We have so much appreciation for our community, and love to highlight one athlete each month that exemplifies hard work and commitment. Meet Dan! Dan joined the Terminus crew a little over a year ago, and has made his mark on the morning classes already! Truly tuning into the mental aspect of each workout, Dan is an athlete who pushes himself to master the intended stimulus or each wod – and hopefully not go out too hot in the process! Let’s dive into his journey at Terminus a little further, and make sure to give him a high five the next time you see him in the gym!
Q: How long have you been going to Terminus? What changes have you seen in yourself (physically or mentally) since joining?
I have been a member at Terminus for a little over a year (Feb/March 2024), and have been doing CrossFit for nearly five. Since joining Terminus, I’ve noticed a couple of really big changes. I typically felt pretty confident in my gymnastics abilities but I have really seen great progress on more challenging movements like BMUs, handstand push ups and handstand walking. The biggest surprises have been my mental improvements. I can hear and implement simple cues for technical lifts that I couldn’t before, especially snatches and cleans. Now, I’m also stronger mentally within a metcon. I have the confidence to know my thresholds and properly approach workouts to get the intended stimulus without imploding partway through (well most of the time…). I was chronically known for coming out too hot and blowing up. Huge credit to all the morning coaches for helping me on that front.
Q: How has your journey at Terminus helped you outside the gym?
Mentally. Starting my day doing something challenging always helps regulate my system. It makes me feel more capable of the other hard things I face in a day.
Q: Who inspires you at the gym, and how do they inspire you?
The 6am and 7am crews. I’m older than a lot of them and I’m always trying to stay a step ahead of them.
Q: How would you describe what it’s like to be a part of Terminus?
It’s a great community of people who are willing to do hard things. Whether in the gym or outside, life will hand you challenges and it’s awesome to see like minded people who face down the hard, versus run from it.
Q: Tell us about your first day of class at Terminus.
My first day at Terminus was a workout with heavy reverse lunges. Having come from another gym that I thought had challenging programming, I figured slap on the Performance weight and go to town. Simply, I was way wrong. In typical old Dan fashion, I came out too hot and blew up. I didn’t even finish. I learned a couple of quick lessons.
- Think about the workouts, they’re often more challenging than they might appear.
- Everyone around you will cheer you on to the bitter end (or the painful time cap, as it was for me that day).
- Bryson will always be there with a smile and a funny line for you while you’re dead on the floor. I was hooked from Day 1.
Q: What is something that we may not know about you?
I work in documentary filmmaking. I’ve completed four Triathlons and I’d like to do a half Ironman someday.
Q: What are your top 3 memories or proudest moments in CrossFit?
- Competing on a team at the Atlantic Coast Classic in 2023 and finishing in the top third.
- My year-over-year improvement in the Open from 2024 to 2025 (credit the Terminus programming for that one).
- Completing an RX (but partitioned) Murph four years running – looking forward to making that five in a couple weeks!
Q: Moving forward, do you have any short term or long term goals in the gym?
Bodyweight Snatch (180), be able to handstand walk 25 feet unbroken, get my first ring muscle up.