John “Thor” Johnson

by Jason

John is one of our original members, he was at Albany CrossFit before we even had our own space.  In the past year John has made such huge improvements it would be impossible to name them all.  Most impressively he has taken a step back from super heavy weights and is focused on his form.  Now, all of his weighs are moving back up in the right direction but his form is impeccable.  John is one of the nicest, friendliest, and generous people you will ever meet, truly an asset to Albany CrossFit and our community. 

Check out John’s interview:

How did you find out about CrossFit and then ultimately Albany CrossFit?

I found out about crossfit after seeing a making of feature for the movie 300 back in the winter of 06/07. I saw the kind of workouts the actors were doing and said “I want to do that!” I did some looking around and found crossfit through that and started working in some crossfit workouts into my routine. Then last summer I put “Crossfit Albany” into google one day and found Jay and saw he was setting up a gym here.

Favorite thing about Albany CrossFit?

I worked out at a planet fitness and then golds for years and eventually decided to create a home gym because I couldn’t stand the atmosphere at those places. The vibe and community at crossfit is a million times better. Its not just a gym or a place to work out, its filled with friends and people who are there to bust their asses. I love it.

Funniest thing you have seen at ACF?

How about funniest things I’ve done. Involuntarily humping the stair step/bench after completing Cindy. Falling down after slipping on a pinecone in the parking lot while running backwards during Griff. Yelling “I can’t breathe” over and over again during the horrible Fran/Diane combination WOD…

Your dream WOD?

As many rounds in 20 minutes of 5 weighted pullups, 10 bodyweight bench press, and 10 bodyweight back squats. Cindy on steroids.

What has it done to change your life?

I’m stronger than I’ve ever been even at the peak of my old bodybuilding style routine when I weighed about 15-20 pounds more. I can run faster,  have a much healtiher diet and more overall knowledge about nutrition. I also sleep better, have more energy, and take more advil. 

Something you saw when first coming or on a video and thought you’d never be able to do, but now can?

Muscle ups and heavy deadlifts. When I first started and tried to do Linda for the first time it took me like 45 minutes and I had to drop the weight from a 225 pound deadlift down to around 135. The last time I did it fully RX’ed was about 25 minutes. A 225lb deadlift used to be my max, now I pick it up like its a basket of clothes.

Biggest accomplishment?

Either finishing Cindy with 27+ rounds or completing the 5k at the challenge in a decent time. I’ve always hated running and used to be exhausted after running 2 miles. That was my first 5k that wasn’t on a treadmill and first competitive race.

Future goals?

Getting 200lbs overhead. Getting better at muscleups, squat cleans, overhead squats, and eventually getting my back squat up in the 280-300 range.

Your diet?

Pretty much the zone. Anywhere between 17 and 21 blocks with 2x to 4x fat.

Favorite cheat meal?

Veal Sorrentina @ LoPorto’s in Troy – Veal parm with eggplant baked into it. White pizza with spinach. Pappy Van Winkle 23 year old bourbon. Brown’s whiskey porter.

Favorite WOD?

Murphy

Least Favorite WOD?

Either the Diane/Fran combo or Eva with the 70lb kettlebell. Its about an hour of hell.

List some of your PRs:

Squat – 235
Press – 150
Deadlift – 360
Cindy – 27 rounds + 3 pullups
Fran – 6:27
Murphy – 39:00 with 20lb vest

Anything else to add about CF or ACF?

I’m incredibly thankful for crossfit and albany crossfit in particular. I’ve made lots of  great new friends and have reached a level of fitness I used to dream about. The great thing is the thought that I’ve only been doing this for less than a year still and have so much more potential. Its exciting to me to think that I can still improve even though I’ve come a long way in the past year.

Thor Spotlight from Albany CrossFit on Vimeo.