I am happy to congratulate one of the most humble and appreciative people I have ever met. Izzy Fried is our November Athlete of the Month by no mistake. When you read his Q&A below you may find some things you have in common with him. Maybe loving pizza or maybe it’s the having the mental challenge inside the gym to be smart, trust the process and re-calibrate your mindset when you find yourself doing too much or going too hard. Those of you who know Izzy best either see him at 6:45am on the weekdays, 7am on the weekend or have been in awe of his “whoop” output before 7am in the morning. You talk about an active person outside the gym. Izzy certainly uses the strengths and skills trained in the gym and applies it to his outdoors fun. He rucks every morning with his dog before taking class. He will take weekend trips to go hiking. I almost didn’t mention that he is a veteran of the Israeli military. I’ve seen some pretty cool photos of the the tactical courses he has participated in to both maintain skills as well as learn new ones from today’s experts in the field. If you haven’t gotten to know him yet, take a class he attends, meet him to ruck around LB or just talk to him in between class. We met up to do 1000 step ups together on veterans day. He’s a man of his word. Izzy is a great guy who you want to be around. Keep doing your thing!
Written by: Coach Rob Moloney
——————————————————————————————
Q&A
Why did you start functional fitness cross-training?
I was training in MMA full time and my wife wanted to do something where we could work out together. She didn’t want to do MMA and there was a box around the corner from where we lived in Williamsburg so we signed up.
What’s your background? (Athletic)
I never played organized sports in school other than pick up games. I took some form of martial art on and off throughout my life and competed amaturely within the organization I was training in.
How long have you been a member and how long have you been doing functional fitness?
I’m pretty sure it’s coming up on 2 years here at Island Park and probably 5 years over all at various different boxes/gyms.
What is your favorite thing about the gym?
Wow, so there’s a lot to unbox here: I have an addictive personality by nature and have a tendency to go really far down the rabbit hole when something piques my interest. Which leads to another component of what I love about the gym. To me it is very similar to the military in that the camaraderie is just so powerful. When I think about it, I’ve had some of my highest highs at the gym. No matter what is going on in your everyday life, we can all probably relate to going through hardships and struggles and yet when you cross that threshold and enter the gym there is an infectious energy that just envelopes and energizes you. That energy and that positivity comes from everyone who makes up the gym. The members and coaches alike. When you have the opportunity to feed off of that energy on a daily basis, it really helps you hit the reset button and self calibrate into a more positive and focused mindset.
What is the biggest challenge you have overcome since joining the gym?
Feeding off of the last Q&A, I guess when your mindset is balls to the wall, self regulating becomes really hard. Knowing when to dial things back becomes really important to your longevity and continued success both in and out of the gym. Finding the right balance changes over time with age and responsibilities become a bigger factor in that endeavor. Until coming to Island Park Fitness, the intent of the workout was really something personal and made up in my head of what I thought I should or needed to get out of the workout. Many times, that would lead to bad form in the movements which in turn lead to injury for me. Now being provided that information in a thoughtful and calculated manner from the coaches I can honestly say has made all the difference for me..
What is your favorite moment at the gym so far?
Again, building off of the last question, besides the obvious, meeting new people and making friends with like minded individuals that last far beyond the workout and your time at the gym, my other favorite moment has been using the intent of our workouts as template for not just the wod but for making myself accountable. It has helped me find a new sense of purpose and allowed me to focus on fueling myself better by eating better, injury proofing so that I can work on movements which have eluded me out of difficulty, and to lose 15 lbs in the last couple of months. I am using this as my springboard to a healthier lifestyle so that I can take on new challenges.
What’s your favorite “cheat” food?
Pizza
What would you say to someone who is thinking about starting?
It’s a no brainer. Do it and change your life. It’s not easy but it makes it easier to do hard things.
What drives you?
I mean this is another great question that I could probably ramble on about ad nauseum. Simply stated: making sure I get off the X. Working on myself daily to make incremental improvements by being in a consistent state of movement in an effort to be the best version of myself to my wife, kids and those around me.
What is your biggest fitness goal right now?
Eating healthier and working on both my weaker movements as well as ones I would not have even tried before.