Cristian Ballesteros

We are happy to announce that CrossFit 646’s Athlete of the Month for July 2017 is Cristian Ballesteros!

Here is what Cristian had to say about his experience at 646:

1. How long have you been a member of CrossFit 646?

I have been a member for a little over a year now.

2. What motivated you to start CrossFit?

Matt was my biggest motivator starting out. I trained under Coach York for 2 years in high school before joining the gym and knew that it was a perfect fit for me since I wasn’t playing any sports. I grew up playing sports, (baseball, soccer and football) and couldn’t live without my competitive edge and when I found CrossFit I found it once again.

3. What motivates you to continue pushing yourself?

The 646 community continues to push me the most. Knowing everyday that I can to come into the gym and see everyone’s smiling faces pushing through the day’s wod, Knowing that everyone wants to see me succeed as much as I want to see them succeed motivates me to push myself.

4. Have you met any large goals since you’ve been a member of CrossFit 646?

My biggest goal was to be under 15% body fat, as of now I’m around 12%. I can now snatch 90 kg and clean and jerk 112 kg. I recently was able to do 100 double unders in under a minute.

5. It takes a village to accomplish major goals. Is there anyone who helped you or inspired you to meet your goals that you’d like to thank?

Well, first of all, I’d like to thank my coaches Matt and Mel. They are seriously the hardest working people I know. Their determination in bettering themselves, their business and the members of the gym is second to none. I’d also like to thank literally everyone in the gym. If it wasn’t for you guys, my day would definitely be way more boring and I don’t what I’d do without you. A special thanks goes out to my competitors (Rachel, Courtney, Eli, Josh etc.) everyday I strive to be like you guys in and out of the gym because yes, I guess I am one of the babies in the gym.

6. Do you have any goals that you’re focused on right now?

My main focus right now is qualifying for Junior Nationals. I want to be able to snatch 100 KG and clean and jerk 120 KG before the year ends.  I’d also like to able to do 300 double unders in 3 minutes and become more efficient at rope climbing.

7. If you had to give one piece of advice to someone just starting out at CrossFit 646 what would it be?

My one piece of advice would be to JUST DO IT and stay consistent ! This may sound cliche but I was once a beginner where walking into the gym things were very intimidating, seeing people flying on the rig and watching bars being thrown around like they were paperweights. I learned very quickly that there was a scaled option for every movement so everyone got a chance to work towards the Rx’d version. Consistency doesn’t mean you have to be at the gym everyday of the week but by making the trip 2 or 3 times a week you will see a huge difference.

8. What do you love about CrossFit?

Man where do I start! Crossfit has changed my life completely. I have met some of my closest friends and coolest people I know through Crossfit. But what I love most about Crossfit is how welcoming the community is. It reminds me of my own family and that’s one of the most important things to me.

Cristian, we’re incredibly proud of how you have grown as a CrossFitter, but also as a person over the past year!  We are so happy to call you a member of our gym and a friend.  Congratulations on everything you have accomplished, good luck with all of your goals, and congratulations on earning CrossFit 646’s Athlete of the Month!  Earned, not given!