Athlete of the month

February Athlete of the Month – David Lee

619 is overly joyed to announce David Lee for February athlete of the month! He is kind, well deserving and he is special to 619. He has come along way and a key team player here at our box. Its a pleasure to coach such motivated individuals and we congratulate him for his accomlishments!

Here is a little peek about David and his CF experience…

How did you get involved in 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I got introduced to 619 San Diego Personal Training while I was in the police academy. I always someone to go to 24 hour fitness and spend hours at the gym. But, when I went to the academy and we had our PT sessions I thought the workouts were great. I got introduced to the burpees, pullups, box jump world and never felt better. As I was finishing the academy, I wanted to continue with the high intensity training so I began look at the different 619 San Diego Personal Training gyms around San Diego.

What was your first WOD/experience?
I don’t really remember what my first WOD was. I went to a bunch of different 619 San Diego Personal Training boxes before checking out 619. But what I do remember is my first WOD at 619 there were a lot of burpees, running, KBs, and handstand pushups (that I couldnt even do). There were a bunch of people helping me out and welcoming me so I didn’t feel outcasted. Before the workout started, I thought to myself “I’m in pretty good shape. This can’t be that bad.” and man…I was wrong. I finished the WOD ran through the gym out the back…ran to the end of the alley, turned the corner, and just puked. I remember telling myself not to look like a loser puking on his first WOD so I made sure no one saw. Came back in…and I told Coach CK, “This is awesome, where do I sign up” and never looked back.

How long have you been 619 San Diego Personal Training for?
I’ve been 619 San Diego Personal Training for about 6 months now.

What is your biggest accomplishment?
Theres a lot of things that I’m still working on . I go to the Oly class twice a week (which helps me tremendously in my olympic lifts Coach Edgar and Evelyn are awesome!) Every time I get a new movement I feel like its a big accomplishment. From kipping handstand push-ups to right now working on my ring muscle ups. Hopefully I’ll be able to put that in my arsenal soon. Other then that, just finishing the WOD at the end of class is a huge accomplishment for myself…haha.

What is your favorite / least favorite WOD/movement?
My favorite WOD is Helen!
….my least favorite? any workout that involves Rowing…wall balls….rowing… I really don’t like rowing. haha

What do you do for a profession outside of 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I work for the San Diego Police Department working as a patrol officer. I been with them for almost 2 years and love what I do. I think with my profession 619 San Diego Personal Trainingis perfect to keep me sharp physically and mentally.

What are your hobbies outside of 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I love the outdoors, anything that keeps me from being bored out of my mind at home. I like to ride motorcycles, catch a baseball game (GO DODGERS!), hang out by the beach, and kick it with the 619 peeps!

January Athlete of the Month – Virginia Cheng

619 San Diego Personal Training is overjoyed to give the title of Athlete of the Month to Virginia. She is a favorite around our box and every day she graces us with nothing but a smile and determination. She is extremely helpful with new members and maintains great relationships with our solid members. Just recently, she has changed her outlook on fitness and has jumped in with two feet. She is dedicated to her 6am class not missing a day and with the Oly Clinic in place she has been coming twice a day, two times a week to improve her technique and increase her weight always reaching for new PR achievements. With 619 San Diego Personal Trainingcomfortable under her belt and her confidence up, Virginia has started to train for a full marathon which she plans to complete with great success this year. We are grateful for Virginia and we support her 100% as she continues to makestrides into the new year.

How did you get involved in 619 San Diego Personal Training?
About a year ago, I started to get really tired of my workouts. My routine was so monotonous and running just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. A close friend of mine had gotten into 619 San Diego Personal Trainingand recommended it to me. I remember googling it and watching a few videos and I was immediately intimidated by what I saw, thinking “There is NO way I can do any of this!” After another month, I finally decided to give it a shot and it’s been the best decision I ever made.

What was your first WOD/experience?
All I remember is that the WOD kicked my butt and I was extremely sore the next day. But it was a great kind of sore…the kind that makes you want to keep going back for more.

How long have you been 619 San Diego Personal Training for?
I’ve been 619 San Diego Personal Training for about 9 months now.

What is your biggest accomplishment?
To date, my biggest accomplishment would have to be a tie between finishing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and finally getting my name up on the board at 619. There’s still a ton of stuff I need to work on so I’m sure these will soon be replaced by something better!

What is your favorite / least favorite WOD/movement?
My favorite would have to be the power/squat clean and rope climbs. My least favorite would probably be the overhead squat.

What are your hobbies outside of 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I’ve been playing the piano since I was 10 so whenever I have some down time, I always try to squeeze in a song or two. I also enjoy arts&crafts, hiking, and visiting new places.

Fun fact
Last year I entered a jump rope contest at the SD Health Expo and I took first place with 189 jumps/minute.

Athlete of the Month – Charlie Chabalko

Charlie has been a powerhouse at 619 San Diego Personal Training619. Since his first day at the bay, he has remained committed to doing his absolute best at all times. He is consistently pushing himself with form and weight, and every WOD presents a new challenge to him. He doesn’t just get through the WOD, he thinks ahead, sets a goal for how long it might take, and gives it his all.

Every morning when he comes into the gym, Charlie greets everyone with zeal and enthusiasm, contributing to the camaraderie with positive energy and style. He is consistently the top achiever in virtually every workout, yet he is unfailingly modest and down-to-earth. He most likely lives by this famous quote from Katy Perry: “I don’t feel like I can act like an entitled bitch yet! I still have so much to prove.”

Charlie has managed to successfully balance a successful career with an amazing family and a commitment to 619 San Diego Personal Training619. He is an inspiration to all of us, and we consider ourselves very lucky to have Charlie as a member of our 619 family.

How did you get involved in 619 San Diego Personal Training?

A few years ago, I was at a point in my life where I really needed to make a healthy lifestyle change, but was not really sure how. I was overweight, had zero motivation to work out, and was eating food that was cooked and served to you in less than 5 minutes. As fate would have it, I attended a charity auction where I met Chris Keith who encouraged me to bid on the 3 month membership to 619 he donated to the auction. I ended up winning the auction and have been at 619 ever since.

What was your first WOD/experience?
My First WOD experience was brutal. It was at 6am down at the bay. I remember having to do bear crawls up and down the boardwalk. I could barely make it a few steps before collapsing. After seeing everyone in the class lap me a few dozen times, It was very clear to me that I was REALLY out of shape and had some work to do.

How long have you been 619 San Diego Personal Training for?
I have been 619 San Diego Personal Training for about a year and a half.

What is your biggest accomplishment?
I have 2 accomplishments that I am proud of. The first is completing 30 workouts in 30 days. Day 1 at 619, Chris challenged me to complete 30 workouts in 30 days. It had been years since I last worked out and saw this as an impossible goal. With lots of encouragement from the other athletes at 619, I accepted the challenge. I went from complete laziness to a Monday-Saturday 6am workout at 619 with a day off on Sunday which consisted of at least a 5 mile run. Halfway through the 30 days, I remember being so incredibly sore that it hurt to do anything. There were mornings that I just wanted to quit. Somehow, I was able to power through and complete the entire 30 days without missing a day.
The second is completing the La Jolla half marathon. Before joining 619, the farthest I have ever run was maybe 4 miles. Being able to complete the half marathon, and completing it under my 2 hour goal was a huge accomplishment.

What is your favorite / least favorite WOD/movement?
My favorite exercise is probably the power clean/squat clean. Although far from perfect, I feel like this is my strongest exercise. My least favorite is overhead squats. The lack of flexibility in my shoulders makes this exercise difficult for me. I am improving each week and will continue to work on perfecting this exercise.

What are your hobbies outside of 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I make wine and lots of it. About 6 years ago, I invested in a start-up winery. We make several different varietals that can be enjoyed at our tasting room in Julian, CA. It’s called the Blue Door Winery, make sure to stop by on your next trip to Julian.

July Athlete of the Month Ruben Perez

Here at 619 we are continuously striving every day to bring success to our members/athletes. We want to start something new to keep pushing to new heights. We feel it is important to recognize our members. Athlete of the month is someone who is a positive leader here at 619, someone who has great skill and motivates others.

Ruben is a great asset and team member to 619. He is dedicated and always on point with his form. He looks out for others in the gym helping them achieve PR’s and keeping their form inline as well. He is one of our strongest here at 619 and we are thankful to have him part of the box. His positive attitude sets a good example for morale in always striving for the top. He has exceeded his own goals and continues to succeed at whatever he puts his mind too. The biggest exercise to overcome was the ever so challenging muscle ups, and with dedication and continuous reinforcement, the challenge was met and now he successfully has overcome them. Ruben continues to add an average of 20lbs to the workouts every 5 to 6 months. We are privileged to have Ruben as a member here at 619 and we congratulate him on his well-deserved ATHLETE OF THE MONTH!

How did you get involved in 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I was looking to get on a meal plan and was referred to Chris Keith. Chris is very well known in the San Diego community and after meeting with him to start a meal plan he also encouraged me to try 619 San Diego Personal Training. Here I am 16 months later and am totally hooked with CF 619.

What was your first WOD/experience?
I can’t remember specifics but one thing I can say is that I was humbled during the first few weeks of 619 San Diego Personal Training and timed WODs. I had been doing weight/strength training on my own and doing Bootcamps at other various locations but 619 San Diego Personal Training was on an entirely different level. Most of the men and women were kicking my ass with or without muscles!

How long have you been 619 San Diego Personal Training for?
16 months now.

When did you realize that 619 San Diego Personal Training was right for you?
As soon as I saw my triathlon performance take a great leap! I stopped triathon specific training and increased my strength training and stil saw faster results. Not to mention my clothes fit much better!!

What is your biggest accomplishment?
It is a tie! The day I was able to do a 370lb deadlift as well as when I was able to do muscle ups. I had never done a dead lift let alone a muscle up in my life before showing up to 619.

What is your favorite / least favorite WOD/movement?
My favorite move is the snatch as it is by far the most complex and coordinated move.
My least favorite are burpees (I know I am not alone on this one)

What do you do for a profession outside of 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I am an engineer; I work for CareFusion, a medical device company and am responsible for the manufacturing site for intravenous therapy pumps.

What are your hobbies outside of 619 San Diego Personal Training?
I enjoy participating in Sprint Triathlons, cooking new recipes and perfecting my “go-to” dishes, I find myself quite creative behind the bar and always coming up with creative cocktails.

Fun fact?
I won a local recipe contest in 2009 sponsored by San Diego Magazine. The contest was to come up with my own dish using Seafood and Plantains as the main ingredients. I was privileged to compete in a live throw down against two other contestants at Indigo Grill in Little Italy, a la Bobby Flay in the Food Network.

See Ruben attacking The 2012 619 San Diego Personal Training Open WOD 12.3 below.

Tagged as: Athlete of the month