Scott has been a member at the gym since the summer of 2019, and was originally an early evening regular, but has recently switched to the early mornings. Scott has been doing CrossFit for over 4 years now, after switching from traditional weight training. Keep reading to learn more about Scott!

What does an average day-in-the-life look like for you? (food, training, work, recovery, leisure time, etc.): My days have found a little bit more of a regular routine since I have joined the 6:30am club.

Typically I am up at 5:30 for a coffee and get a few minutes to hangout with Duke (doggo) and Tobi (kitten), then it's off to 6:30 class.

I head straight from the Gym to my office at Kingston Orthopedic Pain Institute (KOPI) where I shower and get ready for the day. From there, I am typically in the clinic from 8:30-3:30pm. At KOPI I work as a Sport & Exercise medicine physician - working with athletes, active people with arthritis, and patients who have suffered from concussions - amongst a myriad of other things!

My post work routine usually involves a 20-30 minute nap (my happy place), and a walk with Duke and Brie before dinner. After dinner we will usually settle in for a couple of episodes of whatever we are watching at the time, or maybe a leafs game.

On weekends you will often see me in the stands down at Leon's working with the Frontenac's medical staff.

Otherwise Brie and I are likely sitting somewhere enjoying a coffee and a crossword, or a drink on a patio with some friends!

Have you changed the way you eat since you began CrossFit, If so, how?: Over the last few years I have been pretty consistent with an Intermittent Fasting type of diet. It certainly is not for everyone, but I have especially found that it helps me perk up in the morning, and I have found it overall very beneficial for me!!

I follow the typical 16/8 breakdown - so I fast between 8pm and noon. Although, I am admittedly significantly less consistent on the weekends!!

Overall I'd like to think I eat a pretty well balanced diet. Smoothies are a very important part of my life - I would happily survive only on smoothies for the rest of my life. Dinners usually consist of something like a stir-fry or a salad with protein. Oh, and don't forget the post-dinner ice-cream cone.

How does training/CrossFit fit into your life?: Exercise has always been my outlet to maintain my sanity and deal with stress! I always did my best to stay active through a busy school schedule and exam seasons. Continuing that habit into my career was always going to be very important. I find CrossFit/QSF allows me to maintain that active outlet whilst being very convenient (in & out in an hour), keeping exercise novel, and social. I can't picture myself ever not doing CrossFit for the rest of my life.

What reasons did you have to train when you started CrossFit? Have those reasons changed? If so, how?: In 2018 I sustained a concussion which unfortunately had a prolonged recovery of about 4-5 months. My biggest frustration during this time was my inability to exercise without exacerbating my symptoms.

As I recovered, and my exercise tolerance was increasing - I found myself struggling to get motivated with returning to physical activity and a friend reluctantly dragged me to my first ever CrossFit class.I have been hooked ever since!I was greatly drawn to the camaraderie, variety, and the competitive environment.

What improvements have you made in the past 6 months that you are most proud of?: 

I have never been a morning person, and I always wished I could be. I decided to give it a go, and stick with it - although I am not crazy enough to be a member of the rooster crew - I have been a consistent 6:30am regular for at least 6 the last months!

Oh...and I got 5 unbroken ring muscle-ups.

Do you currently have a main focus or goal(s) with your training? : Now that ring muscle-ups are in the rear view mirror I have a few things I am hoping to work on in the coming months.

I am looking forward to getting back to outdoor runs during WODs as the weather is getting nicer and the restrictions are getting lifted! Running used to be a big part of my life, and I would love to incorporate it more regularly into my extra work and workouts.

I am also hoping to improve my thoracic mobility! It is definitely something that I think could make a big difference in a lot of skills.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as an athlete?: Over time I think I have developed a good sense of being able to listen to my body. I think I have a pretty good understanding of knowing when I need to rest, when I need to scale, and when I need to give the hell up. Oh...and deadlifts. Definitely deadlifts.

What is one thing that you do every day that you feel is essential in contributing to your success in the gym? : Warming up my shoulders/rotator cuff!!!!! Very very rarely will you see me start a WOD without having done at least 3-5 sets of rotator cuff warmup exercises.

I can't stress the importance of both shoulder mobility and rotator cuff stability in keeping our shoulders happy and healthy.

From my years of contact sports - I had to deal with a myriad of shoulder injuries, both acute and chronic, so I ensure that I always prioritize shoulder & scapula stability to keep me going with CrossFit.