Name: Lance Herd
Age: 35
Occupation: Operations Management (it’s too boring to explain) – (Didn’t you forget to write screenwriter or aspiring screenwriter? Google “Rooney’s World” for one of Lance’s short films, Lance even may have a cameo.)
Previous workout/exercise history before starting CrossFit? I weighed about 125 lbs. in high school and didn’t play sports at all. I lifted and ran sporadically for years (including a P90X phase) before I started Crossfit.
CrossFitting Since: October 2011
How did you learn about CrossFit Sting? I met the Pecoras at my first CF gym. They left to start Sting, I realized I couldn’t stand being away from them, so I made the jump a few months later. (Might be more like we were the only ones that would put up with you? Just kidding, you have become a pretty good CrossFitter as long as you don’t let your mind take over.)
Was it love at first WOD? It was love/hate at first WOD. I have a bit of a reputation for being hard on myself during WODs, and I was really frustrated after my first class. But at the same time there was something addictive about it. I think curiosity kept me coming back – what insane movement would I be doing that day, how challenging would it be, how much progress could I make, etc.. After a couple weeks, I was hooked.
Favorite WOD or movements? Push ups, push presses, ring dips – chest/shoulder stuff. And double unders… I have a “When Harry Met Sally” relationship with double unders. When we first met we argued all the time, and I didn’t think it would ever work out. But then we kept running into each other over the years, slowly started to find each other more endearing, and now we’re inseparable. (I am glad you think this the case. Didn’t your rope go flying out of your hands recently and I don’t mean accidentally?)
Least favorite WOD or Movements? I struggle with leg/squat stuff. Front squats, back squats, overhead squats. I don’t know if side squats are a thing, but I hate ’em if they are.
Favorite CrossFit Sting moment? Getting a 400 lb. deadlift. That # meant a lot to me for some reason. Both of my Murph WODs were special too… the first one I was just proud of finishing, and the second one I shaved 19 minutes off my time. Anytime you see definitive, measurable progress like that, it’s really rewarding. (See picture above for 400# Deadlift. Remember this Lance the next time you’re in a middle of a tough WOD and feel like you can’t finish! Please?)
Why do you CrossFit? You can’t deny the importance of the community, but I’m gonna go w/ a different answer here. Pre Crossfit, I’d always wonder whether I was doing the right things in the right proportions. When I’d start doing regiment X, I’d read somewhere that I should be doing regiment Y instead. It felt like I expended as much energy researching programs as I did working out. With CF, it’s all done for you before you walk in the door. We have great coaches who plan ahead so I don’t have to. I know what’s been put in front of me works, I just have to go do it, and I love that. It’s the one (and only) thing about CF that’s easier than what I was doing before.
Tell us something new about you that we don’t already know? I’m an aspiring screenwriter, but I think most people in the gym know that already, so I’ll go with an alternate here. I’m fascinated by “big questions” – why we’re here, existence of God, meaning, purpose, etc. Ya’ know, light conversation starters 🙂 Philosophy and theology are topics I love to read, learn and talk about. You don’t have to agree with me to have a conversation about it, and i’m usually more interested in talking to people who don’t agree with me because I enjoy learning why people hold the views they do. I love wrapping my mind around that stuff. Hope that’s not too involved of an answer 🙂
