On Episode 248 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed CrossFit Games competitor Mikko Aronpaa and CrossFit success story Steve Gifford. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012.
The Words of Wisdom are from Josh Bridges: Breaking the Mental Barrier.
7:16 Mikko Aronpaa recently competed in the Team U.S.A. vs. Team Europe competition and came on the show to talk about his experience. The Finn described the unique events and what it was like to compete with a team, but he said he feels like he still has unfinished individual business at the Games and won’t be going team anytime soon. Aronpaa described how CrossFit has grown in Finland over the past few years to the point where he’s recognized on the street as a CrossFit competitor. He also explained what he does outside CrossFit and why he tries to compete in as many events as possible to prepare him for the official CrossFit Games season.
26:15 When Steve Gifford started CrossFit, he weighed 340 lb. Sixteen months later, he’s below 210. He talked about why he wanted to start CrossFit, as well as his initial thoughts when he researched the program. Gifford explained how important the community is at his affiliate and how it provided the motivation for him to keep pushing. He spoke about being humbled on a daily basis and how he fought off discouragement, and he described how important nutrition was in helping him lose weight. Finally, he talked about being forced to CrossFit at a Globo Gym, then being a part of a brand new affiliate.