakes' playlist on Spotify to wake myself up (give it a look, you won't regret it). I often have a couple of my coffee-chocolate-peanut butter protein balls and annihilate a banana either on my journey down Princess St. or at the gym in preparation for the 7:30am vibe session. I then poorly follow instructions and complete the WOD while bothering the entire class, chalking up for half the warm up for literally no reason, or ranting about Nickelback (and sometimes if the pre-workout hits, all three make an appearance). I then try to do some sort of mobility and pretend like my knee is against the wall for the couch stretch even though you could park a tractor-trailor between the base of the wall and my knee. This has improved if you can believe it, so stay tuned! Depending on my work and/or schedule, I stick around to do extra work. If I am not in a rush, I often try to do some sort of upper body work because I can honestly improve in all aspects. This includes variations of pushing and pulling movements with a focus on continuing to improve my pull-up capacity because why the heck not right!? I then shower, mix in a smoothie and head out to work or school feeling a lot more alive and fulfilled as I know that I got the sweat symposium out of the way. I then get home often around 4-5pm and toss my meal-prepped dinner in the microwave for an exhausting two minutes. After dinner, depending on the time, I love tossing around the pigskin, honestly watching any sporting event, doing some schoolwork and just hanging out with the peeps. I often hit the hay at about 10:00pm and aimlessly scroll on my phone for half an hour (yes I do plan for playing on my phone). I then often have dreams about the day's WOD and reflect on laughing at myself while performing various gymnastic activities that are simply a sight to behold (the 7:30 crew know exactly the grace I possess on the bar and how it does not look like a bird missing a wing). Once again however, I have made significant strides so progress is being made people!

Do you consider your training or athletic performance when you are making food choices?: Yes

Have you changed the way you eat since you began CrossFit, If so, how?: I love food; any food; any time of the day. I consider myself a person who has well balanced meals with the exception of first year university, as I had Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes on practically speed dial. Since joining the gym, I have become a lot more educated on the types of food I am putting into my body with a specific emphasis on protein intake. I found that having enough protein was a serious challenge and have become more cognizant to ensure that I am having enough protein along with greens and some sort of healthy carbohydrate for both lunch and dinner. As previously mentioned, I love my protein spheres, banana, and some pre-workout in the morning. I find through my food choices throughout the day, I have more energy which in turn translates to productivity which often leads to a darn good day. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention my past relationship with food and its intersection with fitness. In past years, I would sometimes feel ashamed if I chose to have a cheat meal or went out for a couple drinks. During this time I struggled with my weight and my appearance and would feel like i did not "deserve" to treat myself. HOWEVER, through both education on my end and with advice from many of you wonderful people, this mindset has completely shifted. Everything in moderation people! For myself, if I crave something not so optimal, I won't hesitate to indulge because a). one meal will not change a whole lot and b). I have earned this juicy burger with extra pickles from creating a slip-n-slide on the floor as a result of wall ball workouts. Through my improved nutrition regimen and attendance at the gym, I have lost roughly 45 pounds since starting at QSF which I am super proud of.

How long have you been doing CrossFit?: 1-2 years

How does training/CrossFit fit into your life?: I always joke that if you were to tell me even two years ago that I would be waking up at 6:30am (sorry 6:34am) to sweat profusely with a bunch of high-level athletes completing wild gymnastic movements and moving heaven and earth on a barbell, I would have asked if you fell out of your bed and hit your head. Flash forward to today and I simply cannot imagine a day where I don't walk into the gym hearing Big Bootie Mix Vol [insert here] and giving people a devilishly mysterious smile. My attendance in the gym is especially important to me because due to my fluctuating schedule, it is often my only source of heart pumping physical activity. Another huge benefit of implementing Crossfit into my regular schedule is that it acts as a stress reliever especially after watching the hockey team from Toronto get my hopes up for no reason (I am convinced that the leafs are the most toxic relationship I have ever been in). The ability to remove all the negativity in a way that is as healthy as physical activity is an aspect of Crossfit that is super important.

What reasons did you have to train when you started CrossFit? Have those reasons changed? If so, how?: The two things that come to mind are: motivation and stimulus. During the beginning of COVID, I lost a lot of my motivation for physical activity. I became so consumed with school and remote work that I simply shoved physical fitness far away in that kitchen drawer with all the Tupperware containers and can never find the right lid (you all know what I am talking about). While doing remote work last summer, I decided that I needed to make a change. I wanted something new and exciting and simply different than what I have done in the past. This is where the stimulus aspect comes in. For most of my life, I would often go to the gym and spend half the time scrolling through my phone. I also became tired of the concept of working only one part of my body per day (i.e. Thirsty Thigh Thursdays). This is where Crossfit comes in! I am thoroughly engaged for the entire hour and love to learn about the different techniques for various movements. Further, one of the things that I have gotten to appreciate is the functional fitness aspect of the programming and how each WOD works numerous parts of the body and has gotten me to discover things that I didn't know existed (hey forehead vein that pops out only during deadlifts for some reason).

What improvements have you made in the past 6 months that you are most proud of?: Everything. Next question. In all seriousness, it is true. Even as I write this, I get emotional just reflecting on the year at QSF and how I continue to impress myself. I remember during my first consult, I was asked what I wanted to improve and I said pull-ups and push-ups. I simply could not do a pull-up and I could not do a proper push-up. Fast forward, and I can string some pull-ups together in a WOD and did the push-up capacity for Murph a little while ago. I could go on about improvements that include but not limited to: aerobic capacity (i.e. not violently gasping for oxygen after a 200m run), Snatches, Cleans, etc. This simply would not be possible without the expertise from the coaches and the support from all of you Queen Streeters who always shoot me a smile when they see me really sending it.

Do you currently have a main focus or goal(s) with your training? : I would absolutely love to do a Muscle-Up. It looks so cool and requires so much strength and activation from different muscle groups. I would also love to be more comfortable upside-down in the form of Handstand Walks and Handstand Push-ups because once again, it is super cool and would be a great party trick to whip out. Next, mixing in some Toes to Bar would be nice. That would be unreal, and once again looks super awesome (I am a simple man I know). Lastly, the assault bike. My lord, no matter how fast I go, I feel like I am moving in slow motion and am not getting anywhere. I am usually gassed during the warm-up on that bike which is why during rehearsal I take a "bathroom break", "fill up my water bottle", or "admire the Queen Street traffic" instead of getting on the saddle of that beast.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as an athlete?: I think without a doubt my consistency and drive are my greatest strengths. I pride myself on my work ethic and dedication in my everyday life. One of the most important sentiments I think about is that I will often not be the smartest person or the fittest person in the room, but I can sure as heck try to work the hardest because that is within my control. I love to show up Monday to Saturday because I know that by simply putting on my running shoes, I am making progress and improving my overall physical and mental well-being. In terms of movements, there are a couple. Have you seen my child's pose!? Don't even get me started on my Active Spiderman (right side only though), even Peter Parker would start to get a little nervous. In all seriousness, I do consider myself a lad who has a strong lower half (from tennis) so most movements focusing on that area are a strength in my eyes.

What is one thing that you do every day that you feel is essential in contributing to your success in the gym? : A good attitude. I sometimes have to remind myself that the competition lies within myself and is not external. This sentiment also makes a guest appearance on days where I don't feel super hot and ready (Little Caesars is underrated). On these days, it is important for me to remind myself to simply do my best and to know my limit and play within it. Showing this type of restraint is also crucial to ensure that I can continue being successful in the gym and avoiding injury. Shout-out to the coaches for reeling in this wild stallion some days and ensuring that I don't do anything stupid (easier said than done let me tell you).

If you could give yourself one piece of advice when you started CrossFit, what would it be?: Enjoy the journey! Especially in an activity such as Crossfit, there really isn't a final destination because there is always stuff to improve on. I also think a really important one is to simply have fun. The community that Crossfit curates helps to make the workouts both more enjoyable and encourages me to push just a little harder. Lastly, being kind to myself is super important. Just as with everything in life, practice makes perfect and it is important to remain patient and be receptive to feedback because in the end, that is how we improve!

Do you have a go-to self-pep talk? (i.e. something you tell yourself when things get hard with training or during a workout): "Be better than you were yesterday". I love that quote because I take that in the gym and in my life. In my life, that means being a better person today than I was yesterday and in the gym it means pushing a little bit more than the day prior. I always come back to that quote because I know that if I am able to do one more rep of a movement or do a more challenging variation than in the past, then that means improvements are being made and goals are becoming that much closer to reach.

Is there anything you would like to add? : I am not sure any of you truly understand the impact you continue to have on my life. I am, by nature, a shy person (some of you may wish that is still the case) and everyone is just so incredibly welcoming and kind. I genuinely look forward to coming to the gym and to a place such as QSF that I can call a home that is full of love and authenticity. The last thing I want to add is a quote that I have picked up recently: "If you love someone, show them". Every time I step in the gym I aim to do just that with all of you because it is the QSF community that keeps me coming back every damn day.