Athlete Spotlight
Name:Mike Gilchrist
Age:45
Occupation:Supervisor of the Specialization Shop at Cashman Equipment Company. We recondition all powertrain components; (engines, transmissions, torque converters, wheels, & differentials) for Caterpillar mining machines as well as Cat construction equipment in Nevada.
Single/married/family?Wendy & I have been married for 20 years. We have 3 great kids; Gavin 13, Kayleigh 11, and Kenny is 9.
Favorite activity outside of CrossFit?Other than spending time with my family, and or just relaxing, I have fun competing in obstacle course races like the Tough Mudder & Spartan Race.
Favorite workout music? I would have to say House music because it usually has a driving beat without singing as a distraction. Sometimes Max’s Rap choices are brutal! (like, Too Short) HAHAHA!
Do you follow paleo or zone diet?I used to follow a strict Paleo diet, but I was running out of energy too quickly. Now I just focus on eating a clean, mostly Gluten-free diet with a Saturday cheat meal to stay sane and to give the kids a break as well.
Do you, or did you play any sports?I grew up playing Baseball (Go Dodgers) and football (Go 49ers). I knew I couldn’t make a career out of it so I joined the Army soon after High School. After that I just played in Rec leagues, and used to be an avid downhill mountain bike weekend warrior. Now I’m happy with Crossfit and running in the Tough Mudder & Spartan Races.
How long have you been crossfitting?3 years now.
How many times a week do you crossfit?Due to a demanding work schedule, I’m limited to working out 3-5 days during the week. We are grateful that South offers open gym on Sundays, so now I can get in 3-6 workouts per week.
What is your favorite place to eat or cheat meal?My favorite cheat meal has always been Pizza. My favorite place to eat too much of that is Grimaldi’s, great atmosphere sitting outside in the evenings with cocktails!
Which SinCity location do you workout at, and how did you get started there?I started at the main gymfor about a year until I found out that South was opening up, which is about a mile from my house. I also met Max shortly before it opened; I appreciated how motivated he was about it. So I have been at South since it opened. I remember the first couple of months when Max & Billy would pretty much flip a coin to see who would workout with me at 4:30, since I was the only one there. I’ve met so many cool people here since then.
Favorite movement?I like all Olympic lifts, but my favorite would be Squat Cleans.
Favorite Workout?There are so many that are great. I still have trouble pacing myself at the beginning of longer workouts so my favorites would be the short and sweet ones like Grace, Isabel, Randy, and even Fran. The longer Hero workouts are awesome too though, because they mean so much to me as a Veteran and my appreciation for their sacrifices.
Least favorite movement?My least favorite movement in a workout is without a doubt the Thruster. It just destroys your body for the rest of the movements in the workout.
Why do you go to SCCF?From the first intro WOD and since – everyone I’ve met and all the trainers have been great. Before SCCF, I had only ever worked out at Global gyms, the atmosphere there became stale and stagnate. I felt like I was just showing up and punching the clock. My strength and fitness levels have skyrocketed since joining SCCF. I have had so much fun with my workouts these past few years; I would never go anywhere else.
Who is your favorite trainer?There is no way I could pick one trainer over another. When I first started, TJ, Billy, and Bobbie were my first coaches. Each one of them motivated me in a different way, and still do. It was when I moved to South with Max I realized how motivated he is as a trainer (and how much of a clown he is as a friend), that helped make the workouts even more fun.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?While in the the Army, I did a tour in the Gulf War and was shot through the foot on guard duty. After 6 months of healing and therapy I was fortunate enough to get back to running PT every morning. I was also selected (due to our PT scores) to compete with a Platoon in a team competition representing the 1st Armored division. It was the Nijmegen Road March which is a 100 mile trek. 25 miles a day with 45 lbs rucksacks in the Netherlands. Our team took 3rd place that year. Another fun-fact: my favorite movie this year was the LEGO movie. I never get tired of it watching it with my kids.
How has crossfit improved your life?CrossFit has greatly improved the quality of my life in many areas. I have a renewed inspiration for fitness. In my day-to-day life I just feel better. I was finally able to convince my wife to try it out and ultimately join. She has been a member for a little over a year now, so it’s something we can both enjoy and talk (and talk, and talk, and talk) about. It is important to us that our kids see fitness and good nutrition as a regular part of our lives.
What or who inspires you the most?The biggest inspiration to me are the new members that decide to stay with CrossFit and move from basics classes to the WODs. We all know how intimidating some of the harder WODs look when we were new. Also, it’s great to see our community come together for fund raisers or charity WODs.
Biggest achievement since you started/ what you are most proud of? I am most proud of my biggest achievement which was convincing my wife to try CrossFit (it wasn’t easy. lol). I am proud of her for sticking with it. Sharing our love of CrossFit has brought us even closer.
What are your fitness goals for this year?My goal this year is to finally take double unders more serious and be competitive with them in wods. This is the one movement that has taken me out of the Masters Open the last few years.