Darrell West - vital statistics:
Age - 51
Started CrossFit - March 2012 (literally puked after performing 1st WOD)
2020 starting weight - > 190 lbs
2020 ending weight - 151 lbs
Having started at TNT in early 2012, it’s an honor to finally be selected for AOM!
After 7 years of CrossFit 3x/week from 2012-2018, I completely fell off the wagon in 2019 and didn’t work out once. That’s right, not once. Weekly business travel, work stress, lack of sleep, increased alcohol consumption, and general laziness were my excuses for completely abandoning my wellness program and ending 2019 in a bad physical and mental state.
As 2020 started I bought a Swift 10-pack to see if I could ease back into exercising. I vividly remember Oscar saying after 10 workouts I’d feel like I was never gone. Oscar was right, but unfortunately, as I was finishing up my 10-pack in late February, COVID hit and TNT temporarily closed. When TNT reopened in May I signed up for unlimited Swift classes and started coming 4x/week. By mid-June, I decided I was going to come daily no matter what. That decision was quickly tested by my piriformis muscle and a nasty, nasty bout of sciatica. Fortunately, the amazing coaches at TNT were able to modify many movements for me as I continued to show up daily, and finally after two months of chiropractic care and stretching each evening to every video on YouTube for a tight piriformis muscle, my body slowly recovered.
Between daily Swift classes and eating “clean” (ie: eliminating processed foods), the weight kept falling off fast each week. When I dropped below 160 lbs for the first time since high school I started tracking calories on the MyFitnessPal app. Tracking calories and macros has allowed me to dial in my diet and I’ve leveled off at 151 lbs for the last two months. I had my body fat tested in a water dunk tank in early December and for the first time in my life I was under 10%...... 9.7% to be exact.
I’m extremely grateful to Oscar, all the TNT coaches, and TNT “family” members who have supported me on my recommitment to health in 2020. I easily could have let my sciatica or any number of other challenges derail me from daily exercise and eating clean. For 2021 my goals are simple...... continue clean eating, daily Swift classes, and hopefully find a way to get more than 6 hours of sleep per night.
