Interview: Joshua Page 9th Place After Workout 13.1

Joshua Page is the head trainer and owner of Reckless CrossFit in Plano, Illinois.

After picking up CrossFit in 2007, Page is currently sitting 9th in the world, behind the likes of Josh Bridges, Derek Robinson and Ben Smith, all of whom scored an amazing 192-repetitions in CrossFit Open workout 13.1.

We catch up with the top ten contender to find out more.

Josh, you’re sitting 9th in the world after 13.1 of the 2013 CrossFit Open. How are you feeling about it all?

It feels pretty awesome. To be sitting 9th worldwide and first in the Region is kind of where I wanted to start. Hopefully, I won’t have to dig myself out of a hole later in the Open.

Do you think workout 13.1 played to your strengths?

My coach, Jason Leydon who owns CrossFit Milford, has been doing my programming since last year during the Open, and we have been doing a tonne of snatch work. It was not a strength of mine but we have turned it into a strength.

Also, at my gym, Reckless CrossFit, we always make a penalty after a workout if we don’t hit our target or goal. So if we hit the target we do five minutes of burpees, and if we don’t hit it, we do seven minutes of burpees! And that would be a penalty three times a week.

So between working snatches from my programming with my coach, and adding in the burpee penalties, the workout definitely targeted my strengths.

Were there any exercises you did not want to see during the rest of this year’s Open?

I would like to avoid seeing handstand push-ups on the Open. Playing baseball in high school, I’ve always had some shoulder problems so shoulder strength with an overhead press has always kind of been a weakness.

Last year you finished the Open in 16th place in the North Central Region and then finished 19th at the Regionals. Were you satisfied with you performance?

When I went into the Regionals it was only the second competition I’d ever done, and obviously the butterflies got to me.

In the first event, I PR’d my worst Diane time ever. I did a 7 and a half minute Diane instead of what I’m capable of, just due to nerves and the little jitters I had going into it.

So this is your second Open? What happened in 2011?

Yes, last year was the first year I did the Open. The year before that I was building my garage gym and my father in law drilled through my foot, so I did not do the Open!

How long have you been CrossFitting?

I started CrossFit back in 2007 when I was in the military. I picked it up then and kind of dabbled with it during my time there. Also, I had a lieutenant who is a CrossFitter and went to the Games in 2009, and he kind of got me into it.

When I came back to California in 2010, my wife and I actually started pursuing CrossFit and doing daily workouts.

What’s your full time occupation?

I’m a full time coach. I own Reckless CrossFit and am the head trainer there.

What’s your sporting background?

I played baseball in high school and that was it.

Do you have a goal for this year’s CrossFit season?

I’d say my goal this year is really just to get back to Regionals and gain the experience.

Would I be disappointed or not happy if I didn’t make the top three at Regionals? No.

This year is really just about getting back to Regionals and gaining the experience of working out and being under the pressure of the competition again, and hopefully making a better impact than I did last year.

Have you had more attention this week given you are now in the top ten worldwide?

No, I don’t think it’s changed anything because it’s just one week and it’s not the end of the Open. And it’s a workout that I think everyone knows was a strength of mine. As soon as it got posted everybody at our gym were like, “how pumped is Josh!”

Are you sponsored at the moment?

Yes I am. I am sponsored by Blonyx, Fight Through and Axom Performance.

How did they find you?

I met Wayne, owner of Axom Performance down at a local competition I was helping judge. We got talking and we kind of kept in contact. After a few performances at some local competitions, he decided he wanted to pick me up.

With Fight Through, I had a buddy, Josh Silvernail, who was sponsored by them. I meet the owner of Fight Through, Tyler at a local competition and he asked me after that.

My wife helps out Rowan at Blonyx, and Rowan got in touch with me and we’ve been going strong ever since.

Final thoughts on the 2013 Open?

I’m super pumped about the rest of this year’s Open, especially with them starting with something heavy. I’m really excited to see what the rest of the Open brings and hopefully work my way back to Regionals to be able to play with the big dogs again.