Alex and Olivia joined us in the summer of 2022 (Olivia first as the proverbial canary in the coalmine) and up until recently have been consistent members of our 5:30 am class. We say “recently” because they have a two-month-old baby boy and now Alex gets to go to one of our later classes which he actually prefers. (but what a great husband for getting up to do the 5:30 am class with Olivia, right??) Since they joined, Alex and Olivia have been consistently involved with our “extracurricular activities” such as the CrossFit Open, Strength Project, and Kanna book club. For more info about this awesome couple, read on!
Name
Alex and Olivia
Occupation
A: Scientist
O: Lead Clinical Data Manager
When did you start at Kanna?
A: 2022
O: July 2022
What are your favorite numbers and why?
A: 5 because counting is hard
O: 5 (lucky number), 6 (Alex’s birthday), 30 (Sammy’s birthday)
What movements do you like?
A: Power cleans, DL, leg raises
O: cleans, deadlift, dumbbell snatch, squats
What movements do you dislike?
A: Thrusters and OH squat
O: push-ups are my nemesis
What sports or fitness things did you do before Kanna?
A: Enjoyed running
O: I did sailboat racing in college, and then personal training after college to build strength
How did you find Kanna? What was your first workout?
A: Olivia bullied me into joining her for a free trial on Friday. It happened to be a day the power was out and I had a good time doing weighted good mornings and running outside
O: When we moved to the area I googled “gyms near me” and signed up for base camp! I don’t remember my exact workout, but I remember it was SUPER hot (it was July) and involved cleans and box jumps
What’s your “why” for working out?
A: I enjoying getting to move. I work at a desk all day and I go crazy without being able to just move. Working out for me is as much about mental health as physical
O: to stay strong physically and mentally, it’s the best form of self care!
What’s your favorite thing about Kanna?
A: The friendly/welcoming environment
O: the community is amazing! additionally, the programming pushes. you outside your comfort zone (in a good way) to work on movements you wouldn’t have otherwise
What are your hobbies?
A: Reading/video games/dogs/son
O: reading, baking, and taking the dogs on fun adventures!
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
A: Grew up in Ohio but I have lived in 6 states since graduating college (Ohio, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, California, Pennsylvania)
O: I was selected to race in the sailing national championships (and came in DEAD last!), also i have 8 tattoos and 2 of them are related to Alex
What PRs or accomplishments (fitness-related) are you most proud of?
A: 165 power clean 😊
O: black level deadlift! and brown for weightlifting and front squat.
What’s on your fitness bucket list?
A: Squat endurance at body weight
O: mostly just to do a push up! once I get that down a pull up would be great too.
What’s on your general bucket list?
A: Spend a trip in a European castle
O: I would love to go to Zanzibar!
What advice do you have for people new to Kanna?
A: Work with the weights that you need. Don’t be intimidated by what others are doing. You will be amazed at how far you can come by consistently showing up for yourself
O: Just try it, I was so scared to join a class instead of doing just personal training like I was used to, but i have come to enjoy the class environment even more than i thought I would!
Anything else you’d like to mention?
A: A lot of my motivation in class is good natured bullying
O: nothing I can think of 🙂
***Kanna members: The MOTM custom workout is going to be Sunday 2/11***
How does one become Member of the Month? By embodying the Kanna ideals 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!Post navigation