The Sevan Podcast - Lexi Neely | Games Bound
Episode Date: July 30, 2024www.affiliatevideocontest.com FITAID, 40% Off: https://www.lifeaidbevco.com/fitaidrxz-sevanpod?utm_medium=pdcst&utm_source=sevanpod&utm_campaign=promo__pdcst-sevanpod-qr My Tooth Powder "Matoothian"...: https://docspartan.com/products/matoothian-tooth-powder 3 Playing Brothers, Kids Video Programming: https://app.sugarwod.com/marketplace/3-playing-brothers/daily-practice ------------------------- Partners: https://cahormones.com/ & https://capeptides.com - CODE "SEVAN" FOR FREE CONSULTATION https://www.paperstcoffee.com/ - THE COFFEE I DRINK! https://www.vndk8.com/sevan-podcast - OUR SHIRTS https://usekilo.com - OUR WEBSITE PROVIDER ------------------------- ------------------------- BIRTHFIT PROGRAMS: Prenatal (20% off with code SEVAN1) - https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/workout-plan/program/mathews-program-1621968262?attrib=207017-aff-sevan Postpartum (20% off with code SEVAN2) - https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/workout-plan/program/mathews-program-1586459942?attrib=207017-aff-sevan ------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
happened in Indiana. Yeah. Uh, I watched your interview with Dave Castro.
And I love the part where he says, um, this might be the most, I don't remember
the exact words, but this might be the best thing I've heard in an interview.
And that jumped out at me too. And all my friends started talking about it.
Everyone's like, Holy shit, dude, she's taking classes at an affiliate.
And you know who that reminds us of, right?
Who?
Ariel Loewen.
Oh, yeah.
Because you haven't heard this in years and years and years.
And I don't know if you remember,
but a couple of years ago, when her story is kind of like,
hey, why are you going to semifinals?
Oh, I just want the signage.
Oh, I just take classes.
And then I supplement
my classes with movements that might have not been used in the class.
And then when you said that in your interview, I was like holy cow.
Yeah.
It's supposed to just crazy potency of the, I guess of the methodology and people are
always trying to separate the sport from
What goes on in the gyms, but then there is that famous glassman sign, right?
Saying right that the the needs of our Olympic athletes
Differ only and degree in kind from what our grandparents need
Mm-hmm, and you're kind of like living proof of that. Yeah, I've kind of gone back and forth
I like started when I first started CrossFit. I started in classes, we just do like the hour class a day. And then I got competitive, more competitive and wanted to compete as a teenager. So then I kind of switched to more individualized programming, because that's what I thought I needed. And then the last like year and a half, we made changes and I added back class back in, switch coaches and stuff like that. And I love it.
Um, another part you talked about that I thought was huge was the mental part of it.
Right.
So you're in there in class, just working out with other people, doing the thing.
And I don't remember exactly how you said it, but, but you actually enjoy that.
Yeah.
I think it brings another level of intensity too, because even if I want to chill, like,
I'm not going to let class members cruise right past me in class workouts when I'm a
games level athlete doing class.
How about this? Some people might say this is going to sound a little mean, but
when one of my, I thought one of my sons was, one of my sons was playing tennis and he was younger than all the other kids.
He graduated before a lot of the other kids did to the next level even though he lost
more matches than anyone in the class.
But he was so little and he couldn't traverse the course quickly.
But technically he was better than all of them.
So then when he went to the next class, I asked the, he
was in that class, then the next level up for like a year. And I asked the coach, I said, Hey, he seems like he's
ready to graduate to the next class. And the coach said he is, but he spent two years just getting his ass beat.
So now I want him to know and feel like what it's like to win because he was winning in this class. So I want to keep him in here for a while so we can get that mentality of winning.
And there's got to be a piece to that too, like you said, right? You go in there
to beat everyone every single day. Like, like you have no excuse not to beat
everyone. No. And some days my coach programs, like his programming philosophy
for the whole gym is to program for the best and scale for the rest. So the workouts-
I love it, I love it.
The workouts are still like aggressive,
like I have to try, I would say like,
especially we do EMOMs like once a week,
though they're hard, they're half the time
I think they're impossible.
And then me and maybe one or two other people
get all of them done, RX, all the rounds
and the rest of the people scale.
And then other days, the workouts will be more
in my strengths than we might up my weights
compared to the class workouts,
but I'm still doing class.
So we find the balance of getting smashed by other people in class
and still being able to do class and have fun.
And are there times where there's a 65-year-old man who's scaling,
who beats you, but you're still like, shit, like, I needed that?
Yeah, we still have, like, we have people who come to our lunchtime classes, Terry, he's probably like 68 69 and he's smacked he does the same workouts I do. They're
just a skilled version. And does he come there to beat you? No, I don't think so. Ask him. Terry,
are you just coming here to beat me? Are you just trying to build your self esteem?
Going back, I watched the interview you did over at Clydesdale Media.
You started gymnastics at two.
What does that look like?
Yeah, my sister, she's two years older than me.
She was in gymnastics.
And so I would just be watching her and I was like, I want to do that.
And so I started with like the small, like preschool classes and then worked my way up to be competitive.
And two-year-old gymnastics, what is that?
That's like you run through cones or you do somersaults.
Yeah, you're trying to walk on a line on the floor to pretend it's a balance beam, but
you're just walking in a line.
And your parents would take...
What does that look like?
How many days a week is that?
Is that still your parents are taking you three days a week?
I think it was maybe like once a week when we first started.
And then once you're on a team and you're competitive, then it's like three to five days a week and I think it was maybe like once a week when we first started and then like once you're in a team and you're competitive then it's like three to five days a week in
and how long before you showed promise and what what's promise look like in gymnastics
or in CrossFit in gymnastics um I don't know I think I just like started competing once
you're like level four and then from there you just keep working your way up.
But what did they see like by three are you are you doing stuff that like six-year-olds can't do and they're like okay or was it just that you liked it and that they never had to like drag
you there like you were always like game? I think I was just like about it I wanted to compete I
wanted to do something I always wanted to be in the gym when I wasn't at the gym doing gymnastics
we were like in the basement flipping around my sister and I. Like we eventually, my parents got like a full-size balanced beam
and mats in the basement so we could just keep practicing at home because we wanted
to just keep going.
And that is the way to do it. That's, that's, um, I got, uh, I don't know what they're
called but you know those gymnastics sets where it's like just, it's two bars and they're
on a track and you can slide them back and forth and up
And down and even even yesterday
Tumble track makes it it's called a five-in-one. Does that thing have a name in gymnastics? That's like a real name
I don't know, but you know what I'm talking about, right? Like a lot of the little kids will have it. Yeah and
Someone asked and it wasn't cheap. I remember it was like 16 or $1,700 with the with the pads.
But someone asked me what's the most the best piece of equipment you ever bought your kids.
And it's that and all I have to do is go in the garage and sit there and the kids will go in there and just start.
Yeah.
Do they'll get their first pull up on their own.
You don't even have to do anything.
They'll figure it out.
Yeah.
We would just make up more routines and flip around and pretend we were conditioning like we would in gymnastics.
Why did your parents, why do you think your parents supported you like that at such a
young age? Were they athletes or why were they so, because they had to go out of their
way and I know that stuff's not cheap and then they had to dedicate the basement to
it. Why do you think they did that? I don't know. I think they just did it because they
like loved us and wanted to support us in what we loved. My sister and I loved it a lot and that's like all
we wanted to do. So I think they just were able to have the resources and
support to let us do what we wanted to.
And how old are you now?
21.
And so, and that went on for how many years, your gymnastics?
Until right before when I started CrossFit. So like 10 years.
It, and by then was it crazy?
W by the time you left gymnastics, were you a six or seven days a week gal?
Yeah, it was like we were in the gym.
I would go to school.
I remember even in elementary school, like I would go to school.
We would get done with school at four.
Someone would drive us to gymnastics.
We'd be there from four 30 to eight 30 and then go home, eat dinner and go to bed.
And it was like, that was our normal.
Did you ever get pulled out of school?
Did you ever start homeschooling
so you could do gymnastics more?
No, I wanted to.
I had some friends who did, but no, I was stuck in school.
Yeah.
How did you get your name, Lexi?
Is that your real name, Lexi?
Alexandria is my real name. Okay, cause Lexi Neely is such a great name thank you yeah what a great name why did
your parents name you Alexandria do you know I have no idea no and Neely what
nice I don't know yeah it's a great name and then and then you're who started
calling you Lexi my parents when I was. And Neely's what kind of name? I have no idea.
No idea. Okay. All right. We'll get to the bottom. In our second interview, you'll know.
Yeah, I'll have to look it up and do some research on that.
Is your family, how long has your family been in Indiana?
We've kind of been back and forth. I was born in Missouri. We moved to Fishers in Indiana for like a few years then moved to Chicago to that
area for a few years. That's where I started gymnastics and then we moved
back here and we've been here probably like 10, 11, 12 years. And why the moving?
Were your parents moving for work or family? My mom was moving for work. And what
does she do?
She was at Lilly when she was moving. So pharmaceuticals and stuff like that.
And so the company would move. So she would move?
Or the company would have like a new job opening. So she would take it, move.
And is she still with them?
No, she's now at a smaller company.
Same, same thing. Pharmaceuticals.
Yeah.
And are you living at home?
I am for the summer.
I'm kind of back and forth because I'm in school.
So I'm at in college full time.
So during the school year, I live on campus and then during the summer I'm at home.
When you finish college, will you come back home?
Probably for a little bit.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Are you anxious to get out of the house?
Not really. My sister went to school. She went to the same college
I did and then she's back at home now while she's trying to figure out what she wants to do
So, I don't know. I'm not too anxious to go back home. But so good family life. You like being at home
Yeah, yeah, don't don't believe the hype all these people are like you got to get out of the house
I was back and forth in and out of my house until I was 34.
Yeah.
And it was the greatest thing ever being having a good.
You have a good relationship with your parents.
I assume you do. Yeah. Yeah.
Yes. It's the it's the it's the greatest thing you can have.
And it's the greatest gift you can give your parents. Yeah.
How do your parents feel if you wanted to just stay home until you were 100?
Would they be cool?
Yeah, I think so.
I think at first when we left for college, they were like, okay, bye.
Like see you guys never again.
And then now that my sister's back at home when I'm back at home, like we love having
everyone back together.
So I think they love it.
And you still have your bedroom there that when you went away to college, they didn't
like move all shit out of your room.
Yeah, awesome. So you do gymnastics and do as a kid and what kind of
success did you have? Did you have any like competitive success? Yeah, I was pretty good.
Besides being injured all the time. But yeah, like when I competed, I was pretty good. When we lived
here, I went to JC Phelps Athletic Center. So it's like a big gym in Indy. Obviously ran by JC
Phelps, who was an Olympian. So we were pretty competitive. We showed up at
competitions to win. So
it when you say injury, talk to me about like, tell me about your first injury.
Do you remember your very first injury?
No, I couldn't even tell you all the injuries. I know, like the last ones I
had were concussions, which is why I quit gymnastics, but like torn hip
flexor, torn abs, in boots, like all the things, dislocated shoulders. Yeah.
So maybe any broken, so maybe even at an early age, like before you were five, like you broke
an ankle or a leg or an arm or something.
Yeah, like I was probably in a boot at some point when I was young. And then even now
I still battle with a back injury on and off. But
that was from gymnastics. So do you remember, was there a specific accident that gave you the back
injury? I think it was just like over time. It was like a fracture. Everyone I went to, they were
like, oh, it's just like, eventually, I didn't start to feel issues from it till CrossFit. And
all the doctors were like, No, I think your quads are just too strong and your hamstrings are weak and you're unbalanced and let's just
do some PT. Let's get your core stronger. And then eventually like we got imaging done.
They're like, no, it's been fractured for a few years. One of your vertebrae. Yeah. Did
two of them come in and chip one of the other ones? Is that what it was? So like, I guess
the bone that like hangs off the edge broke off.
So then it was pushed forward a little bit.
And then pushing my disc forward a little bit, but.
You think that happened on a landing?
Or just from like all the extension, like back walkovers, front walkovers,
front handsprings, all the extension and an arch.
I think like over time might have just added up. Lexi did you ever wake up one morning and you just couldn't move you
were like ooh. Thankfully no I got to the point though it was like oh it hurts to
brush my teeth and lean over the sink it hurts to like mop the floor when I'm
trying to clean up my sweat at the gym and I was like I don't think me bending
over like a slight amount should be hurting and that's when I was like, I don't think me bending over like a slight amount should be hurting. And that's when I was like, okay, something's wrong.
Dude, you just, when I was in college, I was like 20
and all my friends were jumping off a roof
and I jumped off the roof and I broke my back.
Oh yeah.
But I didn't know it.
Like I got knocked out and then I stood up
and I was like, ooh, I don't feel good.
And I rode home and I woke up I stood up and I was like, oh, I don't feel good and I rode home
And I woke up in the morning and I was stuck
Yikes, that's bad. Yeah, and then um, and and then they took an x-ray and two of my vertebrae had come in and chipped one of the other ones
And that's that's the story of my life. I mean
I can't believe it's actually gotten better over time
But that's exactly what it's like. When it gets bad, that's what it's like. When you reach over the sink or when you're brushing
your teeth or when you reach something
in the medicine cabinet, it hurts.
And you're like, did you feel like you lost?
I also felt like I lost control of like,
awareness in the front somewhere.
Like it may be in between my, like below my belly button.
Like I just felt like I couldn't like tighten
those muscles anymore sometimes.
Yeah, I don't know that I felt necessarily like that,
but it was also, it wasn't like a one-time incident.
I think it was kind of just like over time
and I had dealt with it for a few years
before it was like diagnosed.
So I don't really think I noticed anything extreme.
It just like got to the point where I was like,
I can't keep working out like this.
I was trying to still compete in CrossFit and still, and I was like, I can't keep working out like this I was trying to still compete in CrossFit and still and I was like I can't I can't even bend over to mop my sweat
Off the floor like I don't think this is good
did you find a
a solution for it I
Took a season off. I'm just like work on core stuff. Literally didn't even pick up a barbell and
Then just started PT and kind of have rehabbed from there.
Have it just been trying to strengthen my core and back.
That's been getting better.
When you say you took a season off, I thought that was kind of funny because
you went your season off, you went team.
Yeah.
Well, I took like an off season off, like didn't train at all.
Um, and so I don't think I was like even thinking about competing in my head.
I was just going to not compete at all that season.
And then like come the open, I was like, okay, well, this team needs someone else.
I can do like, I can kind of chill.
I'm not at my best.
So I didn't want to compete individually, but I was like, I can kind of chill
and do team for a season and then ended up being like pretty healthy
by the time the season rolled around.
How did that team do?
We did okay.
Did you guys make it to the regionals or semi-finals or whatever?
Yeah, we were at Granite games. Yeah. And then how did you guys do?
I don't know what year that was. How did you guys do there?
Not great, but we had some like alternate switch in and out with some of our guys. So
I think we didn't have the same team that we qualified with in quarterfinals on the
floor at semi-finals. So yeah, did that inflame it?
No, I don't think that I think by that point it was like pretty healthy. So I was fine after that.
Did you notice when you first started CrossFit in the very beginning that it got
better quickly before it got worse again?
Yeah, I think I didn't notice it was bad for quite a while.
Like I remember it bothering me in gymnastics, but I was like in gymnastics, we were so competitive that like you never wanted to just be injured and take
time off. So I was like, Oh, I'll just keep fighting through it. Then I took time off for concussion.
So I think it got a little bit better. And then by the time I started CrossFit, like the first six
months, I didn't even pick up a barbell. It was just PVC pipe stuff. Like I was just trying to
learn the movements. I'd never touched a barbell, never lifted. Um, and so I don't think it was really aggravated until I like got deep in
competing and then I was like, Oh, there is still an existing injury.
When I first started CrossFit, it got better very, very quickly, you know, and,
and I think I attributed most of that to things like front squats.
I just realized that, Oh boy, the stuff that I was told not to do was actually
making my core stronger and stronger. And it got a lot stronger doing front squats. And
then when I started doing front squats with heavier and heavier weights, when I started
going like over 95 pounds, specifically, I think like thrusters with like 135 pounds,
then it started getting really aggravated again. Yeah
And then of course deadlifting the only time I ever hurt my back and CrossFit was was just dead
Is I can only think I can think of is dead lifting like I was just it was always stupid
it was like I was going for
What's that a PR and then try to go for a second PR and then it would be fucked up
Yeah, I was scared of dead lifts for the longest time
because they hurt my back all the time.
And now I'm finally like comfortable to the point
where I know my back is strong enough
and we've done them enough,
but I was scared of them for a while
because they always hurt my back.
Is there anything that you do religiously
like to warm up every single time?
Like people would
always tell me I should be doing you know I think they're called Superman's
where you lay on your stomach and you put your arms out in front of you and
you just lift your hands up a little bit and you lift your feet up a little bit
kind of like to flex your I guess your spine do you do that is there any
movements you do that you're like okay I need to warm up every time with this or
anything you're religious about in that way not really with my my back. I mean, if it's like feeling extra
tight or aggravated, then I'll make sure to add in some extra
core stuff. But for the most part, like, it's healthy enough
now that it doesn't bother me.
In when in CrossFit, when you've injured it, do you know right
away? Like, will you be out on the floor and you'll feel it
like, or you'll be training and you'll feel it
Usually like now it's just to the point that it will just like kind of spasm up a little bit and lock up a little bit
But it'll like you can feel it coming in workouts. It's like any muscle when it just gets sore and tired
I think my back just still gets fatigued because I was staying away from it for the longest time
We weren't strengthening it. So now we're finally like strengthening it
So now it just like gets sore and sometimes it'll like hurt a
little bit, but not to the point where it's like, oh, I
can't do this workout. God, what how cool is it that you're
competing at this level after going through all that? Yeah,
it's awesome. The the concussions is that coming off
of high bar or what what what is that? Yeah, one of them I
flew off the bar and landed on my head and the other one
I thought I was like on the end of the beam and went to like tuck off and dismount and I wasn't on the end
Of the beam so I went up and straight back down
Onto the bar onto the beam onto the beam. Yeah. Oh wow
Yeah, like I thought I was on the end and I clearly wasn't
And didn't even put you out out like you went to sleep for a second
not that I can remember but
That was a while ago
And was were one of those movements the end of your career where you're like, okay, I'm done
I think like both the concussions we went to the doctor and they were like, yeah, you've had two concussions like close
This is like you need to be done. So after that I was done.
And tell me about the quitting gymnastics hard, depressing?
Oh yeah, yeah.
I mean, that was like my whole life.
All my friends were at gymnastics.
Like we went to school together.
So I would see him at school.
I'd see him at the gym.
And then it was like, okay, well, one day
I just didn't go to the gym ever again.
Wow. Wow.
Yeah.
And how old were you?
Like 11 or 12.
Wow.
And did you replace it with anything?
Not for a while.
I took like a few months just to recover.
And then like probably four or five, six months later, that's when I found CrossFit.
And then it was like all in on CrossFit.
And how did you find that?
There was like a small gym right by our old gymnastics place
and we're like, we don't know what this is,
but we can try it.
So we went and then like, it was just opening up.
It was actually a martial arts gym.
And then he just like added CrossFit on the side
because he wanted to make a little bit more.
And so it was like just me and my sister
and the owner for the longest time for classes.
And then that's how we learned everything.
And then they brought in Matt Rattay to do Olympic lifting.
He was a regional level athlete.
And they brought him in to do Olympic lifting classes.
And then he was like, I think you could compete at this.
So then after the games in 2018, I switched gyms and then have been competing since.
So that was 2000. What year was it that you started? I switched gyms and then have been competing since.
So that was 2000.
What year was it that you started?
I started, I think we're at year nine right now.
So 2013.
No, 2015.
2015 was my first open, but I wasn't old enough so I couldn't put in scores.
But yeah, 2015 was my first open.
And when you say you, it was near your gymnasium, gymnastics gym, who spotted it?
I think my mom. I think she's like, I don't know what that is, but you guys could try that if you
wanted to. Like we literally had no idea what CrossFit was.
Wow. Um, your parents sound really like, uh, cool. Like, yeah, like just crazy supportive.
Yeah. Oh yeah. They'll support me on anything.
And you did it with your sister right away. And did she compete?
She did not. She, after a while, switched to Olympic lifting because she was tired of getting
smashed in workouts every day. So she did Olympic lifting for a while and then like come high school
she wanted to be more about academics and so jumped into school a little bit more and then
kind of quit both sides of that. Why do you think your parents are so supportive of you?
I don't know. You don't know? No. Do you think it's because you're a good kid? Probably yeah.
Do you think it's because you're a good kid? Probably, yeah.
Do they enjoy watching you compete?
Yeah, they love it.
Will they be at the games?
Yeah, they've been at I think every single competition.
At least one of them.
Like, Waterpalooza kind of has been weird with timing and work and stuff, but one of
them has always been there.
So usually.
And are they both equally as interested or Are they both just like front row just up
there just screaming?
I think my dad's a little bit more in it than my mom. But yeah, they both love it.
And did gymnastics used to stress your parents out?
I think my mom, yeah, I remember she would use to like sit on the sidelines with spreadsheets
like an Excel sheets with scores keeping track of every single person's score.
And then like right before we would take the floor for the last event, she'd be like, you
need a 9.5 to win all around.
So deep in it.
So she'd have a laptop there.
Yeah, she would.
Wow.
Is your mom nerdy?
A little bit, but I think she just like likes to be involved and know what's going on.
And so that's her way of like kind of getting into it.
Wow.
And, uh, did you like that?
That she did that?
Yeah.
I mean, it's a little pressure, but I think it made it fun.
Wow.
Um, you're stoked, man.
You're stoked to have that support.
I'm guessing that everything you did, I would, I'm curious what came first,
their support or the fact that you were, you were so passionate that they decide and you
were such a good kid that they supported you. Because no one came first, but because no
one wants to support something that, um, no, this is kind of the lazy way to say it. No one wants to support a loser
Yeah, you know what I mean? And it's not like you have to win
You can be a winner and still not win but no one wants to support a loser like no one wants to drag their kid
Like that's not fun
No
But I think they saw how much we enjoyed it
And so they would support us in anything we wanted to do, even if it wasn't gymnastics or crossfit.
I think if there was something else that we wanted to do, they would support us in it because we enjoy it and they wanted to see us happy.
Do you put that focus into anything else?
Like, do you play any other sports or an instrument or or the?
No, just crossfit.
And that was it, gymnastics and then crossfit.
Yeah, all in on gymnastics and then all in on crossfit.
Not even like a year of soccer or a year of basketball?
I'm not very athletic with throwing, kicking, because I've never played any of those sports.
How about at that, let's see, at that
martial arts academy, did you ever take up any martial arts?
No. Yeah, fascinating.
Man, gymnastics tried and proven as the as-to for so many CrossFit athletes.
Yeah.
And you, so you tell me about this journey.
So at a small gym, martial arts gym, which is kind of ironic, right?
Because that's, that was kind of Greg's first gym and a lot of his early clients were martial artists.
He was doing it, Greg Glassman was doing it
in a martial arts gym, you know, in the corner.
And then at that point, then your coach said,
hey, I think you could be competitive at this.
And then tell me about your first competition.
I did like a few local comps.
With adults, against adults against adults some yeah
And then like I think there was like one big one every year that was like with teenagers
But I was like technically too young compete
I think it was like 14 to 15 like my first one and I was like 13 and they were like well
We can just make your own division for you so you can compete and do the workouts
But like you can't really win but we'll just make it a division for you
So like that was my first competition.
And then my sister and I would do like partner competitions, any local comps.
And then once I was old enough to do like the open, then I did the open and
online qualifier and stuff like that.
And were you, were you having some success at the competitions?
Yeah.
I mean, some, yeah, I can't remember like anything crazy, but we did a lot of
partner ones, so I wasn't like, I was like, oh, this is fun. Yeah, I can't remember like anything crazy, but we did a lot of partner ones.
So I wasn't like, I was like, oh, this is fun. I like to compete, but it wasn't like, oh, I'm all
about winning. Like I wasn't necessarily in gymnastics until I started like really competing.
Then I was like, oh yeah, I want to compete in this.
How about, so when you let go of gymnastics, did you cry?
Probably. Yeah, at some point.
You don't remember it really well?
No.
So you don't really remember, do you remember at one point ever when you completely let
go of gymnastics and you were like, okay, I'm a CrossFitter now?
Yeah, I think once I started CrossFit and I like was in classes and enjoyed it, I was
like, okay, yeah, like I loved gymnastics, but I think this is something I could love
even more.
And all, and besides the partner comps, all you know is just individual competition. Lexi taking the floor. All eyes on you. It's all up to you.
Yeah, I've never really done team sports. I mean, gymnastics, you have like your overall team score, but like it's an individual sport. And so I think that's why even like when we went team for a season,
like I always have come back to I wanted to compete as an individual because I
like it when it's just me, all the pressures on me. And it's what I can do.
Um, and gymnastics, you could say was taken from you before before that
happened. Did you have any desire to quit?
No, not really. I was like convinced I was going to compete
in gymnastics in college.
Right. Yeah.
And is it the same with CrossFit? You're just all in, you can't
see a world without it.
Yeah, I'm ready to be done with school so I can just keep on
competing and going all in being at the gym all the time.
What do you think you like about it? You like moving, or you like the competition,
or you like the people?
Even in gymnastics, when we weren't competing,
we would condition for the first hour of practice.
And most of, I feel like my teammates
would complain about that, but I loved it.
And when Greg said he developed Fran
He said that he was looking for a stimulus
that could take him to the point of exhaustion that a routine would take him and
Do you see parallels in that in in your routines and and you know workouts like that?
Yeah, I think so for sure
And do you ever in gymnastics do they ever go to the dark places?
I mean, like we saw in quarterfinals,
I mean, I had never seen this, but I
guess this is the epitome of the dark place.
In quarterfinals, we did a little competition
with Dallin, Jason, Taylor, and Colton.
And Taylor pushed himself so hard that he fell off
that he blacked out on the box.
Oh, yikes.
And fell off onto his back. Yeah, is there is there?
Is there any place in gymnastics where you would feel the metabolic fatigue that you feel in CrossFit?
I think in our conditioning we would we had some tough conditioning like Saturday mornings
Especially over the summer for like the first hour and a half of practice
We would do like what we called four corners
Where you start on the floor and you're running around the floor. And then every time you get to a corner, you do a new
exercise like sprinting down the floor. So like jumping lunges, squat jumps, and like
people would throw up, they would set puke buckets on the edge of the corners and you
would throw up and then get back in line and have to catch back up to your spot in line.
So like we were, we conditioned pretty aggressively.
Wow. Yeah.
Um, and were you just in phenomenal shape?
Yeah. I mean, I was small. Like I wasn't necessarily super strong, but like metabolically, yeah, I was in pretty good shape.
So when you went, took this class at this martial arts studio, that coach was tripping on you.
Yeah. So that was like the own, well, at first the owner of the gym was like, I think he knew about CrossFit, but not necessarily
like the competitive aspect of it.
And so he taught us most of the movements.
And then he brought in an Olympic lifting coach who was like competitive and he taught
Olympic lifting classes.
And then eventually he ended up taking over my programming because he was like, oh yeah,
you could compete in this.
And do you remember him?
Like I mean, it must, it must be trippy for someone like that to see someone like you come into the gym and already have that level of conditioning
he must have been tripping I think he will like the first open workout he
judged me on he was like no you need to redo that and I was like I don't redo
work it's like I just show up and I do the workout he's like no you could
redo it and do way better and I was like I've never redone a workout before like
I'm not sure about that and he was like like, no, you need to. And then I like ended up doing way better.
And I was like, oh, I see.
And you redid better because you knew how to pace it better
or you did the movements better or transitions.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think I just like was better at transitions and pacing.
It was like that 50 down to 10 of dumbbell snatches
and burpee box jump overs, or maybe it was the other way.
10 to 50, I don't remember but...
And do you enjoy thinking about CrossFit like that? Like are you in like that? Like so many of the athletes
I hear them talking about it and they're thinking about transitions and when to rest and all the strategizing. Are you in that spot?
I like it. Yeah, I enjoy it. I think all of it is part of the workouts and making you better. So I
think it can be over strategstrategized too though.
Like some workouts you just need to turn off your mind and go.
But any inkling of burnout or,
or it sounds like it's almost the opposite.
Like you're crazy inspired.
I think it depends.
Like I think everyone has rough days and goes through stages of rough weeks,
but I think at the end of the day, like I just know I'm lucky to do this. So I try to remind myself that and even on the
tough days, like it was with gymnastics too, like occasionally you would feel burnout for
a week or two, but at the end of the day, like I know it's what I love to do. So not
really.
And, and do you have a home gym where Lexi Neely does like that's her gym?
Yeah. So I, I'm at black dog all the time. Like that's my gym.
Sometimes like in the summer when I'm at home, I'll work out in
the garage for a session because we have a small gym in the
garage. But then like I go to the gym do classes and all my
training is at Black Dog.
In this university you go to Butler is it is it near your
home?
It's like 40 minutes away from my home, but the gym's like the halfway point.
So it's only from the gym.
Yeah.
Okay.
So even during the school year, you're not missing out.
You're yeah.
Yeah.
Did you choose the college because of that?
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
I wanted to be close to the gym and close to home.
So, and what are you studying?
Healthcare and business.
And do you like it?
I do.
Yeah. How did you like it? I do, yeah.
How did you choose that?
I knew I wanted to do something like in health care or health
sciences, but I knew I didn't want to be like a doctor,
be in a clinical setting or anything like that.
And everyone else I talked to was like,
get some background in business.
It'll help you.
And so Butler has a health care and business major
that's like all in one.
So that's what I'm doing.
How are you, how do you manage, um, so you're going to college and, um, there's kids partying and there's boys and, um, how do you, how, and there's events to go to. Do you, do
you participate in all that? Like, no, no, my roommates probably think I'm crazy, but they know
me by this point. We've lived together for like'm crazy, but they know me by this point.
We've lived together for like four years, but they know it's like 10 o'clock Lexi's in bed,
so leave her alone. She's going to be up at seven, she's going to eat, then she's going to go to
class and then go to the gym and we won't see her till eight o'clock at night. But.
And do any of them know about CrossFit? I think they only know like what I've told them and they
don't know much much about it are any of them athletes
No, not like through school like they'll like go run and work out
But none of them are like actually athletes and how did you?
Meet them. How did how did those have they been your roommates for a long time? Yeah, I was just like random from freshman year and
Then two of them lived in the room next door. So
year and then two of them lived in the room next door so what a trip it must be for them to have you as a roommate what a weird phenomenon i think i'm crazy do you have a boyfriend no
and and no partying you're not you're not you you don't have like the biggest bong grip you've
ever taken or nothing like that no you don't. Yeah. Fascinating. Wow. Yeah. Um, I wonder if they really know
how fucking insanely fit you are. Yeah, probably not. Because I because I even I mean, you
know, the Olympics are on right now. And, you know, as a kid, you always think the Olympians
are the greatest ever. And then once you get immersed in the CrossFit scene
You're just like oh man. These guys don't know. Yeah
Yeah, I don't think they know I they just know that like they'll come into the room and I'll be sitting on in the living
Room with Norma tag on like oh here. She's doing one of a weird recovery thing
Okay
Yeah
but they but But they on some level they must know because I
mean, just not only the physical manifestation that is, is you, I mean,
they must see you and be like, holy fuck, who is this fucking creature
walking around here or fucking, did you see her just walk out of the bathroom?
They must be just like, what the fuck?
Um, and do they know you made it to the CrossFit Games they do I think yeah they like texted me
congrats after semifinals but I don't think they really understand how the
CrossFit Games is different than any other competition yeah wow that's nuts
um and in your senior year yep And So what month is it now?
It's July. So are you finishing? Are you getting ready to go through graduation or when you're in your senior year?
You have one more cycle to do. I'm starting in August the end of August and then I'll have two more semesters
So a whole nother year, so I'll graduate in May next year
Man, what what a load you have. Yeah
And and you're still doing classes.
Yeah, and then I still coach too, so my schedule is pretty busy.
Like you coach regular humans and then you train with regular humans and then you do
Lexi Neely training.
Yep.
Holy shit, dude.
You are fucking amazing.
Hey, that's really smart what you're doing.
You're going to be so happy as you get older and look back at this.
You're going to be so you're going to be so happy.
So many of us look back and then like, man, I shouldn't have taken those last
three thousand bong ribs. What a waste of time.
Video games.
No.
Just sucked into Instagram or your phone or.
Not too much. No, I don't have time. I feel like.
TikToks or no? No, I don't have TikTok.
Yeah. Good. Oh, me neither. Good. It makes me feel young.
I came in. Have you ever even looked at TikTok?
No, I don't have the app.
Yeah. There's two. I got it once. There's so many. I couldn't even,
how about Snapchat? Have you ever looked at that?
Yeah, but I don't use it.
Yeah.
That thing, those things are crazy.
You need a degree to figure out how those work.
Yeah.
I, I, the only like TikToks I see are the ones that end up on Instagram
reels like three weeks later.
And it's cause someone probably sent it to me.
Yeah.
Man.
Okay.
So, um, can I, I want, I want to hear like a typical, uh, Monday, Monday for you when I'm in school.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So usually I would wake up, eat breakfast, like wake up at like seven, eight ish,
and then have class from like eight to 10 30.
And you schedule it like that on purpose.
You want to get those that you try to pick all the morning classes, get it.
I did that too.
I did that too, but because I was afraid that if I waited till noon, I'd already be like
drunk or stoned.
I always picked the early classes, but for you, you-
I picked the early ones so I can leave campus and get to the gym.
Okay.
So eight to 10 or eight to 11 school.
Yep.
And then I head straight to the gym.
I'll coach usually the lunchtime classes, so like 1130 to 130, and then eat lunch and
workout.
And that'll be your first workout. Yeah,
usually, like Tuesday, Thursdays, I sometimes could have time to get a
morning session in. But like Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes, I usually put
pretty early because those were days I coached on and could a morning session
be just jump out of bed and go for a run or sometimes I would go to the like the
gym on campus like the rec center and run, swim,
bike, row like usually it was just like cardio. Have you had to have a talking to at the rec
center ever like hey you can't do overhead squats or deadlifts you have been? No thankfully not like
I remember I was pause squatting once and someone was like oh are you stuck and I was like no I'm
just doing pause squats like I'm fine and then I like did clean and jerks one day and someone was
like can you teach me how to do that and I was like I don't really
have time right now come to my gym and workout and I'll teach you in class but
was it a boy or girl who asked you that both it was both a boy asked me how to
clean and jerk and a girl asked me if I was stuck squatting too that's I work out
there unless I have to because I just get too many questions. Yeah. And it must look crazy to people. You have 135 pounds over your head and you're
repping out overhead squats and people must be like freaking out.
Yeah. They're like, we don't do that here. We only deadlift and squat.
Yeah. Well, I'm surprised they even do that. Well, that's cool. Is it a nice facility?
It's pretty nice. Yeah.
You don't enjoy kind of going in there and like strutting your shit?
No.
No.
No.
I used to love going to the college gym at UC Berkeley and doing CrossFit there and making
a scene with my friends.
It was fun.
Well, usually it's just me.
None of my friends come with me and I'm not trying to make a scene.
This person that saw you, that asked you you this guy who asked you to teach him clean and jerk
did he eventually come to your gym? No. Oh he fucked up. You want to need to learn or want me
to teach him like right then and I was clearly in the middle of lifting. And I guess that's another
thing too people who don't do CrossFit don't understand that interrupting you while you're working
out is a no-go.
Yeah.
That it's not lift and chat or lift and...
People at the Rec Center are mostly there with friends to just lift and hang out and
chat and do it.
Scroll through Instagram between sets.
Have you ever worked out like that?
No.
No.
Okay. Have you ever worked out like that? No, no
Okay, so 12 30 coach or 12 coach 12 30 coach then get your first workout in and then what happens after that Then usually it's like time to eat and then I'll train a little bit more and then do the 430 class
430 to 530 and then finish my training after that. So I'm usually at the gym till like 8
830, then
head back, eat dinner, shower, get some homework in and then go to bed.
So three to four very intentional sessions every day. You're not screwing around because
they're just these pockets open up and like she nearly got to get her shit in.
Yeah, during the school year. Yeah, during the summer. I'm at the gym hanging out all the time, but
And are you enjoying coaching?
I do.
Do you remember how old were you when you coached your first class?
I got my L1 when I was probably 17.
Because I think I had to have like a parent come sign because I wasn't old enough.
And then I just got my L2 in December.
So oh, congrats.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Wow.
Congrats.
Hey, someone asked Dave because I guess they give you a free L1.
Oh, since you're competing at the games.
But I think you can ask Dave, someone asked Dave on the air,
hey, can I get an L3 instead? And he said, yeah. Oh, interesting. So when if they give
you that free L1, and now you're friends with him, he loves you, man. He got all smiley
and shit. Did you like talking to him? Yeah. We had some issues with scheduling, but once
we got it scheduled, it was good. Oh, yeah, it must be crazy scheduling with you? Yeah. We had some issues with scheduling, but once we got it scheduled, it was good.
Oh yeah, it must be crazy scheduling with you. Yeah.
Okay, so that's a typical day. So three to four times a day, seven days a week.
So Thursdays are usually a rest day actually, and then I swim on Sundays.
And what does that look like, a rest day? and then I swim on Sundays. And what does that look like a rest day?
Do you actually rest?
Yeah, I just usually like if I can't,
I won't even coach just so I can have a day outside the gym.
But sometimes like I'll coach like one Thursday a month,
but just do school, get caught up on homework
because I put off all my homework usually around my training.
So get caught up on homework, get ahead for the week.
Does that ever happen studying and training the conflict?
You're like, oh shit, I need to and who wins?
It depends on the day.
I talk with my coach a lot too, so we kind of adjust based on exams and stuff.
But for the most part, I try to be pretty good with my time so I can manage my time
around my training around my school stuff.
But occasionally we have to make a few modifications so I can still do well in school.
Are you an Apple person or a PC person?
You're an Apple person.
Is your mom a PC person?
She is.
Yes.
Yeah, figure.
I could tell anyone who brings their laptop and does this Excel spreadsheet is a PC.
Okay. Look, uh, Tia Claire Toomey was in your semi-final. Alexis Raptis, Emma Lawson, Daniel Brandon,
Shelby Neal. Oh, I was really happy to hear that you and Shelby Neal bonded. I love Shelby.
She's awesome. Yeah. She's dope. Uh, Haley Adams, Brooke Wells, uh, Paige Semenza, uh, Chloe, uh,
Gavonne David, Carolyn Stanley. Carolyn Stanley. Did Chloe Gavon-Davide,
Carolyn Stanley, Carolyn Stanley, did you get to talk to her?
No, not very much.
She seems like she's cool as shit, but maybe I'm just a sucker for her accent.
And then Lexi Neely, and then that was it.
That was the last person who qualified, right?
Mm-hmm.
And you won by one point.
Yeah.
So Ana Cogreer didn't make it? No. And she's on the demo team. Mm-hmm and you won by one point. Yeah, so on a career didn't make it
No, and she's on the demo team
Mm-hmm. Yeah, this is wild
I'm gonna play the clip in a second but tell so in this final event
Oh my goodness, and you took 25th in the final event. Yeah, I didn't go as planned
Oh, man, you really yeah, and you had it Wow and you had a great you got a second at the semi-finals
Mm-hmm next to Tia Claire to me. Yeah
How awesome? Yeah, okay. So open up with the 28th
Rough right rough sir. Yeah, and how do you feel? Are you pissed or are you like, okay? I mitigated damage
Did you know or know your post frustrated? Yeah, it didn't go necessarily how I wanted it to but and
Did you know or know your post frustrated? Yeah, it didn't go necessarily how I wanted it to but and the any part of it In particular that you were like that was the harder part for you. No, I just I think I felt better in training and
It was just yeah, I didn't go as planned
basis fell off and
That's okay. Did you get sucked up into anything chasing anyone or I don't so. I think I tried to run my own race. I just fell off a little
bit. Um, yeah, but it was what it was.
Did you miss any of the cleaning jerks?
It was just five runs. Yeah. I fell off pace.
Um, and five rounds. So would you know at any point,
are you in the third round and the chatter starts in your brain?
You're like, you fucking a. Yeah, I think I was in the third round and the chatter starts in your brain? You're like, you fucking a.
Yeah.
I think I was in the third round and I was hurting pretty bad and I was like,
Oh, yikes.
I just got a hold on now.
And then, and then what was the second workout?
I forget.
That was the toes or double under toast of our heavy front squat workout.
Okay.
Okay.
And, uh, and when you see that workout, do you know it's good for you?
Or are you like, you can't know because there's all these animals you're with?
I knew it was a pretty good workout for me. Definitely the best out of all of them, but I didn't expect to get second.
I mean look at these people you beat. I mean these are some savages.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, so you take second and does that help a lot?
Yeah.
Mentally?
Mm-hmm.
You're like, okay, I'm back in the game. Two 14th places is not bad. You could do a lot? Yeah. Mentally? Mm-hmm.
You're like, okay, I'm back in the game.
Two 14th places is not bad.
You could do the average.
Yeah.
And your mom got her spreadsheet out.
Yeah, she's up in the stands doing spreadsheets, so it's fine.
And she's still doing that with CrossFit?
She was trying to for the last workout especially.
She was trying to keep track of times because she knew how many points I needed and they
were like sending times between my whole family group chat and my coach.
I didn't know any of that but until after.
And then do you leaderboard?
Like do you look at?
No you don't.
I don't.
Like my coach will tell me at the end of the day or if he thinks I need to know but for
the most part I don't leaderboard.
Okay and then you take a 14th, a 16th and then what was this second to last workout?
What was that one?
Oh
Shit, and so you so you're pretty happy with that you get a fifth. Yeah
Did you miss any bars? I
Think I missed one snatch at the like second to last bar. It was just like a little out in front but I
Was fine. I knew I it was just a bad pole.
And, and when you miss it, um, do you, is there any time, like how much time do you
spend being frustrated?
Not, I just, I try not to, I try to take a deep breath and just go right back to it.
Okay.
I knew it wasn't like it was too heavy for me.
I just missed it because it was a little out in front.
So I just wanted to reset and go.
So by the time you get to the last bar for sure
It's gone. You're not even thinking about it long gone
Yeah, and then and then you get to the last bar and you do it and are you which heater?
Are you in when you do that? I think I was in the third heat. Oh shit
Yeah, so are you do you know what this at this point? Have you is there a story that started up?
I'm not going to the games?
I didn't know what place I was in until after that workout.
And I thought I was like way outside the cut line.
But after the snatch workout, I was in ninth, but I did not know that.
You didn't?
And not until after the snatch workout.
Oh, so after the snatch workout, you knew that you were now in control of your own destiny?
Yeah. Holy crap.
Yeah.
Okay.
So when you finished that workout, do you know that you did pretty well?
Or do you wait till the, do you know that, oh, I did pretty well?
Cause you look around it.
Were you, did you win your heat?
Um, I was second in my heat.
I think you were only second and you were still second.
Yeah.
I think Ashley, um, was named beat me just by like a second.
Did you get to chance to talk to her? That's the training think tank girl, right? Yeah
No, I didn't get to talk to her very much a little bit in the back but not tons
She seems like she's fun too. Have you ever seen her in videos? Yeah, she's funny. Yeah, she's awesome
Okay, and then for this do they re
What's that called when they reorganize?
No.
Oh yeah.
Recede.
They don't receive you?
No, we were in the same heats for the last two workouts.
They did after the fourth one, but then we were in the same heats for the last two.
Okay.
I was still in the third heat.
So when you're in that third, okay, so you finish.
Yeah. And then the next heat goes and the next heat goes.
And so now they line you guys up on the side of the field,
right?
Yes, and you have to watch the last heat, yeah.
And you're seeing all these girls,
you know what your time is.
And so you're seeing all these girls beat your time, right?
Yeah, cause I knew I fell apart too.
Okay so now you're sitting there and does what does someone say to you come up and walk to him be like hey Lexi we want you to get up onto the floor?
Well no so like we were in this I was in the second to last heat so we were on the side watching the
last heat. You were in the second to last heat or the third heat? Oh because that was the second to last heat or the third heat? Oh, because that was the second to last heat. Yeah. There were four heats. Yeah.
And did someone tell you, hey, Lexi, come stand up?
No, we were just like all in front of our little panel things, like name things. And
then-
Oh, because in Carson, they sat all the people who had no chance down.
Oh, really?
Yeah. So you knew-
All of the top 20 of us were on the floor down. Oh really? Yeah. So you knew...
All the top 20 of us were on the floor.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
So, and here you are standing here and do you think that there's any chance in hell?
No.
I thought I was out.
And are you swelling with emotion here?
A little bit.
I was trying to stay calm but I was panicking a little bit.
But I'd also spent the last 10 minutes trying to figure it out.
And I was like, I have no idea.
I think I'm out of it, though.
OK.
Oh, my God, look how young you look.
You're 12 there.
I will bring you the $55,000 by one point.
Lexi Mealy! by one of our guests, Oh! Wexy Mary!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Oh, thank you.
Who filmed that?
I think it was either Aaron or Dylan.
I have two photographers who work together.
Holy cow.
Yeah.
And do you start crying?
No, not until I was like in the back off the floor.
And what's that like? Just like a release?
Yeah, I think I was just like holding it together and then like people started congratulating me in the back, like all the other athletes and I was like, oh, whoa, this is kind of real.
And you're only 21?
And you're going to the CrossFit Games.
Yeah.
Yeah, that is absolutely nuts.
And how about your mom and dad?
Do you search them out in the crowd?
I didn't get to see them.
I saw them.
I could see where my dad was because he was at the finish line with my coach because they
had like, we had one family pass, but my mom and everyone else were like, and everyone
from the gym were in the stands.
So I didn't know where they were at but was your dad crying um I don't think so but
I couldn't see very well crazy he must have been out of his mind yeah um any
any any lesson you learned there you think or any any like shift in your perception of CrossFit competitions?
No, I don't think so. I think I've just been trying to gain confidence over the last year
That I belonged like last year at semi-finals even water Palooza, too
I've just been trying to gain some confidence that I'm good enough to belong and so I think
like this the weekend was like a recap that it's been a long time coming but
Like the work and the dedication and the long hours and the balancing all the crazy schedules like we're worth it
How about the fact that you had a rough start and a rough finish but you still made it
Mm-hmm. Do you think about, because the games are long, right?
And there's going to be a lot of ups and downs, right?
And you're kind of just with that many workouts and that many athletes, it's
almost like you're just never out of it.
And now you have a real world experience with that.
Yeah.
And I think I made some execution errors, um, that at the end of the weekend, I
still wasn't necessarily the happiest with, but at the end of the weekend I still wasn't necessarily the happiest with but at the end of the day like it didn't matter but
Definitely something to keep in mind going to the games is trying not to make small
Execution errors and just keep staying in the fight and in execution errors are cool, right?
Because those can be fixed whereas as if like if your snatch is what it is. Yeah
Can you give me an example of an execution error and that last workout?
I went out a little bit too hot and then fell apart on the bike
It just like on the dumbbells in general in testing. I knew the dumbbells were gonna be heavy for me
My bike felt great. My muscles felt great
I did all those unbroken then got to the dumbbells and picked him up right away and
Went and I should have breaking broken up the distances a little bit more
I was gonna break it three times and then I started going I was ago
I think I can only set it down once so I held onto the dumbbells because I felt good and kind of got
In my head and then the last like section I just kept dropping it because I should have taken a break but
And did they did they actually peel out of your hands? Yeah, my left hand just would not hold onto the dumbbell.
I think three times I got no ripped.
Like within a step of the line.
And then you have to drag them back ten feet or whatever.
I knew it was bad when I couldn't even pick them up
and I had to pick up one at a time because I couldn't hold onto them.
Do you want to cry when that happens?
Oh yeah, I was frustrated.
Like out there, do you actually feel...
You know that feeling you get when your tear ducts turn on?
Right before tears you felt that happen. Yeah, I looked up at my coach and he was like just breathe you're fine
I was like, I'm not fine. But okay
Crazy what a great experience
Yeah, so you're out on the floor
So you pick so you when you come off the muscle ups you could what place were you in?
Could you see that? Oh shit. I'm one of the first ones off. Yeah
Yeah, I knew there was like me and maybe one or two other girls, but not
Not many and so you're pumped. Yeah, and I was feeling good and I was like, okay, I got it
I just have to pick up my dumbbells and go and then I went a little bit too soon
And how heavy are they 70s?
So you pick up 70 pounds in each hand and you start lunging. Yeah
And um, and you know pretty quickly that your left hand isn't cooperating?
I felt good until I didn't feel good.
So no, I was fine until then.
All of a sudden on the last section, I was like, I can't hold on.
I'm not fine.
And in your just war, does it go numb?
Does your hand go numb and your forearm go numb?
Like you don't even know it's peeling out until it hits the ground.
I was just going to do everything I could to hold on and it just kept sliding right out of my hand.
And when you say the last section, meaning you were 10 feet from the end?
I got interrupted on the last section, like within a step of the line, like three times.
Oh shit, you said that and I wasn't able to process that.
Exactly.
Holy shit. So 10 feet left.
So were you going for did
you ever set it down before you got there I said it down once like halfway
across the floor and then I was like okay I can do the whole last distance so
I tried to make it all the way down and got probably halfway through the last
section and dropped it so I slid them back to that lat the beginning of the
last section picked him up right away because I was like I only have like 10
feet or 12 feet or whatever it is.
I can surely carry and hold onto these for 10 or 12 more feet.
Got like a step to the line and dropped them again.
Then I had to carry them back one by one.
And I was like, yeah, I need to take a second now.
Cause I can't just pick them up.
And then I think on the third try, maybe I finally got them.
Wow.
That's crazy.
So, so that, so that really, that 25th place isn't indicative at all of what you're capable of.
Yeah, I should have just set them down and been a little bit smarter and taken an extra
second and then done the last section, but I was just going for it.
It's kind of a trip, right?
Because the lesson you learned is the opposite
of the lesson a lot of other people learn too,
which is, hey, you can do it.
So let's say you would have taken that one extra step
and did it.
The lesson would have been, excuse me,
the lesson would have been,
hey, I believe in myself and I can do more
than I think I can do.
And instead your lesson is, is like, Hey, really listen to yourself.
I think like coming off of, are you not listening?
I think coming off of water, Palooza, we had the last workout ended with a
lunge. Um, it was like one front rack, one overhead.
It was a kettlebell lunge and the same thing happened.
Um, except I set them down and took like a second and failed my last one.
And I was like, I'm not going to like hold back on a lunch workout and end with a lunch workout.
So in my head, like I've not necessarily been the best about taking risks.
I'm always like, Oh, I'm going to play it safe and take a second.
But I know at this level, you can't necessarily play it safe all the time.
And so in my head, I didn't want to leave any doubts.
And I wanted to just send it on the last workout.
Cause if I didn't make it, I didn't want it to be because, Oh, I just stood there too long and looked at my dumbbells and should have just
picked them up and went.
And so I was like, okay, I'm just going to go for it.
And then I wasn't able to hold on.
And it sounds like you didn't even, um, have a warning.
Like it wasn't like you weren't listening to your body.
No, like I didn't feel I'm slipping.
I just all of a sudden could not hold on.
Wow.
How intense.
I mean, like not being in competition, like I can't relate at all. I can't even like
Yeah, because you know, if you're if you're just working out at home, if you're taking a class, you feel the burning and you start
turning into a little sissy and then you take a break. Yeah.
Wow, crazy. And then so so then you you qualify qualify and did you, when you think of that,
you immediately start planning, like even on the car ride home, you're planning
for the games all of a sudden.
Yeah, I was definitely thinking about it.
I think I was reflecting on things I could have done better, things I was
proud of. I actually take like some time to reflect on all that and then, but I
was ready to get back in the gym
and get to work.
I took like a week off.
That was like the longest week of not training
because I was ready to just start going.
Hey, do you, you're so young
and I don't expect you to have an answer for this
but do you have a motivation?
Not like a big one
I would say I just want to like see what I'm capable of and continue pushing myself and do the best that I can do
And that's what like drives me to the gym every day
To do the best you can do. Mm-hmm. Do you have a story around it at all? Like
You know, I only live I'm only alive once I might as well go as hard as I can,
or there's other people who don't have this opportunity,
or is it just, you're in just go mode?
I think both.
I do think I am lucky to be able to do this
and be supported to be able to compete,
and I've always been like supported to compete.
So I think I am lucky
and I don't wanna take that for granted,
but I also think like at the end of the day,
I'm just so competitive that I want
to compete and be better and constantly be pushing myself and everything.
What does that mean to be competitive?
I can be in everything I do, like even with my family.
Um, and so I always want to be the best, but I also want to be my best too.
And so I think that's a kind of a balance with being competitive is it's not only that I want to be better than everyone else, but I also want to be the best, but I also want to be my best too. And so I think that's a kind of a balance with being competitive.
Is it's not only that I want to be better than everyone else, but I also want to be the best that I can be and make myself better and see what being able to do
things that I didn't think I was capable of.
If you're, do you get, do you drive?
So you drive from the school to the gym and do you get on the freeway?
No.
How about when you go home, do you get on the freeway? No. How about when you go home?
Do you get on the freeway?
Sometimes, yeah.
Are you competitive even while you're driving?
No.
No, you won't be like, hey, no one's passing me.
I'm trying to be safe.
Trying to be safe, okay.
Yeah.
I still try to be a little bit realistic and safe, but I'm competitive in sports and in
school.
Like I still want to do well in school.
Okay.
So you are, that's what I was gonna ask next in school. You
really you want to be you want to have the best grades be the top of your
class.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's hard to me like, even when people say that C's get degrees, I'm
like, Yeah, I know. But I also part of me cannot be just like, Oh, well,
this is average. It's good enough. Like, I still want to be the best I can
and do the best I can in school.
average it's good enough. Like I still want to be the best I can and do the best I can in school.
I wonder how your motivation is going to change as you get more and more
experience and more and more success, more and more accolades, right? Because
I watch a lot of UFC, that's the fighting competition.
And they say, you know, there's athletes who like, as soon as they make it to the UFC,
they kind of become complacent, right?
Like that was enough and they got their goal.
And the other fighters will be like, no, no,
it's just begun.
And then there's other fighters who like, you know,
at the highest level have beat everyone
in their weight class.
And then, so then they'll try to take on another challenge
and go up a weight class.
Yeah.
Right.
I wonder where, and that should, could be exhausting, right?
I mean, like you've made it to the games.
Like it would be so easy to be like, okay, check.
I think that's what I did as a teenager.
I was like, I wanted to make it to the games and I made it to the games.
And then I thought I would be happy if I was just there.
And then at the end of the weekend, I was like, no,
I don't wanna just be at the games.
Like I wanna compete at the games and be competitive.
And so like, yeah, I'm excited to just be at the games
this year, but I'm not just there to compete.
I'm there to do my best and give it my all
and see where I end up.
And so this isn't your last games.
Yeah.
Do you like that title, fittest human being on the planet?
Yeah.
Yeah, and it's not enough for you just to go.
No, I don't want to just show up at the games.
I don't want to burst your bubble,
but you probably already know this already.
But there won't, I guess, and maybe it doesn't matter, because it doesn't matter to me either. But we always when we chase goals, thinks that there'll be happiness when we get them.
There won't be.
And okay, so you know.
Yeah.
Oh, you still fuck, who gives a fuck? I'm gonna pretend like there is, and I'm gonna get it. And I'm gonna, like, I'm gonna use that motivation still to drive me.
Yeah, the process along the way.
Okay, okay, I love you, man.
You're awesome, Lexi.
God, you must have great parents.
Okay, so you still keep one foot in the journey.
Yeah.
Even, yeah.
Yeah.
Wild.
Because I think about that about Tia, right?
Like what the fuck is motivating her? She's crazy. What is motivating her? Yeah
And and she's kind of
If you listen to what she's saying, it's what I don't know what it was before but now it's clearly her daughter
She's she's leveraging that relationship. She has with her daughter to go to
Unbelievable Heights. Yeah.
Did you glean anything off of her when you're on the field with her?
Like when you see her, is she a different creature? She's, yeah, she's crazy.
She's wild, but I think she's always been kind of crazy. I went to, before I started doing classes
and switch coaches, I went to a proven camp, um, cause I was following proven, like their general
competitor program before semifinals, maybe in 22.
Um, so I went to a proven camp and got to like spend the weekend training with her
and like the whole proven crew.
And it was just like kind of crazy to see.
And then that's when I think I really realized that I was like, no,
this is what I want to do.
But yeah, she's, she was crazy.
Then she's still crazy now.
Uh, that's pretty cool that you went, were you inspired by that? Because you could have gone the other way. You could have been demotivated. You could have been demoralized,
right? Been like, Oh, fuck. Yeah, I was definitely inspired by it.
Like it's possible. Not like, oh, it's impossible. Like if I saw Tia, probably like that's impossible
for me. But you were you were motivated, it's impossible. Like if I saw Tia, I'd probably be like, that's impossible for me.
But you were motivated by it.
Yeah.
What about being in a rush?
Obviously you're so young,
but is there any part of you
that has to remind yourself of that?
Like, hey, don't be in a rush, man.
This thing is gonna take its course.
Even if it takes me four years to break the top 10,
I'm still on perfect pace.
I think I've had to learn for the past few years
that it was gonna take time.
I think coming from being a teenager,
there were some athletes who just made the jump
really quickly, and that necessarily wasn't the case for me.
So I've kind of had to be patient along the way
and see that like it does take time but in the end it'll happen if I just keep working so I think
I'll just try to continue that mentality as I continue to compete. You have poise of someone who
I mean I talked to people who've been to the games three or four times who don't have your poise
so you feel seasoned already.
Kind of, yeah.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still
going to be a little bit nervous, but yeah.
Lexi, what about these 1%, half a percent, quarter percent
improvements?
Do you, what do athletes do?
Do you have a list of those?
Okay, if I sleep a little more here if I
Spend less time walking my dog if I change my diet here like do you have a
Anything that's like okay. These are the the places I can because now you're at such a high level
I'm guessing the places where you can improve must be just crazy tweaks.
But we all know if you say four quarters,
you have a dollar, right?
Yeah.
I think over the last year and a half,
when I switched coaches and everything,
we made some bigger changes.
And so, but clearly we've seen that
those have been paying off.
So I think every day I just try to go in,
give it my best and that's all I can do.
And I'm less focused on the tiny things
that might overwhelm me or that I might get worried about, but I'm more focused on the tiny things that might like overwhelm me or like that
I might get worried about but I'm more focused on just doing my best every day for that day
and then at the end of the day like I have to know that's gonna be good enough.
And do you see yourself as you go further in your career going to insanity land?
I mean it's a possibility but I like would like to think I could find some balance.
Okay, because yeah, I wonder what's going to happen when you when you're done with school. Yeah. Yeah, because that keeps me pretty balanced.
Yeah, I mean, it kind of is the only balance you have. What about what about the thought that like,
hey, winners don't have balance? Like, maybe maybe you might dabble in that too.
Yeah, I think it down the road, we'll see where life takes me after school when I have a little bit
more time. Maybe I'll have more time to worry about the tiny little details.
Why didn't you stay with Proven? Why not stay on that track?
When I was doing Proven, they only had like a general competitor program.
They didn't have like an individualized program and I reached out to some of their coaches
and they said that like for me to do individualized programming, I would need to move there so
that I could train with them which was understandable but I couldn't just quit my school and everything
and moved to Nashville at the time.
So I mean I still am in school so I I'm kind of stuck in indie for another year,
but I couldn't move there and I, they wouldn't necessarily do more
individualized programming.
It was just like a general program.
And I knew I had some big holes that needed worked on.
So then I was like, okay, I need to make a switch to programming.
That's more focused on my weaknesses and what I need to work on.
And this, in the sky, you found what's his name, chase Larison. He owns the affiliate. And, and are I need to work on. And this guy you found, what's his name?
Chase Larison, he owns the affiliate.
And are you enjoying it?
Yeah, I love it.
Yeah, he does obviously the class programming,
which I do, and then programs the rest of my stuff
around what I need around classes too.
So thankfully, I don't have to worry about,
oh, if I do class, will that intersect
with my other training?
Because he programs it all together.
So he keeps in mind all of it.
Do you know any other athletes who are doing, um, classes besides you?
No, not that I can think of.
Yeah.
It's pretty, what's even crazier is that you got to the games doing that.
Yeah.
And that was like the one big change we made that I feel like has excelled my
progress and when did you start doing that? And that was like the one big change we made that I feel like has excelled my progress.
And when did you start doing that?
When he started like taking over my coaching and programming a year and a half ago is when
I got back into classes because I was, had just stopped proven and we were trying to
figure out what program I was going to do if I was going to join like mayhem or try
another general program or if I just wanted him to program.
And he was like, why don't you try to do classes and then I'll program around that we can try it for like a month or two
See how you like it and then we can go from there and I was like, okay sounds good
And then we started doing that and I was like, oh, yeah, clearly this is working. So
You weren't like fuck that ain't going with the peasants
A bit worried about it, but I was like, I don't know how classes is gonna go and then I saw his class programming
And I was like, okay don't know how classes is gonna go and then I saw his class programming and I was like, okay
Yeah, it'll be fine. Yeah, because you at some point you got to be concerned like hey, I only have so much in me
Mm-hmm. Is this a waste of time and energy, right? Yeah. Yeah
I was like if it's just like a normal class and I don't necessarily feel like I'm getting pushed then I was like
I don't have time to waste an hour every day doing class like with the warm-up and the skill work
But the way he programs class, It's not like it's tough
Steven I don't think Ariel does that anymore. I don't think Ariel is doing the classes anymore. I think she's
Just I think she's locked in now. She's got the home gym
And she's got she's got that training partner that Joel dude
Um, do you have any training partners? Like do you have any?
Not like consistent. I mean, some people from classes will
jump in and do like an extra workout with me or something, but
not like any consistent training partners who I train with every
day. I usually do the class stuff obviously with the whole
class and then the rest of my stuff on my own usually every
day.
Um, do you do any training ever to where let's say it's like,
um, uh, I forget the workout workout but there's a workout in CrossFit that's run 400 max pull-ups four rounds.
I forget what it is Nancy or something.
Yeah.
Nicole maybe.
Maybe it's Nicole.
Yeah.
Will you ever do a workout like that and the person you're training with won't do the pull-ups,
they'll rest and just run
so that they can give you a run for the money.
Like do you ever do that?
Usually not.
I'll just try to like lap them or something.
That's usually my goal.
Yeah, but yeah, usually we do the same workouts
or like sometimes in classes
we'll make my weights a little bit heavier.
If it's like 95, 65 for a workout,
he'll maybe make me go 95 just so I'm moving
like at the same paces class people. So
I can still be pushed. So I'm not just like, Oh, this is so easy. I'm flying past everyone. But
when I think I don't think I'm mischaracterizing this, but I think when Serena and Venus were
playing, the dad would only let them play against boys. Is there, do you, do you, will you do that?
Will you only train? Will you just because you Just because you're so fit, will there be times
you'll be like, hey, pick people and pick a boy and be like, hey, that guy has to go
down. He has to be beaten today.
No, usually I know some of the more competitive people in our classes that I'm like, okay,
he'll be pretty close to me. I got to try to stay ahead of him or stuff like that. But
no. And then for my stuff, I just ask anyone and everyone
he'll jump in.
I'm like, can anyone jump in and do this workout with me
if I don't want to do it?
And usually someone will.
Do you talk any shit to the people in your class?
No, not really.
No.
You're a coach.
You can't do that.
So it's 17 after you took your L1 you started teaching?
Yeah. And what were you like? Did you have your L1 you started teaching? Yeah.
And what were you like?
Did you have a speaking voice at the time or were you mousy?
I think I had to grow into my voice a little bit.
I was definitely quieter and like would feel bad like correcting people and stuff like that.
But now I don't feel bad at all because I know I'm trying to help them.
And you have four years of coaching under your belt.
Yeah, crazy. You ever have aspirations maybe to be on the level one team? And now you grow into it and you have four years of coaching under your belt.
Yeah, crazy. You ever have aspirations maybe to be on the level one team? Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know a guy now. Yeah. Yeah. That's wild, man. That I would figure that that would really,
had you ever done any public speaking before coaching? No. Do you remember your first class?
before coaching? No. Do you remember your first class? Yeah. There were only two people, but I was terrified.
It was just 6 30 on a Friday night and there were two people and it was just me and I was like, I'm a little scared. And how do you think you did? Probably not great.
Are your classes getting more popular now you think?
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah, I would think that more especially since you're going to the games that more and more
what a great opportunity it is.
I mean if I went to a gym I would want to be coached by a games athlete.
Yeah.
Because obviously you're achieving mastery at your craft now. Mm-hmm. Yeah, either like the lunchtime classes I usually coach, especially during the summer.
So and then I work out with the night classes.
So I would say everyone, I see all the people, like all of our members except the morning class people.
And I usually will see them on Saturdays, but they're like the only class I consistently don't like coach or workout with.
Do you go to church?
Mm-hmm.
Every Sunday?
No, just some. It depends on the week
or we'll listen in. And what does that mean? Like you watch it on TV? Yeah, they like broadcast
it like live stream at our church does. And how long have you been doing that? A long
time since I was young. We've been either going to church or like listening in. Last night I was putting my boys to bed.
They're seven years old and we were laying in bed.
And I asked one of the boys,
do you think that there's a God?
And one of the boys, Joseph said, I don't know.
And then I said, okay.
And then, so then I asked Ari, I said, hey, is there a God?
And he goes, I hope so.
And then I go, okay.
And then he goes, but if there's not, I'm okay with it.
And then two seconds later, I heard two boys snoring.
Do you remember your earliest introduction to the, to the possibility that there was a God?
Yeah, I mean, I've been in church since I was really young, so I don't remember an exact
moment, but I remember being in church even in Sunday school with a teacher on Sundays
as a four or five-year-old.
Have you ever rebelled against that idea?
No, not really.
Isn't that supposed to be like part of a rite of passage?
Like your parents introduced you to God, and then you rebel for four or five years
and roll a pack of cigarettes under your arm?
Yeah, maybe for the normal person, but clearly I'm normal.
And then something happens in your life and you come back to God?
Yeah.
So do you remember your parents ever talking to you
about values or learning about values?
I'm sure it happened at some point,
but I can't remember the exact moments.
Do you enjoy it?
Yeah.
What do you enjoy about it?
I don't know.
I just feel like as a family, like we're
pretty open and talk about anything and everything. And so I think like our parents set expectations
for us from a young age, like to either be a certain way, act a certain way. And so I
think that's just kind of been like how my sister and I have been raised. And I think
that's impacted who we are now. And can you like, what are some of those expectations?
Like what's something?
Hmm.
I don't know.
I just think we're held to like high expectations.
I can't think of like a specific example, but like neither of us have ever been wild
or pretty tame and lame children.
But like in college, neither of us have gotten into partying or anything like that we're pretty good but and and do you think it's because of the
expectations your parents put on you like you don't want to let them down I
think so and I think from like a young age we were like treated like adults and
that's how we were raised and so like my parents would have people over from
work and stuff and like even as like five and six year old it would be like
okay talk with this these adults like have a conversation act like you're an
adult too.
And so we were just held to that standard.
And I think that's definitely,
we don't wanna let them down.
Then we continue to hold the standard.
Yeah.
And you don't have any resentment for that.
And I guess you can see the results in your life.
I mean, you're one of the fittest human beings on the planet and you have perfect skin. I mean, like what more could a 21 year old want, right? What's this thing on your
arm? You were doing cupping? Yeah, this arm. Yeah, cupping. Yeah. The shoulders been a
little bit angry, but. And who does that for you? I have a PT and then chiropractor I see quite a
few people every week to get worked on. Oh you do? And then my coach will work
on me too if I'm hurting. What's your favorite part of
PT? Is there any of it like you like? Like do you like cupping?
Do you like massage? Is there anything like? I don't know that I have a
favorite part.
My PT actually goes to our gym.
She also will see me at the gym if something's hurting.
She can help modify and stuff, which is nice, but it's usually just to keep things healthy.
I show up and I'm like, hey, this is hurting this week.
Can you please fix me?
And then she does.
But yeah, I don't know that I have a favorite part.
Whatever we have to do to make me feel better.
Hey, have you ever had a scalp massage?
I have not. I had, there was this lady from,
oh maybe, maybe I think she was from Vietnam or something. She was older and she worked at
supercuts and I used to go to supercuts. I still go supercuts but this was one like in,
in a place I don't live anymore. Anyway, and she would do this thing to me at the end of my haircuts where she would push on the certain spot of my scalp and my whole body would relax. It was
funny. I was actually thinking about it last night and I was thinking like, God, I've never had that
feeling any other time, but I used to, I would go get haircuts just so she could do that to me.
Like she'd be like, you're just in here two weeks ago. I'm like, I know, I just type me up.
Ask your, do you have a masseuse?
I have someone who does massages, yeah.
Yeah, ask them.
It's a crazy, I wonder if someone in the comments will talk about it.
It's a really crazy experience.
She would do this thing to my head and then I would feel like this whole body release
and then I would get like, you know when your feet fall asleep?
Yeah.
Yeah, I would get that but all over my body but just really quick, like it would just
happen to be done.
Interesting.
Yeah.
Oh, look at Kristen Young, my hairdresser does that too.
Do you know what I'm talking about?
That sensation.
It's almost, you know those things, it's like a metal rod and there's like a bead from it
and you put on some of it.
It's like that times like five and your whole body kind of like, yeah, you know what I mean?
Yeah, your whole body kind of gets like weird.
It's like that times a thousand.
Oh, when she shampoos you.
Yeah.
Oh, it's so awesome.
I know it's the most unique experience.
And I tried to like do it to my wife and I'm like, Hey, does that make you feel good?
She's like, no, don't touch me.
I should probably watch a, oh, Jake Chapman.
I don't like it when women touch me.
Oh, that's fine. You can have a dude do itman. I don't like it when women touch me. That's fine
You can have a dude do it. I can try to do it, too
All right, Lexi Neela you are a
Absolute
Specimen role model and such a gift to planet Earth. Tell your parents. Thank you. Thank you
I will yeah everything about you from your
name to how you present yourself is great oh you drink caffeine uh not often no i'll occasionally
have coffee but that's like a more recent thing and it's not like every day i knew it i know no
no stimulants no no wow look at you oh you pray before every workout? No. You do a little the mayhem powwow with your parents
and pray before the gown? No. Why would you? You're always there. All right. All right. I'll see you
at the games. I look forward to seeing you. Congratulations. Hopefully I can meet your parents.
Congratulations. Yeah, you're a phenomenal human being.
Yeah, you too. I look forward to meeting you.
All right. Hey, interview easy.
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay, good.
I feel like we were just talking.
Oh, I love it. Okay, great. All right. Talk to you soon. Dear see you in Texas. Yeah. All right. Bye. Lexi Neely, no caffeine, no boyfriend, no drugs.
Give it a few years. You'll come to the dark side. Papershtree coffee. Everyone does. Oh my goodness. Thank you. Cheers to Papershtree.
So impressive.
If you are not a parent, that is the kid you want.
If you are not a parent, that is the kid you want.
I've hit Christian Fletcher. I've had that feeling from Vietnamese masseuse before.
I had a hairdresser do that after my haircut
to stimulate hair growth.
It didn't work.
Oh.
She's cool.
Perfect skin. Top athlete, good parents, I mean shit. You guys see what a stud Tyson Bajan is?
Oh my goodness.
What an absolute stud.
This is going to be, you know, like there's people that you uh, kind of like swoon around
I used to get that feeling a little bit from rich froning
I just can't even believe he's real that that's how I feel about uh
Tyson beijing. I can't even fucking believe he's real wait till you see this
He is so fucking cool
I see this. He is so fucking cool. I know he's just human, but like how could anyone be this cool?
Even how he wears his hat.
Just watch this. Just enjoy this. Imagine if this is your fucking kid. Not to take anything away from... I get it with you, Seve. Yeah, it's crazy, right?
You just can't even believe. It's so hard for someone. I'm so full of myself that it's like...
It's almost impossible. But there are the... And his dad, his dad... I didn't swoon around his dad, but I knew that when this dude's dad was in the room,
I knew he was the coolest dude in the room.
I know you guys are gonna hate this.
But it's like that with Dave Castro too. Like when he's in the room, like you should just like chill.
Because you're not cooler than him and you kind of look like a fool if you try to take any attention from them.
You just, you have to know. It it's not it's like being on stage and
They're the
You could be the opening act. I'm a great opening act, but you you're not the
They didn't come to see you. You know what I mean? Like they came to see Chris Rock
But just like that's what it's like. This is Tyson. Okay
You you want to be a good co-star, right?
Here we go and in what's really cool specifically about this dudes dad and Dave
There's some people who know that they're the coolest person in the room and they don't share but they'll cue you even
Tyson's like this too. He learned it from his dad like they cue the co-star so that you can like
Do your stick too? You know what? I mean you can get on stage and do your dance until drop your one-liners. Andrew Sten, they have gravitas. Andrew, I um do I like you?
I'm trying to remember. I'm trying to think if you made a comment that made me not like you.
I know your name stands out to me. By the way before I get to the Tyson thing, listen
out to me. By the way, before I get to the Tyson thing, listen, there's these fucking idiots in the world. They're always I don't know how it why someone's like, I don't like
your conspiracy theories about Pat Valner. It's like, dude, I love Pat, and there's no
conspiracy theories. Everything has a a precursor. Every Everything is a reaction to something else. When he asks Dave, why
haven't you monetized your account? It's not something just random that he pulled out of
the ether. Like all of us human beings run on the same mechanism. We have the same fucking operating system. All of us.
There's nothing that's just like, okay, it's here. It manifested out of nothing.
And and and Velner even said that he purposely went out of his way to see if
his account was monetized. Like that didn't just happen. He had a thought
before that that led to that thought. It's the
same thing that's why I ask people, why did you get the tattoo? Most people don't
even know because they didn't even, most people don't even see their thoughts to
catch what put them into action than the thought that came before that and the
thought that came before that. There's just thoughts. It's like this.
It's like this and I told this story the
fucking other day. My kids run into the room and they say to me, all three of my
boys, and they say to me, what are boys sports? And I go, what are you talking
about? And they go, what are boys sports? I'm like, I don't know. And they're like,
well we were just watching a video and these girls said that they were gonna go play boy sports.
I'm like, what video were you watching? There were, we were watching sky brown girl power videos on YouTube.
And so a fucking moron
with the fucking situation, with the psychological awareness of a snail thinks, oh that's wonderful.
They're, they're doing what boys can do. They're showing girl power.
That's not what that is. That's idiot talk.
What they did is they introduced the idea to my boys
that there's a difference between girl sports and boy sports.
And up until then my boys had no idea.
See, it came from somewhere.
The duality.
It came from somewhere.
Even the video is called Girl Power.
My two seven yearyear-olds and
nine-year-olds and so they're like what about what about uh they're like sitting
there thinking. Now they're thinking what are girls sports. They're like what about
softball. I'm like no boys can play that too. That's a sport for fat men. Oh what
about baseball? I said that girl London in your Jiu-Jitsu class one of the best
baseball players in the area. She's nine.
best baseball players in the area. She's nine. They're like, oh, all right.
All right. So it came from somewhere. It's not, what do you mean the fucking conspiracy theory? You don't even fucking know what that word means.
You fucking moron. Okay. Back to Tyson Bajan. It's okay. It's okay to not be
asleep in the fucking matrix and just try to try to go deeper and see the origins of thoughts and actions.
It's infuriating when someone steals innocence like that. Yeah, my fault for letting them fucking watch YouTube. I take full responsibility.
And you're not going to protect them from it forever. I mean'm not you know what I mean you know what I mean Saber
but but but I know I know that someone got to I know someone planted that seed
in sky brown and said to her oh you need to be a role model for girls
everywhere you're in a male-dominated sport blah blah blah blah blah thinking
that they're doing something well when they fucking have the fucking depth of a fucking snail
I don't give a fuck if you resubscribe Leah
Seven look how kind you are. I'm glad you I rescribe resubscribe great interview. Thank you. I mean, thank you
Son of a bitch.
You can unsubscribe and still watch. I don't give a shit as long as you buy Matuthian.
Okay. Uh, look how cool Tyson Bajan is. So fun.
I'm not mad. Why so angry? I'm not mad at even the tiniest bit.
I'm just enjoying myself. All sports are male dominated. Correct. That's true too.
I'd rather they come out with that on their own though.
Okay.
And I don't even know the value of knowing that but but it is true.
Okay, here we go.
Tyson Bajan, a regular on the Sebaam podcast.
Um, yeah, you know, I didn't really think too much about it.
I was too busy grinding my absolute face off in the off season. But whatever they were gonna do, that's completely up to them.
I can't control that.
But yeah, I was just excited to come back.
Whoever was gonna be in the QB room was gonna be in the QB room.
Nothing was gonna change on my end though.
But yeah, I mean, like you said, it feels good to know that they have some,
they have confidence in me.
And that they like what I
was able to do last year and hopefully they're being able to see the strides that I've made
in the off season and going into year two.
Look how we wear do rag under the hat.
Half black, half white, transcends black and white.
Just look at them.
You don't even know what you're looking at.
An angel of sorts, a cherub.
What's the hardest grinding your face off thing that you did?
What's the hardest grinding your face off thing you did?
That was the question from the reporter. Great question.
June 19th, shout out to my, one of my best friends, Derek Gallagher.
One mile burpee broad jump.
Gives the date June 19th, one mile burpee broad jump,
but he's not done.
He's not done.
Hour and seven minutes.
Let's go.
His time.
He gave his time.
Listen, this is every
Suburban white boys wet dream to have
to
to be able to blend the
What Thomas Sowell calls?
white hit culture and what what morons call black culture with with
white culture fuck I don't even know what I'm saying but this perfect blend
of of he's like an 80s rapper he's more run DMC than you know Cardi B he's so
fucking cool what do you say Kyle Landis He's got the Riz. Yeah, the Riz.
I think I've heard my nephew use that word.
Hold on. The Riz.
What's the Riz? He's got the Riz. What's the Riz?
I wonder what that is. The Riz.
I wonder if Tyson, do you think Tyson knows what that word means? The Riz? I wonder what that is. The Riz. I wonder if Tyson... do you think Tyson
knows what that word means? The Riz? I wonder... does he have the Riz? Let's see if let's try something crazy.
Let's see if.
All cannot be completed and dialed.
Please check the number and dial again.
Okay, fine.
I tried to call Tyson and ask him if he knows what the Riz is
Oh short for charisma, oh no shit, okay. Yeah shit then he got the Riz Okay, so so he gave his the mile Berkey burpee box jumps
Burpee broad jumps and he gave his time now, you know, these guys don't even know what the fuck he's talking about, right?
and he gave his time. Now you know these guys don't even know
what the fuck he's talking about, right?
Burpee, brawl job.
Burpee, brawl job.
One mile.
How many calories do you burn?
I don't know, I eat a lot.
How many calories do you burn?
Was the question.
Oh, please.
Not after that, it was nice.
What would you eat?
More than when I fuck your wife.
That's what he should have said if he was he was gangster
I went to Betty's shout out to Shepherdstown, West, Virginia
Betty's restaurant. I think I just got six eggs and bacon with some toast.
I cannot believe how cool this kid is
I might not be getting better necessarily at football
when I'm doing a workout like that however just the mental edge that it
gives me finding out you know what I can endure versus what the next man can
endure in a sense gives me a little mental edge when I show up to things
like this and people start complaining about our schedule I can kind of have
somewhere in the back of my head that I've done things far worse than this
that I can handle necessarily really kind of anything that's thrown at me and be able
to just keep the main thing, the main thing, let it flow off the shoulders and just kind
of, you know, react to what happens next.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
It's just crazy.
And you believe them. Everything you say, you believe them.
Wow, that's a lot more calories than I do on my Peloton.
Yeah, that should have been the guy's response.
Which Olympic events will I be watching?
I'd rather watch slap fighting, power slap than the Olympics.
I have no interest in the Olympics Olympics can go fuck themselves
Olympics is something Europeans watch lowers your t-count
I'd wear the track and field I'd watch the women's track and field
The end of the race when they walk around the cameraman gets those low shots. That's it
He failed to make the point talking about Pat Vellner that Dave is paid by CF while simultaneously monetizing an athlete's time, which ultimately provides athletes visibility that people scream for.
I mean, I understand where Pat's going. Ethically, maybe Pat's right. Not maybe, ethically maybe Pat's right um not not maybe ethically
Matt uh Pat's right like he um or I don't even know ethically
let me what's the word I'm looking for his perception of what's going on there
is accurate like the athletes probably feel obligated to
come on and maybe it would be inappropriate if he monetized it
because it's not in his account. But.
Anyway, I'm going to leave it at that.
It's not it's not that it's it's not that Pat was wrong.
It's just the origins of that kind of thinking is what I was talking about.
And that's not conspiracy theory.
That's not conspiracy theory.
Like, we're all just people here living in a world where that brain is chasing some sort of duality. That was the screaming nature of it.
I was listening to this idea.
Suze was sharing this idea with me that the way socialism socialism works and I shared this with you guys the other day
Is that socialism they you have it so sure socialism only works from taking stuff from one group of people and giving it to another
People they don't bring anything to the table. They don't bring it's free. It's free
Education, it's free health care. It's it's um, it's it's just everything is free and just but it's not it's a it's free healthcare. It's just everything is free, but it's not.
It's a liar's word, right?
They're just taking.
Whereas capitalism, the way capitalism works
is you have to bring something to the table.
You have to bring something to market.
So socialism is I go to the store
and I take something from the shelf.
And capitalism is I come there with my passion fruit
and I offer the owner to trade a box of passion fruit
for a sandwich for my kids.
Capitalism is you bring something to the table
before you receive something.
And I was listening to Kamala Harris's,
Elizabeth Warren explained Kamala Harris's ideas
for helping the economy.
And it's all take, take, take, take, take, take.
Take from the banks, take from the taxpayers. It's all take, take, take, take, take, take from the banks, take from the taxpayers.
It's all take, take, take.
There's no stimulus, none, zero.
We're going to end junk fees from the banks.
Yeah, to her there are junk fees to the banks.
It's them offering a service and then charging for it.
We're going to tax the rich more.
It's all just take, take, take, take, take.
Then you listen to Trump's and it's, we're going to drill and bring more oil to market.
We're going to get rid of the Department of Education and save money.
It's all actual economics.
It's all about bringing stuff to market to contribute.
There's no taking.
It's nuts. I don't know how anyone is a Democrat. I don't know how anyone's a European.
Value. Thank you for my favorite European. Clock, from each according to his ability to each according to his need.
One of Karl Marx's favorite socialist quotes.
All the liberals I know are always like,
why does Mark Zuckerberg need a $300 million yacht?
So what?
He could have used that money to end hunger in the Sudan.
No, it doesn't work like that.
Sorry.
He wouldn't have the $300 million to give to Sudan to we were if we were just taking from people.
But what that yacht does do is it employs 500 people full time and innovates in technologies.
Dan Guerrero, Trump spent more money than all the presidents before him summed up.
I think what you're trying to say, Dan, is he printed more.
Get your fucking attack right.
Oh, then Biden outdid him.
Reagan did the same thing. Matt Souza, he doesn't need the yacht.
He earned it by creating something we all find value in.
Thank you, Matt.
That's what I'm trying to say.
If you really want to understand what I'm saying, watch Matt's show tomorrow.
Johnny, worried about Mark Zuckerberg but feeding their kids pizza hut twice a week.
I know great right.
Okay fine you're not European you're a good dude.
Jake Chapman.
Love Jake.
Brady how are you a European Jake?
That's a great question.
I mean, how am I a Californian?
I know.
So that's another great thing.
Elizabeth Warren says we need to create a pathway for citizenship for all these illegals
and Kamala will get it done.
Fucking A. Go fuck yourself.
How about finding a way to get citizenship for all the legals?
Yeah, the Google search shenanigans are crazy. I made a post for it. I couldn't even believe it.
By the way, Andrew Hiller has a new video out if you want to stare at his wife's nipples for 40 minutes straight.
It's thoroughly enjoyable.
It's his newest video.
Oh, thank you, Matt.
Matt Sousa.
Look at him.
Always the executive producer of the 7-1 Podcast.
Always looking out for me.
Here we go.
In real time.
When you consider them, they have to begin with an imaginative response to the needs
of others.
They have to forego their own consumption and save in order to assemble resources to
deploy for a process,
the outcome of which is determined not by themselves,
but as Peter Drucker identified,
companies are dependent on customers and investors,
and neither of them are under
the control of the entrepreneur himself.
The entrepreneur has to collaborate with others.
The entrepreneur follows the golden rule.
He wants others to succeed.
Any business is completely dependent
on the successes of all the other businesses around them.
Capitalists, when you consider them,
they have to begin with an imaginative response.
Thank you.
Well said.
All right. Love you guys. I wonder if I screwed up my kids. I'm supposed to take
my kid to surf camp this morning.
Oh what is today? Monday? Oh, so Dave Castro will do his weekend review. He said he's not
going to go live again, which means that I'll probably review it.
I don't see. Oh, tomorrow's BKG. If the calendar is right. I know he was moving around. That's
cool. Björkvin Carl Gudmundsson. Oh, Matsusa. Oh, oh that is okay that's the author of wealth
and poverty the book the book Greg recommended a few weeks ago
a clock spent more money doesn't mean much in an area of inflation good point
Obama ran up the national debt more than Trump. And at the end of the day that's
all that matters.
And then Wednesday... I don't know what's gonna happen Wednesday. I think Wednesday
I'm gonna have to get some athletes in and maybe Push drag hate to do that of Thursday. How about this Thursday Taylor self versus Tanner Shuck?
They're gonna debate I
think I think Tanner is gonna debate the weightlifting is the best kind of working out and
Taylor's gonna say it's CrossFit great debate show
Then Friday across theFit Games Update Show. I think I'm trying, I think we have some people
in the lineup, don't we, Susa? We have like Grace Walton. We're trying to get a parent from
Training Think Tank trying to get her on.
Trying to think if there's any other people.
I'm trying to think if there's any other people. If there's any athletes that think that I missed them, let me know.
I invited Guy the other day.
I don't even know if I have the right phone number for him.
Yeah, I'd like to talk to more athletes.
I'm just not as organized as Dave this year.
I've just been just off the cuff
Is there anyone anyone?
Aramo she competing this year. I don't think she's competing this year
How about this you guys want to see crazy shit
Want to see crazy shit want to see crazy shit I would love to get Emily Rolfe's take on this oh Emily
Rolfe oh that's funny you say you say that yeah I should get Emily back on
okay Patriots DT what indefinitely due to blood clots.
Foxboro, Massachusetts Foxboro, Mass.
The New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots over the weekend
and was treated at Mass General Brigham, the team announced.
In a statement, the team said, its principal concern at this time is Christian's health
and well-being, while noting there is no timetable for his return.
I dispute that that's their principal concern.
We know Christian is getting tremendous care and we look forward to his full recovery,
the team said in its statement.
Dude, do you think everyone in the NFL, like all the guys around the field, whispering
about this shit?
Barmore's agent, Nicole Lynn, also thanked Patriots athletic trainer Jim Whelan for his
absolute diligence and care over the last couple days
On Instagram later Sunday Barmore wrote thank you everyone for all the support thoughts and prayers. I'll be back soon
In 2019 longtime Patriots center David Andrews missed the season after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. Oh 2019
That's weird a year before the injections. Nice you to throw that in there. He returned to
play in 2020. Andrew 32 enters his 10th season with the team this year.
Barmore who turned 25 on Sunday. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. You want to know CrossFit's vaccine policy for the games?
You guys want to know it?
Should I wait till Friday?
Shall I wait till Friday or do you guys want to know it now?
Let's wait till Friday or do you guys want to know it now? Let's wait till Friday.
Hey, Saban Newsflash, team doctors work for the team, not the players. Talk to Wellborn about it. Yeah, everyone works for whoever has the most amount of money. Right?
Thank you for that contribution. Sean Sullivan, Marks was a lazy douche nozzle who didn't shower and lived off his parents.
Oh, yeah, I used to do that.
Yeah.
Exactly.
CrossFit has put out a pamphlet, an email packet to their athletes.
Dear athlete, I'll talk about this on Friday.
It'll be good.
It'll make the boys uncomfortable.
While we do recommend healthy young adults receive at least the primary vaccination series
for COVID-19, Jesus Christ, you're not even going to believe this shit. They got a page about medical information.
Why would you even mention COVID-19 in your medical packet? To help achieve your best possible performance, we would like to share some information.
Are you fucking kidding me?
That's the fucking line your medical packet says?
Why would you open yourself up to this?
Friday.
Sean Sullivan, COVID was the largest transfer of wealth from the bottom up in American history,
in world history.
All right.
Love you guys.
See you guys later on today for the Dave Castro Weekend Review.
Thanks for all your support, everyone.
Love it.
Don't forget, Matuthian.
I brushed this morning with it and I was like, how, how, how, how, why am I not talking about
this all the time?
It's wonderful.
Love you guys.
Bye bye.