Axel Gustke
Athlete of the Month
November 2016
Axel was chosen as Athlete of the Month for his great attitude! He is always motivated to improve and strives to be a better athlete every day. He comes to class consistently and is always ready to have fun while he wods.
I’m Axel, 33 years old, I am a freelance journalist, sports writer and app developer. I grew up in Germany and moved to the US about two years ago.
I wanted to get in shape, be fit and look better. All my attempts to join regular gyms had failed because it was boring and I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. Then I was dragged to a crossfit class by a friend without ever having heard of crossfit before and I was immediately sold.
By now it has become a competitive sport to me that I strive to get better at . It’s also a lot about Feeling fit and balanced. And the community factor is especially important to me because I came to America without knowing many people and I work from home, by myself. So I look forward to going to the gym every day to interact with awesome people and meet friends.
Something like: “Wow, this really kicked my butt. I need this.” 🙂 I remember being really excited about it and telling everyone how awesome it was even though I could barely walk for about three days.
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The daily challenges with the changing workouts. I also like how it never gets easier. I remember jokingly saying “It was so hard, I died” after my very first wod – and 2 years later I still feel like that after almost every wod.
The first time I ever rx’d a wod was probably the biggest one, because it had taken me a while to get there. I was also proud after this year’s Crossfit Open for having been able to rx all 5 wods. And when I went to my first competition with the CFC team.
I like all the bodyweight stuff, especially pullups, Rope Climbs and muscle ups.
Least favorite: Front Squats and Thrusters!
My favorite wod would be either Helen or Jackie, but I also like the sense of accomplishment you feel after long grinders such as Filthy 50 or Murph.
My main goal is to constantly improve and keep getting better. So, there is always more to reach. I would also like to become good enough to start coaching at some point in the future
The working out along with a change of diet has turned me not only into a much fitter and healthier person, but also made me stronger mentally. I have become much more balanced, relaxed and health-conscious. Oh, and no more migranes.
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Watching football, basketball, soccer or any other sport. Luckily that’s also my job. Other than that i like traveling (been to 28 different countries), being outdoors, and spending time with my wife and my dogs.
It has taught me to stop making excuses and to resist the temptations of quitting or being lazy. I have translated those things to many other aspects of life and it helps me to stay consistent and focused with whatever I do.
If you really want to see changes in your fitness and health, you will have to work out hard and get out of your comfort zone. While that is something that’s very difficult to do on your own, Crossfit is designed to do just that in the most efficient way. And I know it seems expensive at first, but it was probably the best investment I ever made.
I would like to thank Steven, Andres and all the other coaches at Crossfit Chattahoochee. Your mentoring and expertise has helped me improve to an extend that I had never thought would be possible.
