August Athlete of the Month: Mason Wesenberg

Congratulations Mason, you are the NoCoast Athlete of the Month!

To start, we want to give Mason and Caitlin a huge congratulations on the birth of their new baby boy. Mason and Caitlin have been a part of the NoCoast community for close to a year now, and Mason has found himself excelling in our community both physically and socially. We appreciate how hard Mason works each and every day and we love that he is one of the most easy going guys, who loves to chat it up with everyone.

Congrats on Athlete of the Month, as well as the growth of your family, and we hope to see Caitlin back at the gym working out with you soon!

Quotes from Mason:

“I am a technical, individual contributor in my current role at my company. I also work from home. This all translates to I don’t interact with a lot of people during my day. CrossFit classes allow me to share and engage with other people. Even if it's just for 60 minutes a day, it goes a long way and I want the people who I workout with, who coach me, to know that.”

“It (CrossFit) just seemed to make any physical feat easier to accomplish and gave us the confidence to dive into new ones with relative ease. Now with two growing kids, my wife has the confidence in me and my ability to carry any size stroller(s) and pack mule any items for our children regardless of how heavy or oddly shaped or inconvenient they may be. Thanks, CrossFit.”

“My nutritional approach, as well as my general life philosophy, is anchored in the 80/20 rule. During the week or 80% of the time, I eat clean and drink tons of water. I usually have, at minimum, one salad or spinach smoothie per day. During the weekend or 20% of the time, I overindulge in food and drink.”

Age/Weight:

33, #220

Athletic/Sports history/highlights:

Track, Basketball, and Football in high school. A quad tear during senior year of high school kept me from running track in college – ended up rowing for two years in college.

How long have you been CrossFitting?

On and off since 2007.

How did you get into CrossFit?

I was looking for a way to stay in shape during college and one of my roommates had heard about CrossFit from a buddy out in CA. We started learning about the methodology and completing the WODs off the main website.

What is your favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?

Helen

What is your least favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?

Fran and Snatches

What is your most memorable CrossFit moment?

Summer of ’08. My childhood friend and I were both back home for the summer from college and we put together a makeshift garage gym at his parent’s house, piecemealing various free weights and equipment together - modifying the heck out of exercise movements to complete the CrossFit main site WODs. When we weren’t working our summer jobs, we were working out. We made a makeshift pull-up bar strapping old steel plumbing pipe to 2x4’s that hung from the garage rafters. Built plywood boxes for box jumps. When there was rowing in the workout, we substituted with barbell sumo-deadlift high pulls. When there were wall-ball shots, we did thrusters with the barbell. No sandbags for over the shoulder carries? No problem – partner carry. Hot, humid Wisconsin summer days filled with horse flies and mosquitos. No music, stale air, no-frills training. We got fitter and pushed mental boundaries. What more can you ask for?

How does nutrition play a role in your fitness and recovery?

My nutritional approach, as well as my general life philosophy, is anchored in the 80/20 rule. During the week or 80% of the time, I eat clean and drink tons of water. I usually have, at minimum, one salad or spinach smoothie per day. During the weekend or 20% of the time, I overindulge in food and drink.

How has CrossFit improved your overall wellness?

I am a technical, individual contributor in my current role at my company. I also work from home. This all translates to I don’t interact with a lot of people during my day. CrossFit classes allow me to share and engage with other people. Even if it's just for 60 minutes a day, it goes a long way and I want the people who I workout with, who coach me, to know that.

How has CrossFit changed your family?

It’s allowed health and exercise to be a big part of our lives and taught us a lot about food, nutrition, and physiology. My wife is a L1 CrossFit coach and has “CrossFitted” with me on and off since we met in college. In the past, when we weren’t “CrossFitting”, we were trail running or triathlon training or road cycling. Elements of CrossFit have always enhanced and supplemented those shared activities. It just seemed to make any physical feat easier to accomplish and gave us the confidence to dive into new ones with relative ease. Now with two growing kids, my wife has the confidence in me and my ability to carry any size stroller(s) and pack mule any items for our children regardless of how heavy or oddly shaped or inconvenient they may be. Thanks, CrossFit.

Advice to new people:

Always have fun and promote encouragement. If you think of exercise as an arduous act or chore, it will just be another habit or hobby that dies on the vine. Celebrate your victories, however small. When you fail, fail fast. Temper your emotional expectations with your physical limitations – you’ll be better off in the long-run. Always thank the coaches.