Athlete Profile: Simon Payne

How long have you been at CrossFit West Houston?

I started at CFWH in early summer of 2010. 
How long have you been CrossFitting ?

I started Crossfitting in Spring of 2009 at Wine Country Crossfit, a little garage gym, which is now a box.  It is located where I grew up, in Napa California.
What brought you to CrossFit West Houston?

I was coming off a shoulder injury and looking for a CrossFit gym that had intelligent programing and coaches conscientious of their athletes movements.  My wife was curious about CF and attended a CFWH class.  She commented about the number of women been higher then she expected.  I took this as an indication the CFWH might be what I was looking for.  In my opinion, one sign of a well run Crossfit box is a diverse cliental in age and ability.  If the only people in your gym are young fit guys, there is a good chance you either injured or scared away a bunch of people who otherwise would have loved CrossFit.  I could care less about demographics.  I believe the most important measure of an athlete is their perseverance in seeking improvement, and little else.  After attending a couple of classes I was comfortable that the aim of CFWH was in line with my personal Crossfit goals… So I decided to keep coming.

What did you do for exercise before CFWH? 

Prior to CrossFit I was a endurance guy, riding my bike at least 75 miles and running about 25 miles a week .  The running was my “cross training.”  On a heavy 6’2″ frame eventually overuse injuries began to creep up on me.  While I love cycling, it has a unique ability to tax your back without giving you any additional strength there.  My back was always sore.  I was anemically thin from all the volume and a vegetarian diet.  I had done some research into resistance training and was doing “Runners World” type cross training in my garage.  It was limited and I was probably doing more damage then good.  Eventually one of my cycling friends suggested Crossfit.  It took my some time to get over how intimidated I was by all of it, but eventually I took an intro class. 
What do you like most about CFWH?

In some ways I feel like there is a degree of vulnerability necessary to push yourself hard in any activity.  Nobody who is working hard should look pretty at the end of a difficult workout.  My favorite thing about CFWH is that I feel comfortable giving it my all.  Nobody is judging me, and I feel inspired by others to try challenging things.
What is your favorite CrossFit move/exercise?

Rowing or Deadlifts.  I can’t decide because they are so different.
What is your least favorite?

Burpees…  But not in the generic way everybody dislikes burpees.  I genuinely HATE burpees with every fiber of my body they use.  Sadly that’s most of the body. 
What were your goals when you started CrossFit?

I was mostly just looking for a weight training program to make me a better cyclist.
How has CrossFit helped you work toward your goals?

Crossfit redefined my goals, and changed how I look at fitness.  I know that sounds “culty,” but it is true.  It’s not a popular position within the CF community, but I don’t believe that CrossFit has the capacity to make an elite endurance athlete better at their sport.  (For an amateur athlete however, CrossFit might offer serious gains.)  My personal journey in goal setting has been one of coming to terms with the limitations of endurance athleticism.  I could become a really good cyclist, but would that be worth giving up basic functional movement like get into a squat?  And how does that fit into the bigger picture?  Do I want to be some bent over 65 year old, or do I want to be functionally strong, flexible and able to call myself an athlete later in life?  In forcing me to confront my preconceived notions about fitness, CrossFit has done more for me then help achieve a particular goal.  Instead CrossFit became the genesis of a new journey and new perspective.
What has changed in your life since coming to CrossFit?

In terms of fitness I am feeling much healthier then I did two and a half years ago.  I’m less worn out, more flexible and a whole ton stronger.
What are your current CrossFit goals?

Flexibility: Toes to the wall, neutral back, below parallel air squat. (End of April)
Strength: King Kong, RX  (I hope before the end of the year, but I will take the pieces as they come.)