“After 10 years in military and three tours to Afghanistan, I’m thankful for where I am, and I appreciate it. This is a passion, and it’s nice to be doing a job where we see the difference in people every day.”
Last spring, Richard Purvis and Michael Gillum traveled to Wollongong, New South Wales, to compete with CrossFit Mana in the affiliate competition at the Australia Regional.
In the months following, the two men set off on a whole new journey. They’ve moved five hours north — from Palmerston to Hamilton, New Zealand — to open their own box, CrossFit Taurus.
Now, they have a new home, a new box and a roster full of new CrossFitters.
With Team qualification was not in the cards this year, the duo has decided to shoot for individual qualification in 2013. When they’re not handling the business, they train together.
“Training with him forces me to do things that I usually don’t do, but it’s good for me,” Gillum says of Purvis. “Things like toes-to-bars and muscle-ups. I’d much prefer a heavy snatch.”
Gillum squats Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and is currently in a deadlift and shoulder-press cycle. He also does heavy snatching every Wednesday, light met-cons most mornings and incorporates a heavy workout in the afternoons.
“I do listen to my body, though. If it gets too much, I back off,” he says. “I’ve had injuries, including a pinched nerve in my neck and a chipped bone in my ankle, and for a while, had to limit my shoulder work. I’ve only just started to get back into things like toes-to-bars and handstand push-ups.”
Purvis admits it’s sometimes difficult trying to balance training and running a box.
“Training a few times, coaching, resting, plus working on the business every day is challenging,” Purvis says. “I really enjoy coaching, but it’s sometimes hard to have that passion for training when you’re fatigued from training others.”
That’s where teamwork comes into play.
“Michael and I have a good dynamic going and we split the classes up, which gives us breathing space,” Purvis says. “When I’m tired, I try to push through and train because I know it will be worth it in the end.”
He adds: “At the moment, I’m focusing on Olympic lifting and bodyweight movements. I might not be the strongest, but I am developing into an all-rounder. I train with different groups, which is good because we all have different priorities and it means I get a good variety. I’ve learned a lot, but still have things to work on.”
Both ex-New Zealand Army, Purvis and Gillum are passionate about CrossFit, but know there is more to life, especially when it comes to good food. While both have a sensible approach to what they eat, they often laugh when asked if they follow a strict diet.
Purvis has been focusing on conditioning over the last few months, cleaning up his diet and losing weight in order to make the bodyweight movements easier.
“My nutrition is certainly a whole lot better now. In the military, it was pretty bad for obvious reasons,” Purvis says. “I focus on eating clean, but still have the occasional pasta. If you work hard then you can give yourself a rest, I’m a big believer in that.”
Gillum agrees, saying the only things he doesn’t eat are bread and pasta.
“But that’s about all I’ve cut out. I have lollies after a workout, milkshakes all the time, but I can justify it with the amount of training I do. Last month, I increased my food intake to six to seven meals a day to increase my energy levels, and it’s worked well for me,” he says.
Both are happy to be doing what they love while educating others, helping clients achieve their goals and training hard toward their own aspirations.
“It’s just awesome to have people come into your gym and to help them change their lives. We have guys that have been coming just a few weeks and have lost 18 kg already. It’s amazing,” Purvis says. “After 10 years in military and three tours to Afghanistan, I’m thankful for where I am, and I appreciate it. This is a passion, and it’s nice to be doing a job where we see the difference in people every day.”
