Eric Galaske

"The biggest change hasn’t been in what my body looks like, but in how it moves and what it can do."

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Hometown:  Kansas City, Missouri

Age: 33

When did you first start training at CFKSQ? June 2021

Favorite WOD: No specific workout, but anything with squat cleans or double unders.

Least Favorite WOD: Burpees or any kind of interval.

Tell us about your sports & fitness background:  

I played soccer from the age of 4 to 18 year round, competitively. Throughout the years I have tried distance running, bodybuilding, etc.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? 

Take us back to your first WOD…what was it, and how did it feel? My first exposure to CrossFit was back in 2010 in college. An old soccer coach mentioned this thing called CrossFit he had become obsessed with. I looked at CrossFit.com and thought it was interesting, but never pursued it. Then I saw the documentaries, as a lot of people did, in 2016 and was super interested, but intimidated. I lived in Omaha, Nebraska at the time and regret not checking out Stacie Tovar’s CrossFit Omaha. I lived right down the street from it! I didn’t step into a CrossFit gym until 2018 in Malvern. They were doing Grace that day, so obviously I wasn’t going to start with that. I did some sort of mod that I can’t remember. But I do remember being incredibly nervous. Not nervous to meet people or to not know what I was doing. But because of how bad it was going to hurt. And it hurt really bad. But I loved it right away.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? 

The biggest change is being able to see progress, if that makes sense. For years I felt like I was stuck. Now I can see how my body’s ability is changing. Going from barely being able to string together pull-ups, to now being able to do big sets, then being able to get chest-to-bar, to now trying to get a muscle up. The biggest change hasn’t been in what my body looks like, but in how it moves and what it can do.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced after taking on CrossFit, that were totally unexpected?

Grit and resilience. On the days when I am not hitting numbers or movements that I have before, I know that if I keep going, progress will come. The same thing goes when I am having a hard day outside of the gym, I just have to keep moving. It’s like when you’re in a long grueling workout. It sucks. It hurts. But as long as you keep moving, it will end, and you will come out better on the other side. One book I read when I first started CrossFit that helped with this perspective was Grit by Angela Duckworth. Great read.

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFKSQ moments:

My first workout at CFKSQ in June 2021 was Andi (why are my first workouts at boxes always benchmarks?). I had not worked out in a long time. My fitness and mobility were really bad, and I had trouble doing the front squats with an empty bar. Fast-forward to June 2022 when we re-tested it and I was 6 minutes faster with 20lbs more on the bar! Andi is going to be my benchmark of fitness moving forward.

Any advice for people just getting started? 

Show up, even when you don’t want to. Don’t look at the workouts ahead of time. And when a coach gives you the choice of cardio, always choose the one you dislike the most. And drink a lot of water.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

I am a big coffee nerd! You will probably hear me talking to Jared about one of the recent roasts I just tried. I also like to read, I average about 10 or more books a year. Otherwise, I travel with my wife and spend time with family!