Walter Comeaux
Athlete of the Month
August 2018
Walter was a obvious choice for August; it just seemed like daily in July that Walter’s name would come up when looking at the results for the day. It’s not so much that he is topping our leader board but does it with a great attitude and focus. He takes coaching cues really well and has no ego about it.
He was one of those people that came as a solid athlete already. He knew all of the movements when he started but needed a little refinement, coaching, and goal-oriented programming and has become a much better athlete along the way.
For Walter it’s not just about ‘getting his sweat on’ or going through the motions in the workout. He truly cares about his quality of movement and deliberately practices improving his mobility and form. We collect the data after each workout and provide a method to measure body composition but not all athletes take advantage of that! He takes the time to review the data that details his improvements: within the last year he dropped 4% body fat while gaining 3lbs of muscle and improving benchmark workouts. Good on you Walter!
Walter Comeaux, 39 years old, Head of North America Commercial Operations Controlling, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health (translation: Finance for the company that makes NexGard, Heartgard and Frontline Plus)
I have four kids- Maddy (6), Walt (8), Amelia (10) and Julie (12).
I had been working out at the Y for several years doing ‘CrossFit like’ classes and got to the point where I felt like I had hit my ceiling in terms of fitness level. I felt like I needed a new challenge. My wife, Ellen, was at CFJC and had been trying to convince me to join for a year. Truthfully, I wish I would have joined sooner. One year later, I’m in the best shape of my life, and yet, I still have so much more room for improvement!
I’m going to LOVE this!!!
There are so many things it’s hard to pick just one. Challenging myself, the community/camaraderie, competitiveness, the coaches, the programming. I could keep going…
Once again, it’s hard to pick just one because I find it so rewarding. If I had to pick just one, I’d say Murph this past Memorial Day. For me, this was a true measure of how far my fitness had come in just one year. I did Murph last year (unweighted) in 39:30. After 10 months of training at CFJC, I improved my time to 33:57!
My most favorite are the gymnastics movements- pull-ups, muscle ups, handstand push-ups/walks, toes to bar, etc. Oh yeah, I also like to run! I don’t really have a least favorite but boy do I have a ways to go on the snatch.
I’m in the minority of Crossfitters when it comes to the types of WODs I like. I like longer WODs with running and any type of bodyweight/gymnastics movement in them. For example, I actually thought 6 rounds of 400m run and 25 burpees was a GREAT WOD! One of my favorite routines this summer has been to do Tuesday and Thursday 5am followed by the 6am endurance WOD. I would encourage everyone to try out the 6am endurance WODs. There’s only one way to get better at running! My least favorite WOD would have to be anything with high volume wall balls #shortpeopleproblems.
Arthur Ashe had a great quote, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” This can be applied to so much in life but especially in CrossFit. What is a goal today can become your standard tomorrow. My current goals are to improve my technique on the Olympic lifts and increase my weights on these lifts, which of course go hand in hand. I really like being able to consistently measure my progress. Whether it’s measuring % body fat or skeletal muscle mass with InBody or the progress on my lifts, I find that the quote “that which is measured improves” holds true.
One of the biggest benefits of CrossFit for me has been the increased focus on mobility and stretching. Nagging knee pain, as well as pain from shoulder surgery in December 2015, has mostly gone away. I credit mobility, stretching and focus on proper technique for this- all things I wasn’t doing on my own before joining CFJC. I’m usually an early morning CrossFitter. I find that this kick starts my day and helps me focus on the challenges ahead. I truly believe that if you feel good physically it carries over into every other aspect of your life.
Spending time with my family and friends. There’s never a dull moment with four kids, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I also like running trail races and traveling.
One of the principles of CrossFit is ‘constantly varied’ and life is no different from this. The fulfillment and energy that I get from CrossFit helps me to tackle any other challenges I may face.
CrossFit is for EVERYONE! It is about challenging yourself, personal improvement and having fun! If that’s what you’re looking for, then join CFJC and don’t look back! You won’t regret it!
