Welcome back to another edition of Athlete Spotlight. This time our featured athlete is Brenden Godfrey – enjoy getting to know Brenden.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what your training looked like before starting at Coastal CrossFit? I am 31 Years old, I am the Owner Director of Nautical Roofing and I am engaged to Christine with 2 young children Jackson (two) and Maya (one). Training was a bit all over the place with weight lifting (non Olympic) from my gym at the office to boxing training.
How long have you been training at Coastal CrossFit? Since September 2013
You’ve made a rapid improvement in CrossFit in a relatively short period of time. What combination of things do you think are responsible for this rapid improvement? I have a high level of respect for both coaches Marie & Chris & value the advice and constructive criticism that is required to keep advancing. Regular training and especially fronting up on the days that could easily be cherry picked help to build the all-round performances that I strive for. I also think there comes a point during most intense WOD’s where your mind and body want to give up. I find now if I set myself a goal time or work out next to Bodo (haha) I can break them barriers down and finish nearly as strong or sometimes stronger than started. It seems the more pain and suffering you experience the easier it gets breaking down the walls each WOD.
What are your athletic goals for the short and long term? My short term goals while I’m at an age to compete and remain competitive, is to enter into competitions and keep pushing the mental and physical barriers as much as I can. I am also focused on correcting my technique with Olympic lifts. My overall goal is longevity. I want to be in the gym when I’m 50 or 60.
You are a Type 1 diabetic. Can you elaborate on how the changes in exercise and nutrition you have made have effected your day to day life? This would certainly be one of the finer points and also why I hold crossFit in such high regard in comparison to other types of training. I was diagnosed in 2006 with Type 1 Diabetes and since that time I have been looking for an exercise regime that was a benefit to my health and also enough to keep me interested. I tried the commercial type gyms, home gyms, Boxing, park training etc. but nothing would really stick or show much benefit to my diabetes. Since starting at Coastal CrossFit I have noticed massive improvements to my diabetes. The first and foremost being that my Hba1C is down at the lowest level since being diagnosed. It’s actually at a level of a standard Human being without Diabetes. I would generally see an endocrinologist every 3 – 6 months for a routine check-up & on the last visit a couple of months ago he advised I would be in the top 10% of Type 1 Diabetics and as a result he has pushed the routine check-ups out to 12 months. There is a couple of combinations for the results here and apart from the regular training, The Healthy eating challenge we started back in May has contributed greatly. It was pretty impressive that the coaches went a bit further and studied Diabetes forums etc. and come up with a eating plan to suit my everyday life. The main changes to my diet which I still follow to this day is cutting out the refined carbs and sugars. I get my main source of energy through healthy fats. I have since reduced my overall insulin injection intake by approx. 25 – 30% which will be a massive benefit later in life when I become more and more immune to the insulin. I can also go out with more confidence that my sugar levels are stable and I don’t have to cart my man bag around everywhere. Previously my levels were a little erratic especially with high GI carbs, so I was a little all over the place at times. I have seeked plenty of advice from government agencies over the years with Diabetes educators and nutritional experts only to walk away disappointed and show no real overall improvements. So I appreciate the help and advice guys.!!!
Do you have any advice for athletes who would like to advance as your rapidly as yourself? Probably the best advice I could give is listen to your coach. I can still remember walking into the gym on the first day thinking lifting weights was easy, as this is what I had been doing for the last 3 years (just not Olympic). Chris recommended I start with the lighter weights and the rewards will come. Well I was the guy loading the bar with weights and whilst doing the movements looked ugly as hell. I have now started listening to the coach and backed my weights right back and am concentrating on technique rather than a number on the board and can feel the improvements. The last month or so I have started hitting PB’s far better than the existing with cleaner lifts.
What are your favourite and least favourite types of workouts? I have learnt they all look pretty good on the website the night before.!! My favourite workouts would be weightlifting. Also the Wod’s with a mixture of reasonably heavy lifting mixed with cardio. I try not to have any least favourites and just attack whatever is on for that day. Staying positive for all work outs definitely has helped the overall performances. Hang On I forgot. Turkish get ups, L-sits and dragonfly’s aren’t on my wish list…..
