Nik has been a part of the DogTown family for 7+ years. He actually helped design one of early website renditions with Jason Pang.
Having Nik in class has always been a pleasure, and his personal journey has been remarkable and a true measure of persistence and personal change. He has most recently hit his stride.
I think it is most important to understand for everyone, we battle at times with even being in the gym, let alone being consistent. With Nik’s story, it shows the concept of how training has changed for him over time which is very compelling and inspirational.
-Coach Dusty
Having Nik in class has always been a pleasure, and his personal journey has been remarkable and a true measure of persistence and personal change. He has most recently hit his stride.
I think it is most important to understand for everyone, we battle at times with even being in the gym, let alone being consistent. With Nik’s story, it shows the concept of how training has changed for him over time which is very compelling and inspirational.
-Coach Dusty
Crush Cancer 2012
A: Way, way back in 2012, my good friends Omid Khalili and Claudia Padula did some serious recruiting that proved rather effective. I needed to get off my lazy ass, and this seemed fun enough to try. After the intro session, I was hooked.
Q: What was your first session at CrossFit like?
A: It was a Saturday morning intro class coached by Mike Vacarella, and I distinctly remember afterwards needing to sit on a box for about half an hour just to avoid throwing up. The workout was only mildly more strenuous than our warm-ups are today. It was the most physically difficult thing I'd done in my life up to that point. I haven't felt that awful after a workout since, either.
Q: What have been the most surprising changes in yourself that you have experienced since starting at DogTown?
A: I've never found a fitness activity I truly cared about. I lazily played basketball as a kid, and cycling got close, but I never pushed myself before, and CrossFit made me discover a switch in my brain that I can turn on to do things I never thought I could.
Q: CrossFit really gets us ready for anything and it opens so many doors to try things we may not have done before. Have you taken on anything new with the help of CrossFit?
A: I took my cycling hobby up a few notches, having completed two centuries (100-mile rides, you should try it). I also started taking my diet seriously, since you can't out train a bad one no matter how hard you try. And I no longer generally fear physical activity.
Q: What are your favorite movements and workouts and what are your least favorite?
A: My favorite movements are generally strength related, especially the heavy lifts like deadlift and back squat. Running is probably my least favorite thing, though wall balls and burpees aren't far behind. My favorite workouts are set time AMRAPs and least favorite are ascending ladders. The rest is all details.
Q: What has been one of your fondest accomplishments at DT?
A: I'm a little over 70 pounds down from last February, which is pretty good. However, the real win is the fact that I keep coming back even if I step away from it. Fitness became an inextricable part of my life because of this gym and what happens inside it.
Feburary 2019
January 2020
A: All Advanced, all the time? Maybe 500 pound deadlift some day? Are muscle-ups too much to ask for? Maybe I could work on being able to dunk on a regulation height hoop? I just want to keep a high level of activity part of my life forever. The current weight loss progress is just a side effect of taking my health seriously. Getting older is a lot more fun with a body that doesn't feel like it's about to fall apart, but quite the opposite.
Q: What advice can you give to a newbie at DT?
A: Two things:
1. The first day is the worst by far. Just keep coming back.
2. It doesn't get easier, but you do get better.
Q: What do you do outside of the box?
A: I mostly write software, ride motorcycles, and drink bourbon. And preach on and on about CrossFit in general and DogTown in particular, of course.
Q: What 2 things can you share with your DogTown family that we might not know about you?
A: I talk a lot, so most people probably wish they knew less about me, but here we go:
1. I'm one of the complaint champions of the morning classes, regularly suggesting we go get breakfast instead of doing the workout at the end, but I secretly treasure that part of the class the most, as conditioning has always been my weakness and I now cherish the progress I'm making.
2. I'm originally from Bosnia and keep forgetting to get a Bosnian flag for the gym. Someone remind me, please?