Mark Reid
Hometown: Lumberton, New Jersey
Age: 38
Occupation: Marketing and Turf Product Sales Manager with Atlantic Tractor (anybody need a tractor, lawn mower or anything else John Deere?…I’d be happy to help you out)
When did you first start training at CFKSQ? April 2017
Favorite WOD: Anything weightlifting (Power Cleans, Squats, etc…DT/Grace come to mind)
Least Favorite WOD: Anything on the rig (pull-ups, dips, etc.)
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I was always active in sports growing up, playing baseball, soccer, wrestling, basketball. When I got to high school I focused on wrestling and football. After a couple recruiting trips to small D3 schools for football, I was recruited by the University of Maryland for wrestling. I joined the Terps wrestling team in 99 through graduation in 2003. My wrestling career wasn’t much in college, but I fell in love with the high intensity work-outs in and out of the weight room. My strength coach at the time was an extremely loud, motivational type guy, named Craig Fitzgerald, taking us through some of the most intense workouts outside of the gym (6 mile Indian runs, stadium stair climbs with a teammate on our back, car pulls around the parking, etc.). As with most wrestlers, I struggled with cutting weight all 4 years of school at Maryland and when I graduated, I took some time off from dieting and dropping weight.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? For years after school, I struggled with dieting and exercise, with my weight/health on a roller coaster. I’d go back to my old methods of not eating and running miles a day to get my weight under control, only to give up a few months in and slowing gain all the weight back when my nutrition and exercise routine would stop. I really have to thank my wife for getting me in to CrossFit. She joined after starting a new job with the Burkhart Realty Group and was hooked. She immediately started telling me that this is what I needed, and I resisted.
She brought me to a Sunday “bring a friend day” and I convinced myself as an ex-D1 athlete I’d be able to handle it and decided to push myself. I was unprepared for the endurance workout that day…It went something like this…
10M shuttle run
Butterfly Situps
Assault Bike
Lunges
Pullups
And a few other exercises I can’t remember…
At the start, Brie said “babe, pace yourself.” And I thought to myself, no problem. At this point I was near my heaviest weight and completely out of shape. The workout was a 9 round cycle of all these exercises, and I started out strong…trying to show my wife I could handle it. Mid way through Round 3, my workout was over. I ran outside near getting sick, gasping for air and disappointed with myself. So much so that when Everett asked me to join in the group picture at the end I declined. I knew I had to do something.
I started jogging again the next week and when I went to the first Open my wife competed in, I was hooked. Watching everyone cheer each other on, the intensity of all the athletes competing brought me right back to my wrestling workouts at Maryland and I knew I wanted to be part of it. I joined in April 2017 and have loved it. It’s the longest continual exercise program I’ve been able to sustain since leaving school in 2003.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?Before CrossFit I can remember times walking up the stairs or bending over to tie my shoes and getting out of breath. I could always remember thinking to myself, “you gotta do something about this” but never really having the motivation to change. Since joining, I feel better both physically and mentally. When I think back to when my wife was pressuring me to join, or to at least do something physical to take care of myself, I can remember just how lazy I felt and how much I resisted. I was complacent to the fact that I had worked out enough when I was younger, and now I’m just going to relax and eat what I want, no matter what the toll is on my body. I only have her to thank for where I am now, she was and still is the catalyst for my health journey.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? In my professional life, I look back on some of the perseverance required to get through challenging workouts, and use that mentality for days when you are constantly being challenged by colleagues, customers, etc. I use many of the lessons learned in CrossFit in training our team at Atlantic Tractor and I recommend to all of our team members to join their local CrossFit.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFKSQ moments: Honestly, my favorite moment is before I joined watching all the athletes at the Open in 2017. My wife calling friends from CrossFit the night the WODs were announced to discuss just how challenging they would be and then watching everyone on Friday night overcome some of that apprehension from the night before and give their all in the workouts. The high fives, the applause…all of it is what brought me to CrossFit Kennett Square.
Any advice for people just getting started? Consistency produces results. And when your own will power or schedule
starts to interfere with your ability to get to the gym, reach out and partner
with someone for accountability. After
the birth of our third daughter, it was extremely difficult for me to get to
the gym. Everett offered to do a Sunday
check-in to keep me accountable for when I would attend and it’s helped me make
myself and my workouts a priority.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? I enjoy spending time with the girls
(my wife and beautiful daughters). When
I have a little downtime, I enjoy picking up the guitar and playing the same 5
songs over and over again (drives Brie crazy).
My family has spent years in the thoroughbred horse world (my father is
a trainer and has a breeding operation in Kennett Square) and I have always
enjoyed the farm and races. Brie’s
family has a great place in Ocean City, NJ where we spend many weekends
together at the shore.
Brie Reid
Hometown: Medford, NJ
Age: 38
Occupation: Title Insurance-Underwriting/Real Estate/Consulting Assistant/MOM <3
When did you first start training at CFKSQ? Sept 2016
Favorite WOD: Anything endurance – especially pull-ups, burpees, box jumps
Least Favorite WOD: Anything overhead and running
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: Cheerleading & gymnastics. I’ve loved working out since high school, but always focused on gym equipment (elliptical was my BFF) and free weights. Headphones in, US Weekly mag in front of me, no talking to anyone/all business & I thought a solid hour or more was the prescription for fitness. **I can’t imagine that now!!
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? When I first started at Keller Williams, Nina (Ritrovato) & Rory (Burkhart) told me to check it out & said I would love it. They weren’t wrong – I was hooked from the first training with Lauren!
I don’t remember my first WOD, but I do remember being in one of the first trainings with Lauren and the 6AM class was finishing up a “For Time” work out. There was one person still working & everyone was cheering them on. I could feel the excitement and the camaraderie and I literally had goosebumps down my arms and tears in my eyes. That sounds so cheesy, but I knew right then that I wanted to be a part of this community. The workouts, the coaches, the people. It’s what it is all about.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I, like I’m sure most of us girls/women, had always based my fitness off of the scale and not off of how I felt. I constantly scrutinized myself if I missed a workout, ate something “bad,” or if I was 1-2lbs over my “goal” weight – whatever magical number that was. Now, I never get on a scale and I base my fitness off of how I feel and I feel so much better! I see definition in places I never thought I’d see it and I am so much happier about myself physically and mentally. This means so much when I have 3 little girls looking up to me. I have a better angle of approaching the idea of appreciating your body & all it can do for you.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? I’m living a healthier life (not going to lie, I still have my cheats here and there for sure!), we are a healthier family and I am a happier & better Mom/Wife. Crossfit has also brought me the community I’ve been looking for since we moved from MD 10 years ago. I consider Kennett home now & can’t imagine living anywhere else. The community and the people are the best.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFKSQ moments: Any time we’re in class & cheering each other on – it still gives me chills. And also any time my husband and I are in class together and he dances like an idiot (although the boy does have skills) and smacks my butt – date workouts are my favorite!
Any advice for people just getting started? Do it, you will not regret it and you will get so much more out of it than you planned.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? We love the beach (OCNJ), we love to travel and I love to write, but don’t have as much time for it right now as we’re currently in the midst of babyhood/childhood/life! Talents – ha…none that I know of, I’ll get back to you on that! 😉