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Theron and I at the Hybrid Athletics Grand Opening last fall

To contact Theron: theronw.rmt@gmail.com

Ok, I had to post this. I was legitimately proud of myself when I realized I was both strong enough and had the balls to try these. Best ‘physical’ CrossFit moment in a while…

At 5’10″ and 165 lbs. and not having swung like this on a bar in 15 years, I managed to do some decent-looking (minus the first one) giants at my adult gymnastics class.

Stay tuned for a video of the Afghan in Adult Gymnastics! By the end of these sessions, the Afghan, too, will conquer GIANTS!! (No pressure, Coach Kira).

I hear the words ‘high risk investment’ and I freak out. I barely make enough to support myself, an accomplishment in and of itself, so when I think about ‘high risk,’ I run the other way.

But, but but, if there were anyone in the world I would trust with giving me sound advice on these matters, it’s long-time CrossFit Vancouver member Dave Eaton, CEO of the Baron Group and possibly the most generous man on the face of the planet.

One Notable Dave Eaton Achievement:

Dave Eaton was the driving force behind the hard lobby for the washroom renovation. “Those washrooms are unusable. It’s like showering in a Midas Muffler shop,” he would complain, day after day, week after week, month after month.

It proved impossible to find a picture of Dave Eaton, so here’s his son Kyle. At least you know what he might have looked like twenty years ago.

Training Eaton

Dave Eaton is one of T-Bear’s clients. One day about a year ago, Bear asked me to do a session with Eaton.

The preamble: “He’s a big guy. He’ll likely burst through the doors in a big huff a couple minutes late, wearing a suit, and he’ll be talking on the phone with his earpiece in. He’ll tell you he’s in a rush, and he’ll bitch and complain throughout the entire workout,” said T-Bear. “You’ll love him.”

T-Bear was right. On all counts.

The next day, Eaton burst through the doors at 4:10 pm (for a 4 pm session), blue tooth in his ear, talking 100 miles an hour.

“I have to be out of here in 45 minutes,” said Dave. “This has to be a quick one.”

I’ve probably done about 40 sessions with Eaton in the last year, and everyday I train him is a carbon copy of the last. He moans and groans and paces in pain as he warms up always repeating, “I need to get back into this…I need to get back into this.”

Then he always tells me, “I have to get out of here in 45. This has to be a quick one.”

Trying to schedule Eaton in is impossible.

“Can you come in this Friday morning?” I’ll ask.

“No, I leave for Denver tonight, and then I head to China for a week, and then to Australia. I’ll be back on the 20th of the month.”

Recently I started a new deal with him. I gave him two workouts to do on his one-week business trip, and if he doesn’t do them he will be fined $100. I’m hoping this might work to “get him back into this,” but I fear $100 isn’t enough incentive for Eaton to bust out Tabata Squats alone in his hotel room after a 12-hour-day and after finishing a 16 ounce steak and lobster dinner.

When he does make it in, sessions are often interrupted when his Blackberry vibrates – another emergency in the financial world.

But somehow through these rushed sessions, through the moans and groans and prolific swearing, Eaton has let me get to know who he is.

He’s a workaholic and a foodaholic, and he’s one of the most sincere people I have ever met. He’s charming and endearing. He’s refreshingly honest and open and tells you what’s really going on instead of what you want to hear.

Mid-warm-up, he’ll stop, hold his gut and shake it around a little bit as he complains about the obnoxiously-sized steak, mashed potatoes, cup of gray, litre and a half of wine and bottle of vodka he downed the night before.

He’s a husband and a father of three children. His youngest two are barely out of diapers, while Kyle, who also trains at CrossFit Vancouver, is 26.

Sometimes, in between Eaton’s strained lunges and squats, between his incessant pacing and panting, he takes the time to tell me something small about his children, or his wife – something small, but always something that tells me more about Eaton’s character.

“I need to be out of here today because it’s my son’s first day of school. I need to be there. I can’t miss it. You always remember your first day of school,” he says, his face lighting up thinking about his son.

“Have you met my wife?” he asks. “She is the most amazing woman in the world,” he beams.

Then he goes back to bitching. “Fuckin T-Bear. Is he still with that Kiwi girl? When the fuck is he going to marry her?…Is anyone married around here? These guys need to grow up,” he says.

And somewhere along the way, in the precious fleeting moments between sets of overhead squats and blackberry vibrations, Eaton has taken the time to know me, too.

“I love that you talk to me about your dating life. If you didn’t, I would feel old,” Dave told me after I divulged the most recent man frustrations in my life.

Eaton has become one of my unofficial man consultants. I trust his advice with my life. I feel deprived when he goes on a work trip and I don’t get to see him for a couple weeks.

And although I mock Eaton for being a chronic complainer, he is one of the clients that lights me up every time he walks through the door. He is the kind of person that reminds me why I enjoy coaching.

T-Bear, how much would you sell Eaton for?

Interested in High Risk Investing?

Eaton is the owner and founder of the Baron Group, a boutique investment bank with offices in Vancouver and Hong Kong.

He works closely with consultant Jason ‘JB’ or ‘Porky Pig’ Birmingham.

What the Baron Group does (to the best of my minimal financial industry knowledge) is take new companies, raise funds, find investors and turn them into public companies (for a company to become public, it must have 50 shareholders and be listed on a public exchange). There are two ways to go public – as an IPO (initial public offering) or as a CPC (capital pool corporation).

The hope for you as an investor is to buy in at something low – let’s say 5 cents – and watch that new company sore to $1.50. In this world, you go big or go home, and Eaton is proof that the risk can be well worth it.

If you’re interested in finding out more, here’s how to contact the guys at the top:

Dave Eaton: david.eaton@barongroupintl.com

Jason Birmingham: jb@senergyir.com

Baron Group: http://www.barongroupintl.com/

In the year and eight months that I’ve been coaching at CrossFit Vancouver, one thing I’ve learned is that you never know whose going to ‘make it.’ Sometimes the most unlikely people are the ones who stick it out and become committed CrossFitters.

When I put Mike Fransblow through his ‘First Day’ one year ago this September (Congratulations Mike), I honestly thought I’d never see him again.

He was shy, quite reserved, and I had massive trouble connecting with him. He was one of the first students I trained without Patty looking over my shoulder and adding some comedy every two minutes. I’m pretty sure the only reason Patty trusted me to train Mike without guidance was because Mike wanted to train at 7 am.

I was on my own with Mike, and when he started turning green after his ball run, I grew concerned, and Mike grew even quieter.

I swear he said two words to me in the entire hour I spent with him, and to compensate for the awkwardness, I most likely started talking too much.

Mike’s memory of his first day: “I had no idea what I was getting into…I had to push my bike home [after the workout]. There was no way I could ride because I couldn’t see straight. I got home, called in sick for work, and then barfed the rest of the day. No joke,” he remembers.

But instead of being turned off by the ensuing sickness and the obvious challenge that lie ahead of him, Mike was determined to follow through with the commitment he made to himself.

“I came to CrossFit with a goal in mind. Having just turned 40, I decided I wanted to be fit for a long time to come so I can keep up with my kids. I want to be the bad-ass dad, who can ski all day long without a break with my kids when they’re 16.”

So he showed up two days later, barely able to walk, ready to go. During his 15 personal training sessions, he never cancelled a session, he never complained, and even though I still wasn’t sure if he was even enjoying CrossFit or not, my respect for this guy was growing by the day.

Mike was never overweight, and he looked relatively fit when he started with me, but this was totally deceiving. Let’s put it this way: when it came to his cardiovascular respiratory endurance and stamina, Mike was as decrepit as they come. Every single workout seemed to fry his neurological system to the point that he always looked like he was going to pass out by the end.

Mike struggled as much as anyone in the early days, but he shied away from nothing. And as a coach, it is so rewarding to watch a student overcome fears – physical, mental, emotional challenges – right in front of your eyes.

And pretty soon, Mike started to see gains, pretty startling gains, to be quite honest.

One year ago, Mike could barely hold 10 Tabata squats without turning colours and having to sit down. He couldn’t do a pull up, and I think his first Fran time was close to 20 minutes. Today, at the age of 41, and fifteen pounds lighter than he was a year ago, Mike says he’s in the best shape of his life. He is one of the most committed morning guys we have. He can bust out handstand push ups with ease, and he did 18 muscle ups in a workout a couple weeks ago.

Today, instead of finding him throwing up at home taking a sick day from work, you’ll sometimes find Mike near the top of the Leaderboard – ahead of guys 15 years younger than him – especially on gymnastics days. A couple Wednesdays in the last half a year, he even topped the Leaderboard.

Physical gains aside, Mike says CrossFit has changed his life in other ways, too. “I also appreciate the total reduction of stress in my life, my commitment to consistency by coming to the gym at least three days a week, feeling more confident in general, appreciating life more, and last but not least having this amazing group of people to hang out with,” he said.

“To say it’s been a life changer is an understatement,” he added.

Congrats, Mike!

Here’s the first ever episode of the WOD HOG REVIEW SHOW. In this episode, your hosts – Eunice and the Insider – review last week’s Labour Day WOD: ‘Old Man Strength.’