Juan Cruz Sartori is certainly a contender for the title of “Dark Horse of the Year” in Latin America. Until recently, this innate CrossFit talent had been rather unknown … but not anymore. He began the Open with a 10th place Regional ranking after 124 burpees in Workout 12.1, then went ahead and settled at 2nd and 3rd in Workouts 12.2 (with 75 snatches) and 12.3 (with 9 rounds, 15 box jumps, and 12 push presses). As if these results weren’t enough to catch the attention of the community and all other competitors in the Region, Sartori reports a 3:05 Fran and a 1:55 Grace.
This 31-year-old hails from CrossFit Argos in Argentina. He began rugby at age 7 at his city’s rugby club (The Hindu Club) and attributes many of his family and teamwork values, as well as an important part of his character to what he learned in rugby. Similar to CrossFit, rugby also highlights the concept of keep going forward no matter what, so it was no surprise CrossFit was a perfect fit for him.
"CrossFit to me is everything, it’s my lifestyle, it unifies my everything: my body, my mind and my emotions."
At age 18, he began conventional bodybuilding-style training, did a few triathlons, returned to his country to take a personal trainer certification and then met CrossFit. He quickly obtained his Level 1 certificate and the rest is history, he says. “CrossFit changed my mindset completely, it changed the way I approached my training sessions,” he says. “The more I dove into it, the more it revolutionized my life. At first, I was a little hesitant to leave behind what I was used to for something totally new, but today I train purely CrossFit five days a week and I try to be contagious to every other person I run into. CrossFit to me is everything, it’s my lifestyle, it unifies my everything: my body, my mind and my emotions, in every WOD I give my 100 percent.”
Sartori says he loves to compete and is looking forward to a finish within the top 60 in Latin America so he can advance to the Regional. “I have felt very comfortable in [the first] three WODs,” he says. “I love to feel the adrenaline in my belly before he timer starts. It’s inexplicable.”
He confesses he does not necessarily have a strategy to each workout, but does follow a strict paleo diet. Ever since the Open began, he has been doing yoga once a week to relax his body and mind. He currently trains Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays, and saves Wednesday exclusively for cardio and stretching. Thursday is his rest day, and he completes the Open workout on Fridays where he goes all out.
For Sartori, CrossFit is about support and community. “The camaraderie, the friendship, the constant support of your coach and training partners, it’s the most similar feeling to a family possible,” he says.
He says he would love to “go around Argentina opening more boxes so everybody can see how extraordinary this training method is … and all the magic that surrounds it,” he says. “Leaning on others when you need to and having them know they can lean on you for support in finishing that WOD is incredible.”
In the mean time, his focus is on Regionals. After four weeks of the Open, Sartori is sitting in 3rd place in Latin America.
