Pushing His Limits: Juan Cruz Sartori

March 14, 2013

Jimena Ramirez

"One of our mottos at Argos is that giving your maximum effort is a full victory in itself.”


Last year, Juan Cruz Sartori was among the top contenders in Latin America. He arrived at the Regionals in Cali, Colombia, having placed third in the Open, and he was considered a favorite in the region.

Unfortunately, having sustained a wrist sprain during the second workout, he was unable to complete the 220-lb. hang clean, and was eliminated from the competition.

This year, however, Sartori is ready and looking forward to competing again. With a 297-lb. clean and jerk, a 242-lb. snatch and a 473-lb. deadlift, he feels ready for the Open.

"I consider that I am in a much better physical condition this year, and all my benchmarks and Olympic lifting maximum weights have improved greatly,” Sartori says.

His Fran time is now 2:38 — 27 seconds faster than last year.

Sartori currently holds a 71st place in Latin America for 13.1, which he did while recovering from a lumbar injury he sustained 20 days ago.

“On the 12th minute of 13.1, I threw my back out,” he says.

Sartori pushed through the pain so he could complete the workout, however, due to the circumstances his results were not up to his potential.

“I couldn’t move … I finished it, but I was not satisfied with the results,” he says.

Currently the head coach at Argos CrossFit, located in San Isidro, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, Sartori found CrossFit in Europe two-and-a-half years ago.

"I love being able to improve day after day, that the workouts are always different, pushing my limits,” he says. “It's addictive.”

Satori has included yoga in his programming for the past month-and-a-half, as he usually does when the Open approaches. He has also been training year-round with an Olympic weightlifting coach to improve his technique. His diet has also changed from paleo/Zone to a strictly Zone diet.

Sartori says he also feels mentally stronger.

“Last year, it was difficult to stay calm and even get a good night’s sleep during the Open season and the Regionals,” he says. “It was also hard not to get carried away by the cheers, which resulted in pushing myself too hard. This year, I am better prepared for that … and I am going to enjoy it a lot more.”

Having competed in rugby and triathlons, among other disciplines, Sartori believes each experience competing for various sports has been different; yet competing in CrossFit has been by far "one of the best competitive experiences that I have ever participated in.”

Sartori says the most important thing this year, is knowing he is giving his best, and also being able to convey that to his athletes, many of who will be competing in the Open.

"One of our mottos at Argos is that giving your maximum effort is a full victory in itself.”

He adds: “CrossFit has changed my life because it has helped me achieve my dreams. Opening my own box, and then making it a community of friends … it's like family. We have barbecues nearly every other day, we participate in races together, we take trips … it has exceeded my expectations.”

After a rocky start, Sartori prefers to focus on recovering for the upcoming Open Workouts.

“I will not quit and I will not give up. This is just the beginning!”