10th August 2017
Starting Crossfit at 47-Laren Wesley
Ben, ‘Laren, thank you so much for letting me interview you! So let’s get the first question out of the way, how old are you?!’
Laren, ’49 Ben!!’
Ben, ‘Is it hard for someone of about your age to start CrossFit?’
Laren, ‘No absolutely not, the biggest obstacle would be a mental one and not a physical one.’
Ben, ‘Ok, so did you have any obstacles at all before you come in?’
Laren, ‘yeah I had preconceptions of that there was this room full of elite people doing stuff that was unachievable for someone like myself. Then I poked my head in on one of the competitions that you ran in here in 2014 and saw Alan Wilkinson repping 140kgs on a deadlift quicker than I believed possible, then I thought, I want to do that!!’
Ben ‘How fit would you describe yourself before you started CrossFit?’
Laren Well I can give you a really good example for that. I thought I was pretty fit but I started on a beginners class and did a 6 minute workout with 21-15-9 of front squats and burpees. My lungs fell right out of my arse and that’s what got me hooked!!’
Ben ‘What did your training consist of before hand?’
Laren ‘I was doing a fair bit of cardio in the gym, 20 minutes on different bits of kit then I would continue the workout with some traditional type movements.’
Ben , ‘You competed for the first time last year after 18 months of training. How did that go and what did you get out of it?’
Laren , ‘I was really pleased with how I performed after all as I was nursing a small lower back niggle but I achieved a massive clean and jerk PB so it was such a huge positive!!’
Ben ‘What do you love about CrossFit?’
Laren ‘I was thinking about this the other day and most of the time its not about the training for me. When im deep into this workout and you’re hanging (out of your arse) and there’s so many people going through exactly the same thing you’re going through and it might be a small comment, a nod, a gesture, a jibe, a cheer or a fist bump. Sometimes it’s the post WOD talking bollocks! I find myself hanging around after workouts just to be around like minded people that have been through the same shit as me and it bonds people in such a strong way! I just love the environment!’
Ben ‘Do you see age as a potential problem or a potential issue?’
Laren , ‘No, absolutely do not! I think with age you might mentally restrict yourself, to say you can’t do something anymore because of strength or flexibility and when I look around I see that my mobility isn’t that bad. So to me, mobility isn’t an age thing, you can certainly work around it and certainly improve it.’
Ben ‘What is the hardest thing you find about training or walking into the box (gym)?’
Laren , ‘I’m always nervous!!’
Ben ‘So even after two years you’re still nervous?’
Laren ‘Yes! Because you never know what you’re going to get. And today was even worse as I’ve been away for two weeks!! The hardest thing is always, getting over your own mental obstacles, being able to get to that dark place or hitting that redline and to keep going, that’s the hardest thing.’
Ben ‘You’re looked up to as one of the DILF’s of the box ( a title you so richly deserve!), how do you rate the banter and camaraderie at White Cliffs CrossFit?’
Laren , ‘Well it’s awesome and its what keeps you coming back. If It was just a place where you went in, did your own thing and went home, I wouldn’t be here. It is the fact that you can have the banter, take the micky out of others and out of yourself.’
Ben ‘Laren, thank you so much for your time!’
