Sunday, May 5, 2011 – Athlete Profile: Chris McDowell

Athlete Profile:  Chris McDowell

1.  In general, what is your background?

I grew up in Greenville, SC after moving around a lot when I was real young.  Fortunatel,y my mom chose the right neighborhood to grow up in as I was surrounded by dozen of kids within a few years of my age and we turned front yards into Willams-Brice stadium, driveways into Cameron Indoor Stadium, and played Home Run Derby. Athletics have always played a part in my background.  I was a football and basketball player in high school wich led me to play tackle and center for The Citadel. I’ve been in Charleston enjoying the sun and beautiful city every since. I met my beautful fiance here as she is a local and we will be married in June.  Unfortunately, my time with Integrity will be coming to an end soon as I am moving to Spartanburg at the beginning of July to attend medical school.

2.  Age, Occupation?

25, Patient Care Tech…Med Student beginning in August

3.  How did you get to know about CrossFit and why did you start?

I first heard about CrossFit from a former teammate who was deployed in Afghanistan.  Although I wasn’t sold until I saw and heard how another former teammate and also former offensive lineman began to talk about how awesome the workouts were and the kind of results he was getting.  He said if you try it you will be hooked and he was correct.  He said it was as close as we were going to get to what we were used to.

4.  How has CrossFit changed your life, lifestyle, level of fitness?

I’ve had multiple levels of fitness in my life.  As an offensive lineman it was my job to be as big as a could but still be able to run around on the field.  My eating habbits consisted of as many buffets that I could fit in one day.  I knew no such thing as portion control.  I played my final year of football at 295lbs and was at my football athletic peak.  Upon finishing football I knew I needed to drop as much weight as possible, so I spent my last semester at school and since we were forced to stay on campus during the week, I picked up running so I could get out of the gates and take in the sights of Charleston.  Once I started working, working out became less of a priority and most of the weight came back on.  You often hear people talk about returning to their playing weight, which is good for the skill player but very bad for an offensive linemen.  Now my level of fitness is somewhere in between, my body feels the best it has in years, my flexibility is slowly returning and I’m reaching new fitness goals daily.  I don’t weigh myself anymore, but I like how my clothes fit and that is enough for me.

5.  Name one goal and/or personal record you would like to accomplish through CrossFit?

From my beginning in CrossFit, my only goal was to be able to do a pullup, it had eluded me throughout my life, I was able to accomplish this goal so now my goal is just to RX as many workouts as possible.

6.  Favorite CrossFit moment so far?

Every time I finish a workout.

7.  What do you like most about CrossFit Integrity?

I like the whole dynamic of Integrity.  There are people from all fitness backgrounds that bring so much to the table.  Each person is also genuine as they want you to succeed.  There is such a friendly competitive atmosphere that it creates better athletes without being judgemental.

8.  Favorite WOD?

I like cardio WOD, because that’s where I need the most push, I really like chippers because everyone knows they are gonna suck but are very rewarding upon completion.

9.  Least favorite WOD?

Not any in particular, they all have the ability to suck it just depends on the day.

10. Favorite movement?

Any strength movement, I am a fan of olympic lifts and have enjoyed getting a chance at doing them again.

11. Least favorite movement?

Warm-ups, throughout my athletic career have never like the warmups, I know they’re necessary, but I’d rather just get things going.

12. Favorite place to eat in Charleston?

As a former offensive linemen in this city, I have had the chance to eat a lot of food from all over town.  I often tell people I CrossFit just so I can enjoy food.  Mustard Seed, Basil, Fat Hen, Im a sucker for BBQ – Hometeam and Melvins, and Moe’s, waiting for Crosstown to open back up.

CrossFit Integrity, Charleston, SC