It's Saturday, which means another athlete feature!
Meet the Moga Pants guy
Name:
Jarrell Julien
Favorite nicknames:
Idk, "the Moga
pants guy." I guess don't really have a favorite nickname. I have a
childhood nickname that's followed me around for a long time, but that name
shall never be discussed over the interwebs.
Hometown:
Donaldsonville, LA
Age: 28
Occupation: Realtor
Maxes
Strict Press: 160#
Back Squat: 370#
Front Squat: 315#
Deadlift: 415#
Snatch: 195#
Clean: 275#
Jerk: 255#
Overhead Squat: Idk#
Bench Press: 275#
Favorite WoD: Helen (pull ups are my
jam). (Author's note: WHO SAYS SHIT LIKE "pull ups are my jam"? Jarrell, you're a sick individual.)
Least favorite WoD: KAREN!! I'd rather
have my toe nails chewed off by Steve Buscemi. (Ouch. Steve's teeth would be rough on the toe.)
Describe your sports and fitness
background:
Everything! I've played some basketball and football and ran track
in grade school. Besides that stuff, I try to dabble in everything. Billiards,
bowling, tennis, table tennis, golf, etc... Would love to try archery one day.
How did you first get exposed to
CrossFit?:
The same place everyone learns anything from: TV! One day after
leaving my regular gym session of
Monday-arms and back
Tuesday- core and cardio
Wed-skipped leg day...
I realized I was getting bored of it and as I'm
thinking this, I happened to see a Reebok commercial. I saw people doing push
presses, box jumping, lunging, and it looked like what I was looking for. So, I
googled the commercial, found out it was called crossfit, googled crossfit and
found Red Stick Crossfit.
Pre-Crossfit. That's not Paleo, Jarrell.
What was your first WOD like?:
My first
WOD was Angie ( 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 air squats) and it
felt like death. I remember hitting the 35-40 pull up mark and thinking
"there's gonna be a problem here." I swallowed my pride, got a
band for the rest of the pull ups and just chipped away at the rest. It was
20-30 mins of feeling like I was gonna die. I wanted to give up but I didn't
and after it was over, I was proud that I didn't. So, I came back after I got
over all the soreness, which was about a week later.
What sort of changes have you seen in
your body since starting CrossFit (before and after):
Seen? Not much, but
I guess it's because I see myself everyday and I don't notice it until I see a
really old pic of myself. My friends tell me I look bigger and my jeans
tell me the same. I can tell that body has more definition. I'm all in it for
the performance, the body is just a nice side effect. (His jeans are the reason why he's the moga pants guy. He can't fit any jeans anymore. His quads rip right out of 'em. My solution? Men's Yoga Pants. Seems legit.)
What sort of changes in your life have
you experienced out of taking on something like Crossfit? Expected or
unexpected?: I've become A LOT more open to trying new things. I eat a lot of
different foods I never used to or wouldn't even try. I went indoor rock
climbing, which is something I probably wouldn't have bothered to try before,
and I loved it. Gonna do it again when I can.
What's your favorite lift and
why?:
CLEANS! It's just the right amount of technique and power for me.
The technical part is getting the weight to your shoulders, then it's just
being strong enough to squat it up. I've never had trouble getting out of the
bottom of a snatch. Once it's over head and stable you pretty much got it, but
the hard part is getting it over your head and that drives me crazy sometimes.
Funniest experience related to
CrossFit?:
I'd have to say it's probably the way I met Chris Spealler.
Ace, you know the story and as hilarious as it may be, I'm not gonna
tell that story online, but for anyone reading we'll just say I met him in
a bathroom. (it is the most aca-awesome story ever in life. If you want to hear it. Email me.)
Name one goal you have achieved since
starting CrossFit and one goal you want to achieve:
Squatting over 300# was
one thing I was really proud of when in happened. I've maxed out my
squat maybe 3-4 times since I started CF. The first time it was
290#, the second time it dropped to 265#. I was kind of discouraged, but I
got strength plan started working on it and BAM 325#! The next goal I want to
accomplish is cleaning over 300.
Any advice for people just getting
started with CrossFit? It'll REALLY suck at first, but don't give up too quick.
The community is the best part about it and you're probably not
gonna truly understand that community in the first few weeks. Don't
worry about the workout, they're all scalable. Just try to get to know the
people at the gym. They'll be the reason why you stay or leave.
What do you tell yourself to keep
motivated? During a workout, I usually just keep thinking, "a few more
reps," although sometimes I may have 2376876234 reps left in that workout.
I just trick myself into thinking I'm almost done. I really don't think I need
motivation to go to the gym anymore, because I like going and I know I'm gonna
have fun no matter what I've got ahead of me. Hence, why I believe the
community is the best part of crossfit.
This is a great picture. Way to shut your eyes, Nate.
