Our Male Athlete of the Month is Greg Brown! Greg is officially the unofficial Mayor of our NoonFit FTX class. He prioritizes his noon workout in the middle of each workday, and has done so to reach the 650 workout mark.
Greg has had a huge transformation in his health, losing 60 pounds even before stepping into our doors. Since joining FitTown in 2018 Greg has added a ton of muscle and says he is in the best shape of his entire life at 49 years old. He’s gone from barely being able to do a pull-up, to being able to do big sets of strict & kipping pull-ups, and bar muscle-ups. Just last week he got his first ring muscle up!
Greg’s wife Jaclyn got him into FitTown and continues to be a member. His father in law Mike has also been honored as our A.O.M. previously. We love seeing families getting fit together, and as you’ll see in Greg’s story, his transformation came from an inspiration from his family.
Greg, we are thankful for having you and your family in our FitTown family. Our noon class would not be the same without our mayor!
GREG! Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in New Jersey and moved to Stuart when I was 6 and have lived most of my life in this area. I served 6 years in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman. I finished up my bachelors degree after I got out and have been working at a Jupiter engineering firm for the last 12 years. I met my wife Jaclyn at work and we have been married for 4+ years. We have 3 children, Hailey, Riley & Zac.
What motivated you to get started at FitTown? What do you remember most about when you first started?
My wife, who has been doing CrossFit for many years, was my biggest motivator to get started. She would always ask when I was going to give it a try. I was so out of shape and overweight that I was deathly afraid to even entertain the idea. I hadn’t done any real physical exercise in 15-20 Years. Time went by and Jaclyn and her family started doing the keto diet, one night in particular I remember as my motivation to start keto, I was drinking my usual 6 IPAs and Jaclyn was testing her ketone and blood sugar levels. I tested my blood sugar level that night and it was in the high 180s. I was shocked and the next day went super strict with the keto lifestyle for about 3 months. It was tough giving up all my favorite carbs but I lost 60 pounds. Then a few weeks later CFPB/FitTown ran a 10 days for 20$ promotion and I attended my first BeachFit class on a Sunday with my wife and it totally demolished me(burpees- lots of them)
What positive physical progress would you like to brag on about yourself?
Well, I am in the best shape of my life at 49 years old, I was so weak when I started, I could barley do one pull-up, I have gotten stronger than I have ever been.
Any new beliefs/mottos, habits, behaviors that you formed since you started that have most positively impacted your life?
One belief for sure that I have formed is that anyone can get into shape once they believe In themselves and stop making excuses for why they can’t. I am speaking from experience, I made thousands of excuses and didn’t believe I could ever do CrossFit. Now I get upset if I miss a WOD if work or life makes me miss a day.
Do you have any memorable moments/workouts at FitTown that you’d like to share?
My first Murph was 2 years ago (3 Murphs ago now), I had just transitioned to CrossFit/FTX from BeachFit, I told myself going in that I was only going to do half but once I got to the 10th round I just kept going and was able to complete the full Murph, it took me forever but it felt good. I was able to beat that time by 16 minutes this year, I was super proud of that.
What keeps you motivated? What do you remind yourself of on days when you don’t “feel” like going to the gym?
It’s been said many times before…it’s the best hour of my day, I love the #noonfit crew and energy. Like I told Andrew the other day, I never am thinking “I love this” during the WOD, especially ones like the “Pain Gretzky” last week, but once it’s finished I am always telling myself “ I love this.”
What advice do you have for the person who’s hesitant about starting a fitness program like this?
Get your butt into Beachfit, be consistent, listen to your body and don’t expect instant results, this is a journey.
Greg’s First Ring Muscle Up!
What do you love most about FitTown Jupiter?
The feeling that you are part of something special, the atmosphere the other members create is inviting and never do I feel like I don’t belong. The coaches are top notch, each with their own different coaching style and are always putting 100% into making us more fit.
