Athlete of the Month: June 2018

Russ Jewell

Russ Jewell is a natural leader who gives 100 percent 100 percent of the time! He's an exceptional athlete whose U.S. Marine Corps training shines through during each workout—but even moreso in his team mentality—leading and encouraging everyone to do their best and pushing their limits in each class. His kind, friendly demeanor at the white board is always welcoming to others. Russ embodies our #liveBIG spirit inside and outside the box, using his fitness to take on new adventures and challenges. He's completed over 30 obstacle course races and several Spartan Races, and is organizing a Windy City team for the upcoming Spartan Sprint on June 24th in Richmond, IL. There's still time to join so click here to sign up and make sure to register with "Team Windy Spartans" and enter code CSTEAMSWINDYCITY at checkout for 20% off registration and choose the earliest morning time slot. Russ, congrats on being this month's AOM and we're glad you're here at Windy City!  

Nickname: "Russ"

Member since: February 2017

“Be Humble, Be Hungry, and always be the hardest worker in the room."

How has training at Windy City helped you?

Training at WCSC has added variety to my training which has helped me grow as a well-rounded athlete. I also began ordering Kettle Bell Kitchen through WCSC a few months ago. KBK has helped clean up my diet and as a result I have more energy throughout the day and during workouts.

Every time I walk in, the vibe of the box is so awesome and motivating. Music bumping, weights being lifted, and everyone working hard. It's truly the best part of my day! I have told many people that going to WCSC is a break from reality. Once I walk through the door, all of life's little problems and stresses are no longer important. I'm with a group of like-minded people with great attitudes who are ready to work. Nothing else matters. You're not judged by what you do for a living and what you have or don't have is irrelevant. What matters is your work ethic and willingness to better yourself and others. It's just a white board, a clock, and you against yourself (and some friendly competition)!

I have always focused on my fitness and have tried to keep myself in good physical shape. Before joining WCSC, my workouts were mostly running, pull-ups, push-ups and basic strength training. In 2015, I ran my first Spartan Obstacle Course Race and fell in love with the challenges these races have to offer. I ran well, but found a few of the obstacles more challenging than expected-plus the 30 burpee penalty for not completing an obstacle proved to be a game changer. I was hooked from my first race and wanted to run faster and crush the obstacles. In order to improve, I decided to take a different approach to my training. Initially, I incorporated a few workouts from CrossFit.com plus changed my running routine. Over the following year and a half, this approach worked well and I was competing in Obstacle Course Races regularly (about 30 races to date). I saw great improvements with my times and how I felt during and after races. However, there were still some huge holes in my training.  

I enjoyed the CrossFit.com workouts and decided to give WCSC a try. I emailed WCSC and signed up for a 1 week trial. The first few Level 1 classes were really humbling. I was corrected on movements such as squats and deadlifts which I thought I had been doing correctly for years. It was truly an eye opening experience and I was all in from day one! The coaches proved to be knowledgeable, the WODs were high intensity and constantly varied, and everyone was so friendly and inviting. I knew there was a lot of work to do, but I was right where I needed to be and embraced this as a new challenge in my fitness journey. My only regret...I didn't make WCSC my fitness home sooner!

Since joining WCSC, I have made so many good friends, received great coaching, and learned many new movements. I have identified strengths, lots areas to improve upon (I refuse to call them weaknesses), and became a member of a supportive and wonderful community! I also successfully completed the CrossFit Level 1 Trainer course, CrossFit Flexibility course, and 2018 Judges Course in the past year. These courses have helped me change the way I think about fitness and nutrition. Finally, training at WCSC has helped with Spartan Races as well! My cardio is better, I crush the obstacles, and always feel prepared on race day!

What adventures, events, trips, races do you have planned?

Events: MURPH! I'm looking forward to getting out there and honoring Lt. Michael Murphy's service and memory during this Hero WOD!

Races: My wife Allison (also a WCSC member) and I recently traveled to Montana and ran a Spartan Beast (first Mountain Series Race of the Season!!) and spent some time checking out Glacier National Park.

Upcoming Races:

• Spartan Race Chicago Super and Sprint (Go Team Windy City Spartans-Sign up soon as the Sprint race is selling out fast!!!!)
• Spartan Race Sprint Indiana at Perfect North Slopes (brutal race-highly encouraged to do!!)
• Spartan Race Super-Ashville North Carolina
• Spartan Race Beast- Breckenridge, Colorado (absolutely my favorite race-13+ miles of mountain running, obstacles, views, and altitude!)
• Spartan Race Stadium Sprint-Chicago/Toyota Park
• Spartan Race Super-Atlanta
• Hot Chocolate 15k

What would you do and where would you go if time / money were not object?  

If time and money were not an object, I would buy a personal jet and yacht to travel the world with friends and experience as many places possible. I would visit Iceland to see the Northern Lights, go to Alaska and climb mountains, relax on beaches in Australia, explore the Amazon rainforest, run challenging races in cool places, and learn as much as possible about other cultures.

Goals

• Fitness: Where to begin!?! I keep a long list of fitness goals in the back of my workout journal and review them regularly. I have found that keeping goals fresh in my mind force me to work just a little harder and lift just a little heavier. Right now, main goals include becoming more proficient at muscle ups (ring and bar), handstand pushups, improve form with Olympic lifts, and my number one goal is to work on consistency, and then push the intensity.

• Professionally: At this point in my life, quit my day job, open a CrossFit box and Obstacle Course Race training center (not in Chicago..), and get tattoo sleeves on my arms...

• Personal: Personal: Be the best version of me. Keep in mind there is little I control in this life other than my response to life and my fitness. I also plan to continue taking Crossfit and other fitness classes to continually improve myself and help others on their fitness journey.

Something that most people don’t know about me:

Right out of high school, I enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in Cuba, El Salvador, and Israel. I also achieved the rank of Sergeant. It was a great opportunity to travel and learn about other cultures.  

Words to Live By

Life is short and we should live it to the fullest! The best way we can do that is by maintaining our fitness so we can get out and experience all it has to offer. Our fitness is one of the few things we have total control over. We are individually responsible to ourselves for our fitness-no one else can be held accountable. We should continually set and evaluate our goals and work hard to accomplish them!