Neal Horstmeyer

How has CrossFit 30004 impacted your life?
Constantly being active with my sons and all their sports helps me realize that I’m currently in the best shape of my life through CrossFit. The level of my endurance surprises me every week, and my strength gradually continues to increase. However, the biggest impact is the muscle I’ve put on the past year. While I realize most people struggle with losing weight, I have always had the opposite problem: I couldn’t seem to make the muscle stick. I’ve always been somewhat active and have hit the gym for years, but I’d plateau around 180 lbs. Recently, I’ve pushed past 200 lbs.! This is truly unheard of for me, and I feel like I still have more room to grow.

What is your best CrossFit memory/experience/event, etc?
The Friday Night Lights Open competition was by far my favorite event. Hitting the Open WODs each week I found there was another gear in me that I could use to fight harder and push myself further. And as I worked together with my team, it pushed me past where I thought I could go. I’ll never forget when I was on the rower during [Open workout] 17.4, and my now 9-year-old son was cheering me on only a couple feet away. There’s no way I was going to stop with that type of motivation.

What keeps you coming back each day/week?
Beyond the massive improvement in fitness, my mental toughness has tremendously improved. Throughout all these workouts, week in and week out, it has trained my mind to be more present with what’s in front of me. These workouts can be so taxing that it requires all of you, and the only thing you can focus on is that next rep or not dropping the heavy weights over your head. It’s next to impossible for your mind to drift to work issues or how a meeting went earlier in the day when you have that kind of pressure (literally) hanging over you. Surrounded by so many distractions throughout the day, this has helped train my mind to be just as present when I’m in the middle of a big project at work and even at home with my family.