Athlete of the Month: Jason Pino

We are excited to announce Jason Pino as Athlete Of the Month! When Jason started here at Salus, we knew he had a fire inside of him. His persistence to finish each WOD at 110% (and with integrity) is just of his strengths…besides his handstand pushups.  Most athletes at the box don’t just walk in the door with the level of strength and skill you see them with today, it takes time and determination to make them the athlete they have become.

I was getting annoyed at the daily routine at my regular gym and I wanted new challenges. I dabbled with CrossFit without formal training for a while but I didn’t take the leap to train in an actual box until a pretty rough patch a year ago when I made the leap to do something for myself. I actually hounded Coach Gino for days after my free class because I was instantly hooked and wanted to get started. I finished on-ramp at 9:30 a.m. and was back at 12:30 p.m. that same day for my first regular class.

Everything has changed. I played college football and right now I am the best combination of strength, speed and body composition I’ve ever been.

Double Unders. Not being able to do them took a toll on my psyche for a long time when I couldn’t do more than four or five in a row but now I consistently string together 50 and have done as many as 90 unbroken after a year of coaching and extra work from the coaches at CrossFit Salus.

I’m much healthier. I’m much more mobile and my positioning in squats and overhead lifts has improved greatly. I used to have chronic lower back pain from tight hamstrings but ever since I started training smarter it has gone away. I look good, I feel good and perform at a much higher level than when I walked through the door on day one.

It has re-ignited my competitive spirit.

I love the sense of community; I’ve made some awesome, like-minded friends. I feel at home in our gym and community. Whenever I put on Salus gear at a competition or even just wear it out in public, I feel like I’m wearing a football jersey again and representing my team.

They get the idea from Facebook and Instagram since it’s all I really talk about but they usually have the misconception that it’s not for everyone, which it is. Everything can be scaled to your ability level and anyone can get the desired stimulus out of the workout.

The guys I workout with in competitors classes and my coaches. We mess with each other and don’t pull any punches when one of us slacks but it brings out the best in all of us and we hold each other accountable. We’re a right knit family. We’re competitive and we want everyone to do well but everyone checks that whiteboard with one thing in mind. We workout and get together outside of the box often, they’ve become good friends and great motivators. The coaches care about you, they take care of us in so many ways other than providing us with a gym. They do an excellent job fostering a sense of community and are excellent business/fitness professionals.

I bet everyone thinks I’ll put Diane or handstand push ups here…my most memorable WODs and my favorite moves are the ones I stink at. That’s what keeps me coming back. That’s what teaches me the most. I don’t value my success as much as my failures, even if they upset me initially. I learn from them and always come back better, they often guide my training. My favorite WOD was appropriately named “Jason” I failed for almost forty minutes throughout my last set of muscle ups. The workout took me an hour and forty minutes, I was the only one left in the gym but I finished. To some it may look like I lost that day, but in my own mind I won because I battled through it and finished.

Have fun. At the end of the day, this is supposed to be something that makes you feel good. Not everyone that does CrossFit needs to be a competitor, that’s just what keeps me coming back. There are plenty of people here and each of us has our own reasons. The beauty of CrossFit is you can attack it in so many different ways depending on your goal. If your goal is to compete, they have the experience, classes and the resources to help you. If your goal is to function better in life’s daily grind, there’s no better cure than CrossFit. If your goal is to get a better looking body composition, that’s the best side effect of CrossFit. Listen to your coaches…they know better than you and want what’s best for you. Share your issues or concerns but don’t let them become road blocks for you or the professionals coaching you.

My short-term goal right now is to podium at a local individual competition. Right now I’m registered for the November qualifiers for the East Coast Championships. My long-term goal is to make it to Regionals before my 30th birthday, whether it’s through team or individual. I look forward to the journey, it’s been rewarding so far.

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