Coach Profile- Stephan Faiazza

How did you find CrossFit and how long did it take before you were hooked?

I first got into fitness in 2013, purely running, 7 days a week. I first stumbled upon Crossfit in 2014, on youtube. Rich Froning was doing a workout for BodyBuilding.com that involved push presses, pull ups, and double unders. I remember saying, “hmmm, pretty cool but those pull ups are cheat-reps” haha.. I was interested but sceptical. Later that year I found out about the workout “Murph” after reading the book “Lone Survivor.” It was a Crossfit workout, and by now I had watched a few more Crossfit videos, so I decided to finally try it out.I was immediately hooked. I repeated Murph often, thinking I was doing Crossfit, little did I know there were a lot more movements that I’d have to learn. Shortly after, in 2015, I bought a rogue squat rack, pull up bar, barbell, and bumper plates. In 2016 I found Outlaw North and the rest is history. 

How has your life changed since finding CrossFit?

Crossfit has changed my life in countless ways, but the most important one to me is relationships. I’ve met some of my best friends, people who I consider to be my family, through Crossfit. It has given me some of the strongest relationships I’ve ever had. There is something about shared “suffering” that bring people together, and I think that is one of the secret ingredients. 

What do you love most about coaching?

The chance to serve others. Another big value of mine is knowing I did something to help someone else in some way. I no longer serve in the capacity I once imagined myself serving, but this job gives me the ability to do that on a different level, one that, even if it’s only for an hour, makes someone’s day just a little bit brighter. Also, I get to jam out to country music, make jokes, and work with my best friends, what’s not to love? 

What are you reading right now? Or last book you read?

I’m between 3 books right now:
1- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, I’ve read it a few times, I  read a small paragraph or two every day or every other day.
2- Founder Farmer Tinker Thief by Chris Cooper, I got this at the Two Brain Business summit in 2019 and haven’t read it yet, decided to give it a go.
3- Behave, Robert M. Sapolsky, given to me by a man who put me through some of the hardest days of my 23 years on this earth, haha. It’s more of a science/educational read, typically not my style, but I trust that the man who gave it to me did so for a reason. 

What is something you would like to accomplish? (Athletic endeavour or not)

I’d like to qualify for a Crossfit sanctional. I still think competing in Crossfit is one of the hardest things you can do, mentally and physically— and I’ve done enough hard things to say that nothing compares, for me anyway. 

Other than that, I’m not really a “life goals” type of person. For me there will always be something I want to accomplish–daily, monthly, yearly, etc., until my time is up here. What’s more important to me is losing myself in the activity itself, being purely present in what I’m doing. After achieving something, yes, I take a second to be proud, but soon after I’m already looking for the next thing. Just the way I’ve always been.

Favourite CrossFit Movement

Clean & Jerk or Snatch 

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

I did a hip hop dance routine in my school talent show two years in a row. Footage you’ll NEVER see….

Favourite cheat/bad food?

Chocolate chip cookies hands down… but I don’t call it a “cheat”…. I’m not on a diet. When I eat them, there’s no guilt. I just try to have them on a day where I trained really hard, that way the calories from them are potentially used for GOOD?… that’s what I like to tell myself anyway!