-Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself or something that would surprise us.
Hi…I’ll start....I’m Ryan, and I like to party. Don’t let Julie tell you she likes to party, I know for a fact she has never partied. (Hot Rod Reference). Basically my short lame intro above tells you just about everything about me. I love to laugh, have fun, and suffer with all of my Behemoth fam together. I’m the guy that walks up behind Aryan as he is writing on the white board and ask him, what would you do if I erased all of that right now. Or I ask Brad if we can cut the corners on 400m runs, literally every single time. How have I not gotten punched at Behemoth yet?
I’m Julie and I also like to party. I’m pretty sure I’ve partied…
I’m also the proudest member of the Fighting Texas Aggie class of 2011. Whoop! After graduating, I moved to Katy, met Ryan, got married, and 6 years later here we are: sleep deprived parents to our 2-month-old son, Jonathan. I’m usually quiet until you get to know me. When I work out, I zone out. It’s the only time of day where I don’t have to think, just move.
-How and when were you introduced to Behemoth?
Oh man, this is actually a great story. Back in 2013, I was looking for something to get back into. I didn’t know much about CrossFit, but I had heard good things. A guy that I had worked with recommended Behemoth, so I went to check it out online. Now back then, the website was probably a little less sophisticated and WODify was not utilized. You could get on there and sign-up for classes. There was probably an onboarding section that I conveniently skipped to sign-up for as well. So I sign-up for a 6am class at In The Zone Sports Facility (prior to the Cypress location). I show up to work out, and Aja kicks me out because I hadn’t gone through onboarding. He told me at one point in the future he figured he would never see me or hear from me again. But I emailed him about an hour or two later to get onboarding set up, and the rest is history.
I found Behemoth through Ryan. After seeing him get even hotter (didn’t know it was possible), how much fun he had working out and adapting to his changes in nutrition, I decided if I was going to eat like him, I wanted to feel like he did too. I started CrossFit at a different gym, because it was closer to where we lived at the time and the schedule worked for me. However, I didn’t have the same sense of community that Ryan had at Behemoth. After meeting Aja, Aryan, Leah, Megan and the rest of the Behemoth family, I was jealous. We eventually moved closer to the gym and as soon as I could, I switched to Behemoth.
-What are you most proud of, physically, mentally or both since beginning with us?
I would say dropping over 50 pounds over my time at Behemoth and keeping it off.
I went to the Labor Day workout and did 90 squats, 90 ring pullups, and walked 1 mile. The next day, I gave birth to our son. I felt like a badass. I joined the Birthfit class in my second trimester and learned how to train for birth physically and mentally. My goal throughout this year was to keep moving until I couldn’t move anymore. Because of Birthfit, I was able to feel great during pregnancy, have the birth I envisioned, and now I am discovering the new me through movement.
-What has been your biggest, yet most rewarding obstacle to overcome, whether in the gym or on your health journey to date?
One of the transformation challenges I was able to crush my Jackie time by over 2 minutes. That one felt amazing.
I completed the Olympic lift barbell class in my first trimester. I found out I was pregnant the day after I signed up for the barbell class. Lord, what did I get myself into? Leah was literally the first person besides Ryan that I told I was pregnant. She met with me to answer all my questions, discuss my fitness goals in barbells and how to maintain my intra-abdominal pressure while lifting weights. After that, I felt confident I could do it. There were days that I felt like my body had been hijacked, but Johnny encouraged me to move based on how I felt. We crushed it.
-Why Behemoth?
Easy, the coaches, the people and the connections.
The coaches are all so encouraging in and out of the gym. The people who sweat alongside me pushing me to continue moving, the new moms who offer advice and baby hacks, and the friends I’ve made make Behemoth amazing. It’s more than a gym, it’s a family.
-What next? What are you excited about pursuing here in the future?
Performing unbroken pull ups and double unders.
My next goal is to join GPP class again
“3, 2, 1…Go” Mad Lib section
My favorite lift (movement) is…
Squat Clean, although I’ve become fond of rowing.
Deadlifts and rowing
My most frequent class I come to is…
6PM
5:30PM BIRTHFIT
I have always wanted to…
Visit several countries in Europe (Italy, Germany, England).
Own 20+ dogs. I love dogs but Ryan says 20 is too many.
When I’m not crushing weights, my favorite thing to do is…
Going to the movies with Julie or watching sports on TV.
Ditto, I also enjoy quilting and reading like an old lady.
If I could make ANY of the Behemoth coaches do 100 burpees it would be...
Aryan, just to mess with him.
Aryan, so now he has to do 200 burpees.
Favorite “application of fitness” outside of the gym is…
Carrying all of the groceries into the house in one trip.
I love going hiking with Ryan. I can’t wait to take Jonathan to a national park.
Favorite band/genre/Pandora station to workout to is…
Linkin Park
Beyoncé
Beast mode engaged when this song comes on…
Linkin Park – Easier to Run, or Lost in the Echo
Drop it Low – Ester Dean ft. Chris Brown
