Matt has recently stepped his game up at the gym and was a unanimous decision for Athlete Of The Month. While being a bodyweight movement ninja, he has really taken to the weightlifting side of CrossFit and strives to be better every day. He is part of the foundation of our 5:30am class and always has a positive attitude no matter how big the suckfest of a workout is that day. Keep on keepin’ on Kessler!
A few words from Matt in regards to his time here at EDCF:
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1. When did you join EDCF? How did you find the gym? What was your first impression or how did that first workout go? I started the intro class last March (2015) after my wife convinced me that I would “love crossfit” and we went to a free Saturday class. I’m pretty sure she completely kicked my ass at everything as she was a college athlete and I hadn’t been physically active in about a decade. So it was rough. Now that I’ve been going for awhile she likes to tell me how hard it was not to laugh every time I’d come home from those first workouts, red-faced looking like I was about to vom.
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2. What class time do you attend the most, are there any regular members you work out with at that time?
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I’m a 5:30 am guy after trying to piecemeal together a workout schedule from “convenient” times after work. I decided sometime in the last year that crossfit attendance was non-negotiable and pretty much make every day, unless some odd work thing pops up. Typically the outside crew involves Jim, Jordan, Sitser, and Tyler, among others, with varying frequency. Drew always kicks my ass when she’s around, too.
3. Tell us a little about yourself, What is your life like outside the gym? Where do you work, do you have kids/pets/spouse/partner? What is your favorite hobby outside the gym?
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I’m a landscape architect with Mesa Design Group, so my days are spent drawing trees and such, and weekends are spent out in the garden with my wife Kristan, and our two pups, Annie and Ginger. Deep down I’m a pretty big plant nerd, and crossfit has made yard work way easier, unless we do thrusters on a Friday.
4. What do you like about CrossFit or EDCF that keeps you coming back?
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I think the best part of EDCF is the community and instruction. I like getting pushed to do things I didn’t think I could do, and considering I’ve never really spent any time in a gym, it’s nice to be shown how to do things so I don’t get crushed by thousands of pounds. I like knowing that if I don’t show up, I’ll get crap for taking a day off to be lazy, or getting that judgmental look when I’ve skimped on adding plates to a workout. I need that kind of thing to keep me working at max capacity.
5. What is your favorite lift or exercise or type of workout? What is one of your short term and long term goals? For some reason I like squats, particularly back squats – I have no idea why, and anything with body weight for time. It’s the only benefit of being the same weight since 8th grade. (I’m 32…) Short term goals are just to figure out butterfly pull-ups, muscle ups, and keep working on anything involving a barbell. I watch a lot of YouTube videos on lifting and technique, so I like to test out the different tricks and tips to find the best way to lift things that are way heavier than Matt K circa 2014 should be trying to pick up. Long term is to still be here a year from now, work every exercise to failure, and build some dang deltoids for once in my life. |