When we first announced that we were opening, Matt “Cramer” was one of the first ones in line. “Strong silent type” is probably the impression you’d get when you first meet him, but then you learn there are a lot of layers to Cramer. For instance, he’s an avid golfer and almost went to college for a golf-related major, loves to cook (perfect when we have potlucks!), and those aren’t even related to his profession in software development. Even though the barbell is his friend, Cramer has been putting in side work to develop his gymnastic skills, especially the butterfly pull-up. We’d like to recognize his hard work, dedication to our community, and good character by naming him our June Member of the Month. Congrats!
Name
Matt Cranmer
Occupation
Software Developer
When did you start CF?
2015, I started the Sunday after Thanksgiving (so cliche)
What are your favorite numbers and why?
8 (no reason), 12 (born in dec), 13 (sports number growing up), 28 (birthday)
What CF movements do you like?
Anything with a barbell (deadlifts, cleans, snatches, squats), pull-ups, wall balls…basically anything that’s not my answer to the next question. Favorite benchmark WODs are DT, Cindy, and Fight Gone Bad.
What CF movements do you dislike?
Burpees (I don’t actually hate burpees, I just really suck at doing them), box jumps, sumo deadlift high pulls, running.
What sports or fitness things did you do before CF?
I played team sports all year round growing up as a kid (baseball, basketball, soccer, golf) and then shifted to the LA Fitness scene of globo-gym workouts when I started working there in high school. After college and my early working years, I started running and doing P90X and Insanity workouts at home. I really liked the intensity of the video workouts but they along with running, got boring after a while.
How did you find CF? What was your first workout?
One of my friends from college kept trying to convince me to try it out for years. There was a Crossfit gym right up the street from where I used to live in Manayunk, but I never had the courage to step in the door. Finally when I moved to Conshohocken, I finally decided to give it a shot. I think my first WOD was the baseline workout with some tire flips at the end. I remember learning the snatch in my second class (Chris coached me that night) and never thought I would get the hang of it.
What’s your favorite thing about CF? (either CF in general or about Kanna or both)
I love the coaches and community here at Kanna. I enjoy how varied the workouts are so you never get bored with doing the same thing. Having other people suffer through the same WOD is much more fun than trying to motivate yourself to workout solo.
What are your hobbies?
golf, skiing, cooking, xbox, philly sports fan
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I used to be 35-40 pounds heavier coming out of college and had major chipmunk face.
What PRs or accomplishments are you most proud of? (e.g. PR on a deadlift, getting a muscle-up, participation in the Open, etc)
I recently PR’d my deadlift to 395 which I was pretty stoked about
What’s on your CF bucket list?
Get a muscle up and conquer butterfly pull-ups.
What’s on your general bucket list?
I’d like to start a family in the near future with my wife Jeanne and be a great dad. In the long term, I’d love to travel more internationally and go on some more ski trips out west.
What advice do you have for new (or experienced!) CrossFitters?
Don’t be intimidated by the movements or weights other people are using. You won’t be judged by how much/little you lift or how fast you finish a WOD. Come in and learn the movements the right way and then look to add weight/intensity later on.
***Kanna members: Cramer’s custom workout is June 1!***
“Cramer”
For time:
5 rounds for time:
12 deadlifts, 155/105#
8 hang power cleans, 155/105#
4 shoulder to overhead, 155/105#
28 wall balls, 20/14#
How does one become Member of the Month? By embodying the mission of CrossFit Kanna of Learning, Working Hard, and Having Fun. By contributing to the community and supporting others in and out of the workout. By being open to coaching and improving oneself for the sake of being better, not to “win” the workout. By just generally being a good person and having a positive attitude. And a lot more, but you get the idea!