Athlete Grant Wallace has become a mainstay of the 6am classes, showing up early to stretch and pushing himself in classes to gain new skills like bar muscle ups. His positive attitude, hard work and dedication to his fitness is inspiring. If you run into him in the gym, be sure to give him a fist bump as the much deserved October Athlete of the Month!
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do for a living/study?
I grew up on a farm near Oakland, NE, about 90 minutes north of Lincoln. I went to undergrad at UNL, then moved up to Omaha for medical school at UNMC. After graduating in 2014 my wife, Stephanie, and I moved to Columbus, OH where I completed my residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Ohio State Univeristy and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. After residency we stayed in Columbus for my General Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology fellowships at OSU. After finally finishing my 9 years of training I took a job with Bryan Heart and we moved back to Lincoln in July of 2023. I’m currently practicing as an Electrophysiologist (heart rhythm doctor) at Bryan Medical Center.
How did you find out about Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness?
I have always tried to be active in some capacity, in Jr. High/High School I played all the sports and once in college/med school I was a regular gym bro. Mostly bodybuilding/aesthetics and some powerlifting. When COVID hit in 2020 all of the gyms closed and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Fortunately, Rogue is based in Columbus so I popped down to their warehouse and picked up a barbell and some bumper plates. I started looking for some workouts I could do with that limited equipment in my small, damp basement. I came across a couple different programming plans that were high-intensity/functional fitness based and gave them a shot. I was pretty much hooked from the start on this type of work. I added a few more pieces of equipment and we eventually built a garage, so I moved out there and continued training on my own doing “Crossfit adjacent” types of workouts. When we moved to Lincoln I decided to take the plunge and join a real CrossFit gym. I found LNF simply by googling Crossfit Lincoln NE, and since LNF is (as far as I know) the only Crossfit affiliate in town, they popped up.
What was the biggest obstacle for you to start?
I’ll admit I was pretty nervous to start. I had been following the CrossFit space for a few years at that point, so I was used to seeing all of these incredible athletes lift huge amounts of weight, perform complex gymnastics movements, and knock out grueling aerobic workouts, all of which were well beyond my abilities. I was a bit worried that I’d show up to class and it would be full of Games level athletes and I’d be left in the dust, or that the coaches wouldn’t be interested in working with me because I couldn’t do the movements or get through the workouts. Despite all of those doubts I decided I was going to make myself do it, if I gave it a fair shot and it wasn’t for me then no harm, no foul, but not even attempting wasn’t an option. Of course, my experience at LNF was nothing like I feared. From my first day at LNF the staff and fellow athletes have been incredibly welcoming, encouraging, and friendly. What’s been particularly inspiring is that in any given class there are athletes at all different points in their fitness journey. A couple seasoned crossfitters who’ve been coming for years, a few new folks whose shoes I was in just a few months ago. Some folks who are super fit or super strong, and plenty of folks who aren’t trying to break any records or qualify for the Games, just there to get a good sweat in and keep themselves in shape to enjoy their life.
Do you remember your first workout as a CrossFit athlete?
I vividly remember my first workout, it was an afternoon class, Sergio was coaching. The WOD was 6 rounds of dumbell deadlifts, box step-ups, and a 200m run. Rx was 35#, RX+ was 50#. When Sergio was going through the workout at the beginning of class I only heard the Rx+ weights, so I grabbed a set of 50s. That was a big mistake! I got through the first few rounds ok, but by the middle of the workout the box step-ups were killing me (I still hate box step-ups, 24″ is too high for this short guy). Sergio could tell that I was struggling, and he was super good about helping me scale back appropriately and getting through the workout. At the end I was too exhausted to be nervous anymore and actually took a second to look around and realized that no one else tried to go Rx+, it was a great lesson to teach me that scaling is ok and the goal is just to hit the stimulus, wherever you’re at physically.
Who have your coaches been? How have they helped you through your first year of CrossFit?
I’m almost exclusively a 0600 guy, so my coaches are primarily Erin and Derek, who are fantastic. Not only are they great people, they make class fun, and most importantly they’re outstanding coaches. I came in with a decent amount of base strength. Still, in the year that I’ve been at LNF I’ve seen significant increases in all of my lifts (squat, DL, clean, snatch) which I attribute almost exclusively to good coaches working with me to correct my form and maximize my performance. They’ve also been instrumental in helping me tackle new skills that I never thought I could get. One of my goals when I started was to get a bar muscle-up, I’d watch the Games and see the athletes effortlessly floating over the bar, I’d go out and try to do one and it was like I’d never even seen a pull-up bar before. Fast forward a few months with good coaching and I got my first bar muscle-up one morning in December with Derek as my coach.
Why do you keep coming back to Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness?
It’s been easy to keep coming back to LNF. The main draw is the people, the coaches are great and the community is fantastic. Another aspect that I particularly enjoy is just the nature of CrossFit itself. Its awesome to come in everyday and know you’re going to do something different. Maybe we lift heavy on Monday, then do some high-skill work on Tuesday, then aerobic work or intervals on Wednesday. Keeping to work varied helps avoid falling into a rut and getting burnt out. Also, after being here for a year or so its been cool to have a couple workouts show up again and see how much progress I’ve made over the past year.
How do you balance health & fitness with a busy schedule? How do you stay so consistent in the gym?
Once I started working I transitioned almost exclusively to the 0600 class. I have always been a ‘workout in the morning’ guy. With my schedule the only part of my day that I can control is when I get up, so if I want to get a workout in it has to be in the morning. Getting my butt out of bed and to the gym not only helps to keep me in shape, but it is a constant reminder that not only can I do though things, but that doing tough things is rewarding.
How does CrossFit help you with your job? How does CrossFit affect the rest of your life?
CrossFit has been beneficial in my day job in multiple ways. First and foremost, staying active and getting my body moving every morning helps me show up to work awake, alert, and ready to start my day. I spend most of my days in the EP lab doing procedures, so I’m on my feet a lot, also, most of our procedures are done using fluoroscopy, which is basically live X-ray so we have to wear lead to protect from the radiation. Being draped in 20+ pounds of lead for hours at a time can certainly wear on you, but because I’ve trained my body to manage those loads its not nearly the issue it could be. Outside of work I’ve seen the benefits of CrossFit as well. Because we’re performing functional movements in class daily it is easy to transfer those skills to everyday life. Whether its carrying in packages that we’ve had delivered, moving furniture, or playing with my nephews. The strength, skills, and most importantly form that I’ve developed through CrossFit have helped me stay active and healthy.
What is your favorite thing about Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness: Home of CrossFit Lincoln?
Without a doubt the best part of LNF are the people. The coaches and athletes are second to none. They’re friendly, supportive, and push you to be your best every single day.
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