Ryan Cooke
Name: Ryan Cooke
Age: 33
Hometown: North Coast, Northern Ireland
How long have you been CrossFitting? Almost 10 months
What is your favorite WOD/Exercise? AMRAP’s involving power cleans / push-press. Body weight exercises are up there too, toes to bar, jump rope and pull-ups
What is your least favorite WOD/Exercise? WOD’s involving heavy squats and long runs find me having to draw on ALL my motivation. The snatch was my sworn enemy until recently but I’m treating it with a lot less suspicion lately
What is your previous workout/athletic background? I’d always shied away from the gym until I moved to Dubai and met a coach that completely changed my attitude towards exercise and nutrition. Since then exercise has been an important part of my lifestyle
What was your first experience at CrossFit Cayman like? I’m pretty sure it was ‘Helen’ & being new to the Island I had no clue where the 400m landmark was. I was excited to get stuck in after Foundations but apprehensive about joining a class of what looked like seasoned-pros. The coaches really engaged with me throughout the workout and although I was exhausted by the end of it I was already looking forward to the next WOD
What results have you seen since CrossFitting? I’ve seen an improvement in my overall fitness since starting CrossFit and also in my mindset, enabling me to keep going in the midst of a tough workout
What do you do to get yourself through a tough workout (mental thoughts, tips and tricks, etc.)? I try and keep some sense of pace with others in class that I know are strong in particular WOD’s and break down reps into what seems like manageable sub-sets if necessary. It’s always good to try and out-rep Alikie Kandler too, of course!
What's your favorite aspect about working out at CrossFit Cayman? I really enjoy how, once you step foot in the gym, your whole focus is on the WOD. The coaches are all great at keeping you motivated during a workout and I feel very lucky to be running around a Caribbean island, even for mile runs at 6:30am!
What advice do you have for someone thinking about joining CrossFit Cayman? Get involved! It’s not half as intimidating as you might think and you’ll get more out of it than you bargained for