Athlete Feature: Dip Desai
Most people find CrossFit Central through a referral or through a simple Google search, but for Central Athlete, Dip Desai, he found CrossFit Central Downtown on a leisurely run.
“So I found CC while running to town lake. I used to pass it all the time and I saw people working out doing all sorts of exercises that looked very interesting and challenging. Initially I was intimated because the athletes were doing lots of olympic lifting and everyone looked very intense. So I did some research on CC, read a lot of good reviews, saw all the information online and decided to take on the challenge. That was almost 6 months ago, I’m so glad I joined CC.”
Before ‘running’ across CrossFit Central, Dip found it difficult to balance his nutrition and workout routine with his chaotic schedule, which led to a dead end of fruitless results.
“Prior to CC I always did some sort of exercise but never regularly. My schedule was very hectic with not a lot of spare time so I couldn’t workout regularly, I wasn’t eating well, I did not feel good and I was constantly tired. I felt like I couldn’t relieve any stress. Naturally I did not see much benefit from the sporadic exercise that I did because of my diet and lack of consistency. So basically I felt frustrated that despite whatever efforts I made I wasn’t getting anywhere, no results to show for my efforts, which didn’t help motivate me to workout more.”
Since joining the CrossFit Central Community (six months ago) Dip has regained his confidence and starting to meet his goals while establishing new ones!
“So in the last 6 months I have lost almost 2-3% body fat, dropped my BMI a couple of points, lost 10 lbs. I feel great, my clothes fit better, I get better sleep. I’ve become more conscientious about what I eat because I can feel the difference when I am doing my WOD. When I started I didn’t know anything about the olympic lifts, now I’ve become confident in my form and I am adding weight each time. I have met new people through CC and being new in town the best part of coming to a WOD was that people (coaches and fellow athletes) recognized me, it was one place that someone knew me, expected me to be there and greeted me with a smile.”
“Even though everyone is an individual, CC makes a consistent effort of making you feel as if everyone is in on it together, like a team. You feel motivated to comeback because you know someone is expecting, should you miss a WOD or be absent, people always say hey I haven’t seen you in a bit, were you traveling, are you in a different class now? As a newbie to Austin it felt good to know that CC I wasn’t just a random anonymous person, the coaches made sure of that.”
Through consistent work and dedication Dip has been able to break through barriers he had once had in place, limiting him from achieving ‘success’. Now there’s nothing stopping him!
“Before CC I used to think that something were probably not possible for me because I just never seemed to improve (like in pullups), however I come to find that with proper technique, consistent effort and practicing routinely I am able to do a lot of movements that I felt were impossible. I am doing pullups (something that I always struggled with), I am putting up more weight in squats and deadlifts than I thought was possible for me and all this is only in 6 months. I really credit the coaches (Taylor, Teo, Jeremy, Nader) for this because they make such an effort to get to know you, your strengths and weakness so they help you focus in what you should be doing to improve. They really watch your form and technique which helps in avoiding injury and helps seeing results steadily. When I first started I used to dread the workouts but I kept going and sure enough now I look forward to them. Initially I was just trying to finish the WOD now I want increase the weight I use or perform the WOD for time. CC makes me wonder how much I can accomplish and what I can challenge myself with next in the next 6 months.”
Outside of CrossFit Central Dip has seen a change in his relationship, work and personal life as well.
“My friends and family have all commented on how I am in a different shape than what I used to be. I feel more alert and sharp in my thought process and day to day activities. I feel more active and despite my schedule or how fatigued I am, I look forward to going to CC regularly; if i can’t make my class then I try to make another class or make it up with the Flex classes. The way I feel after a WOD is what keeps me coming back even if I am tired, that feeling of accomplishment is so profound that it helps me power through any thoughts to be lazy. During the WOD is when my mind is the clearest and most focused it is all day because all I am concentrating on is what I need to do, my form, my technique and finishing the WOD, nothing else matters when I am there.”