Congratulations to Kal for being the 2023 Member of the Year!! Kal is resilient in mind and is pretty damn strong as well. Don’t challenge him to a push-up contest, it won’t end well.
I would say just about everyone at the gym knows Kal and has probably talked to him. That is for two reasons: he is always at the gym and he is always very kind and welcoming to everyone. Kal is someone who will go right up to a stranger who walks in and say hello. He is a great example of how we want members to treat the new people who come through the door at Croga Fitness.
We are very lucky to have Kal at the gym. He participates in just about every event or activity that we put on. So whether we are running group classes or running an event he will be there 90% of the days of the year.
Every year Kal has been with us he has participated in over 250 classes a year – a feat that is not easy. You can certainly tell it’s paying off because of the strength and fitness improvements he makes year after year.
We appreciate you Kal! Croga would not be the same without you. We can’t wait to see you continue to crush it inside and outside of the gym.
You’ve made a ton of progress over the past several years, what’s your driving factor?
There are two answers here – a fun one and a serious one, so we’ll start with the fun one. I’m extremely social and a huge fan of friendly competition, so the social atmosphere and being surrounded by extremely driven and athletic people have helped push me to keep coming and driving towards more progress. Trying to keep up with CJ, Taylor, Mark G, Erik, Carmen, Alexxa, and all the rest of my powerlifting and 7 AM crew really motivates me to keep pushing, but Croga really nails the delicate balance between competition and staying friendly and encouraging. I know that CJ will call me weak or small if I’m sandbagging, but he’ll still give me a fist bump at the end and say he’s proud of me. That attitude is embodied by everyone here including the coaches: we’ll give each other a hard time during the workout, but afterward, we’re always in each other’s corners.
For the serious one: the fantastic coaching to help adapt to my mobility and skeletal limitations has been a huge motivator. I can work out alone, but it’s too easy to make excuses without the extra push from our programming and coaches to help me figure out what is a true limitation and what we can push on.
What fitness goal are you most proud of accomplishing this past year?
I have hit – and surpassed – so many of my goals this year that it’s hard to count. Joining the 1000lb club is a huge one, which included hitting a 405lb deadlift (+70lb from 2022), a 270lb bench (+30lb from 2022), and a 335lb squat (+35lb from 2022). Running again, after finally finding the right combination of medicine and movement that would let me. Completing my first partner competition thanks to the push from Carmen. Beating CJ’s time in a judged workout. He’ll tell you otherwise, but the numbers don’t lie.
What are some of your biggest fitness goals for this upcoming year?
I really want to get a muscle-up again at the weight I am. I was able to do bar muscle-ups when I was 30lbs lighter, but putting that much weight on my lifts has cost me the muscle-up. I want to get it again without sacrificing the muscle I’ve gained, and not just bar muscle-up, I’d love a ring muscle-up too! I’d also love to hit a 225 clean & jerk, but I have a ways to go for that!
What’s your favorite way to “use your fitness” outside the gym?
I love outdoor activities, especially if they involve some sort of physical aspect. Golf has been the latest hobby I picked up after our awesome Scramble event in May, and knowing that I can carry my bag and walk the whole course without struggle is great. I also do woodworking, and having the strength to throw around heavy logs and lumber as well as being on my feet for 8-9 hours on a Saturday is really nice.
What’s your favorite gym pump-up song?
Oh boy. This is a complex question with many answers, so I’m just gonna fire off a quick list.
Sea Shanty/Rowing Workout: Valhalla Calling – Miracle of Sound ft. Peyton Parrish
Sea Shanty/Partner Workout: We All Lift Together – Keith Power
PR Song: Bombs Away – Mark with a K
Short and Fast Workout: Speedom – Tech N9ne ft Eminem
Longer Workout: BeastMode – Yellow Claw
Heading to the Gym: Legends Never Die – Against the Current
Christmas Workout: This Christmas (I’ll Burn It To The Ground) – Set It Off
What food could you never give up?
Oh man. Specific food? YamaChan Japanese Chicken Wings. I swear they’re dusted with some sort of illicit substance because I don’t think I’ve ever eaten less than 20 in one sitting. General food? Vietnamese Iced Coffee. I know they’re 300-400 calories each, but they became my Sunday tradition during COVID and now it doesn’t feel like a Sunday without one.
What are your favorite pizza toppings?
I’m a huge Carnivore Pizza fan. My favorite is “The Fridge” from Pizza Chicago in Santa Clara: it has pepperoni, sausage, bacon, black olives, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Extremely good.
What’s your favorite adult beverage?
I barely drink anymore, but when I did I basically only drank very sweet drinks. I absolutely love Mead, which is a wine distilled from honey and generally is syrupy and sweet. For about 10 years it was my tradition to drink Mead on New Year’s, and I still get a craving for it around this time.
Otherwise, I got pretty deep into non-alcoholic cocktails during COVID when I wanted the ritual of drinking without actually drinking since I’m more of a social drinker. My favorites are Kin Euphorics and Three Spirit Livener, both of which have adaptogenic mushrooms and other herbs more akin to a tea than an alcohol which give you a similar “buzz” to alcohol but don’t really have the other effects. I love drinking those: they are a special occasion drink that puts me in the mood similar to alcohol but I don’t feel terrible the next day!
If you could have a conversation with anyone that ever existed (dead or alive) who would it be?
I’m not sure I could answer this one because so many come to mind. Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla, Terry Fox, Barack Obama, and a whole bunch of people with different things to say.
What Hogwarts House are you in?
No question, I’m a Hufflepuff. They’re not the heroes or the villains, they’re not particularly smart or ambitious, but they show up. They’re always there for their friends and they’re always having a good time doing it.
Marvel or DC? Who’s your favorite superhero?
Marvel. DC has some good characters but they take themselves too seriously for my taste. Classic Iron Man is my favorite: rich, handsome, brilliant inventor who saw the horrors of war and decided to put a stop to it. Witty and doesn’t take himself too seriously, until he needs to.
Any shoutouts or things you’d like to add?
Shoutout to my 7 AM crew: Carmen, Alexxa, Julianna, Ethan, Erin, James, Erik, and anyone else I may have missed. You guys make waking up super early bearable every morning and I love you for it.
Shoutout to my Powerlifting crew: Aviv, Mark G, Erik, Tony, Taylor, CJ, Johnny, Richard, Gary, Justin, Ethan, Paul, Mike, and anyone else I may have missed. Y’all push me harder than I could push myself to really hit the barbells hard.
Shoutout to the coaches: Carmen, Julia, Taylor, Nick, and Cody. The programming and support from you guys is unmatched.
Shoutout to my wife: Ann-Marie. For not complaining too much when I take over her sewing studio with barbells and the rowing machine, for not yelling at me when I snooze my alarm at 6:40 AM every morning, and for always being my Saturday morning partner WOD champ.
Things I’d like to add:
I don’t know if I get to do this but I’m going to anyway. HERE’S MY MEMBER OF THE YEAR WOD:
We Are Vikings
For Time, as a partner workout, split however you like
1200m row (row ashore)
400m plate carry (storm the beach with your shield)
100 kettlebell swings (should be sledgehammer hits, but we don’t have those!)
400m plate carry (run back to the ships with your spoils)
1200m row (row back to camp)
Optional but recommended: play the song We Are Brothers by RAVEN feat. Strong Viking as the first song during the workout.
Love you guys and looking forward to smashing our goals in 2024!
Thanks,
Kal.
