It’s time for a brand new Wildheart of the Month (WOM)! Every month we interview one of our Wildhearts. We ask them about their Crossfit journey, their day job, their favorite movements and about some other goofy stuff. This month our WOM is Lee Johnson (48), osteopath, born and raised in Rotterdam, living together with his wife, his two children, two dogs and two cats.
Student for life
‘After graduating from my physiotherapy study in ’96 I soon found out that, while being theoretically very interesting, physiotherapy to me seemed limited as a method. Physiotherapy is all about massaging, mobilizing and guidance, but doesn’t look at the patient or person, his/or her environment, lifestyle, health, history. A colleague at the time started a study in osteopathy and I decided to do the same. Osteopathy has a broader perspective on patients: what kind of person is it, what is his or her environment like, how healthy is this person, and are his or her complaints related or not. It is not just focussing on the complaint, but on the person as a whole. The one thing I love the most about my job is the fact that I am a student for life. You'll never know everything and you are fine with that. You are happy with what you can do and the impact you can make, because that is a lot, but there is always room for more. It will never bore me. ‘
Short term versus long term
‘Well that actually makes a nice bridge to Crossfit. In Crossfit you will never reach perfection as well, but the progressions on the short term are very satisfying on their own. For example your first muscle up, but also just finishing a workout, learning how to pace properly. The short term effects are just as nice as the effect on the long term, and you know you’ll never stop learning.
You’ll never stop learning and that is totally fine!
‘I started Crossfit because I saw some video’s and it looked very cool.. it intrigued me. I expected there would be a lot to learn, and it matched with the osteopathy vision of ‘total body’, because the movements all need a controlled and conscious movement of your total body.’
'Two years ago I was looking for a box that felt good for me, and that took me some time. But when I drove by Wildhearts on my bike and saw some of the coaches working out together I found my place. The energy was just right.’
The first muscle-up
‘I remember my first bar muscle up very well. It was a warm, hot day, and coach Sven and G really made me sweat with a workout with burpees and assault bike. Afterwards we had some drinks (sangria) in the sun outside, when we started talking about muscle-ups. I decided to try one, and the third attempt was a succes! I actually did 7 or eight more that day and that felt really great. Maybe the alcohol in the sangria had something to do with it.
They call it bar muscle ups for a reason right ;)’
No burpees please
‘I love workouts that need some grinding. The longer workouts that you really have to work trough, like a docker. Just like boxing, the one with the longest breath wins. So no, sprinting is not my style. What I really don’t like: burpees. Burpees make me feel bad. ‘
It’s all about the energy
‘I’m proud to be a Wildheart, because this place has the right energy. Georgios and Viv created a place where everyone is welcome, the people are nice and open, everyone wants to learn. I am really happy that I found this place and that I am a part of it.’
Stay tuned for our next Wildhearts of the Month!