Congrats to Chris Magil for earning the title "Member of the Month" for November! Chris can often be found introducing himself to new members, cracking jokes at his own (or his friends') expense, and handing out fist bumps and high-fives like it's his job. His enthusiasm, positive attitude and team mindset is what we are all about at CrossFit Hardwired. Keep reading to learn more about Chris:

Occupation/how you spend most of your time:
I have been a physical therapist since 2003. In 2008 I opened Duanesburg Physical Therapy in Duanesburg, NY, where I am the sole practitioner. I specialize in outpatient orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries, as well as Sports Medicine. I have two beautiful and intelligent daughters, Madison (13) and Katelyn (9). Outside of CrossFit I play on a men’s soccer team through the winter months. I also enjoy fishing, traveling and stand up paddle boarding.

How long have you been doing CrossFit?
I started working out at CF518 in October of 2014.

What brought you to CFHW?
I was at a physical therapy conference and began hearing a lot of negative comments about CrossFit at the time. I wanted to see for myself why everyone was complaining. I love competing and being active and I was hooked from the very first workout. Mike Eshoo beat me on a run that day and I swore I would never let that happen again. I did not feel like the workouts were too difficult or dangerous like I had heard they would be. They were scaled to my ability and I was coached through proper form and positioning. I had been a physical therapist for 11 years prior to starting CrossFit and I was amazed at how much I was learning about myself just by going through functional movements such as squatting and deadlifting. These principles were easily translated to my patients. I began looking at their conditions, impairments and potential for improvement much differently. I feel that CrossFit has made me a more effective practitioner.

What keeps you here?
The community. Jenna, Matt and all the coaches have done such a great job at developing an atmosphere where anyone can come and work hard while having fun. When you show up for class, any class, you are guaranteed to get a tough workout but you are always working out with a coach that is engaged and motivating and other athletes that are working hard and having fun alongside you. You will be hard-pressed to find anything close to that experience in a traditional gym. I’ve been a regular at the 5:30am class since 2014 with the same core group of people. There have been some additions/subtractions over the years but that group of people holds me accountable and motivates me to continually improve my health and fitness.

Any highlights?
I would have to say that winning not the actual fitness competition portion of the Annual Holiday Throwdown but being undefeated in the costume contest portion of the event is a major highlight of my life, next to the birth of my kids. I mean, anyone can win a fitness competition, right? We’re talking costumes here. Second, completing Murph Rx with the vest in 2019. When I first saw that workout in 2014 I laughed. How could anyone do that much work wearing a 20lb vest?

Lowlights?
Losing to Mike Eshoo by 1 rep in any workout. I hate it. I lose sleep.

If you could program your own workout, what would it look like?
Overhead squats and Ring Muscle Ups. I am the least comfortable with those movements and need to improve.

Any cool nicknames?
Spike, because after a heavy lift I like to show the bar who's boss and spike it down to the floor.

Favorite pizza topping?
Creatine Monohydrate and Branched Chain Amino Acids