"There are days where the weights seem heavy and movements just aren't clicking. But having the support of my CrossFit 716 family, coaches, peers, motivators for three years nonstop keeps me going."
James Wozniak finished the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games Open in 10th place in the North East, earning his second consecutive invitation to compete at the North East Regional in Canton, Massachusetts.
He climbed 13 spots on the Leaderboard from his 2013 Open finish, and a whopping 532 spots from his 2012 Open finish.
“(During) my very first Open, I remember being no-repped over 50 times on the set of 150 wall balls,” Wozniak said. “And I was barely able to get some double-unders in.”
Wozniak has always been drawn to feats of strength. The 5-foot-6 athlete started competing in powerlifting as a junior in high school in Cheektowaga, New York.
“What drew me to powerlifting was being able to showcase my strength,” Wozniak said. “Stepping onto the platform, being in the spotlight for just a few seconds was so much fun. I loved that even though I may not be the biggest guy, I might still be able to out-lift guys in higher weight classes.”
Wozniak competed in the 116-lb. weight class as a junior, and 132-lb. weight class his senior year.
“After graduating (college) and not sure exactly what to do next, I joined the Marines to fulfill my desire to serve my country,” Wozniak said. “My parents urged me not to, but like a lot of people, I did it anyways and spent four years in the Marines. Not a single regret. I loved every day that I spent in.”
Upon his return to New York, Wozniak was introduced to CrossFit by his girlfriend (later to become his wife) Jessica Lesniak. Her brother, Dennis Lesniak, had just opened a small gym in North Tonawanda, New York in conjunction with his chiropractic office.
“At the time, he was just running hour-long kick-ass boot camp classes,” Wozniak said. “So I started coming to those a few times a week to supplement the traditional bodybuilding workouts that I had been doing for years. When it became an affiliate—CrossFit 716—that’s when I really got hooked. Slowly it went from once a week to twice. Soon, CrossFit was all I was doing.”
The challenges and competitive aspect of CrossFit were the biggest hooks for Wozniak.
“I always thought of myself as an athlete but I was never great at a single sport,” he said. “Powerlifting is very similar to CrossFit—you go out there and you do the absolute best you can. If you are not successful, there is only one person at fault. With CrossFit, the specialist is almost punished. It has been a perfect fit.”
While Wozniak attributes his success in the sport to discipline and hard work, he recognizes there were other forces involved.
“Programming, community support, relentless drive for self-improvement,” Wozniak said. “My experience through the last three years has grown tremendously.”
Coach at CrossFit 716, Matt Douglas, trains with Wozniak up to six times a week.
“When we work out together, we play a lot of roles to each other,” Douglas said. “Coach, motivator, instigator—and a healthy dose of shit-talking goes a long way. But we definitely keep the mood positive. There is a constant reminder that there is always someone out there working harder than you. It helps keep James and rest of our athletes motivated."
Wozniak’s focus has been increasing his numbers on the snatch and clean and jerk. As a self-proclaimed small athlete, he believes strength is imperative if he wants to stay competitive with the rest of the widening field.
Lesniak believes Wozniak’s biggest challenge is overcoming his size.
“In many aspects, (his size) works to his advantage. In others, it will be a limitation to his overall strength, which is hard when many athletes outweigh him by 30 or 40 lb.,” Lesniak said. “He is constantly pursuing his weakness and attacking it. He is never afraid of a challenge and he will always listen to his coach.”
Lesniak is responsible for creating four levels of programming at CrossFit 716.
“Our programming focuses on the basics,” he said. “We squat almost everyday—either in the WOD or in the strength; three days a week we Olympic lift. We have also recently changed our gymnastics programming to be more in line with traditional gymnastics programming and build better foundational and connective tissue strength.”
Wozniak follows the programming designed for the affiliate with a few additions.
“I follow the same exact programming as the rest of our box and just add some supplemental work on my own that I create,” Wozniak said. “Probably 90 percent Dennis, 10 percent me.”
That mixture has been proven fruitful.
“His greatest improvement over the past year has been his Olympic lifts and his ability to strategize a workout and attack with a good plan,” Douglas said. “He is always working on his movement patterns and his positions on lifts. He is very technical and it pays off when he executes a lift.”
In the last year, Wozniak has increased his snatch from 205 lb. to 225 lb., and his clean and jerk from 265 lb. to 297 lb.
“There are days where the weights seem heavy and movements just aren't clicking,” Wozniak said. “But having the support of my CrossFit 716 family, coaches, peers, motivators for three years nonstop keeps me going."
