“To get into the top five is going to take a lot of hard work and believing in myself. I know there are not a lot of people who think it is possible, but if I believe in it, I have the first step already done.”
Pat Sherwood called Albert-Dominic Larouche “the quiet professional” on the “CrossFit Games Update.”
The description fits.
Larouche said he hasn’t always been this way.
“I don’t think I was quiet before. In my hockey years I wasn’t quiet,” he said, laughing. “Maybe it’s coming with the experience and growing up.”
Larouche might also be maturing as a CrossFit athlete. He has placed consistently higher every year at the Games. In 2011 he finished 33rd, in 2012 he placed 25th and last year 12th.
This year, he’s aiming for top five. It was his goal all year. His slow start in the Open was merely a reflection of the long competition season, he said. Though he won the Canada East Regional, Larouche knows he’s still months away from his peak. He was even surprised to PR his hang snatch in Toronto.
“I was really happy to hit 260 lb.,” he said. “I was not expecting that.”
With several weeks of preparation between him and California, Larouche will train differently than he did for regionals.
“My training now is really (more fun),” he said. “It’s Games training—you work out all day and try to become well-rounded. I’m trying to do more running, swimming, a lot of gymnastics skills, and other than that, met-cons and strength.”
But Larouche isn’t doing all of his training alone.
In addition to working out with notable CrossFit Games athletes Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Michele Letendre and Simon Paquette, Larouche also trains with his good friend and first-time Games qualifier Paul Tremblay.
Tremblay came through a three-way tie for second place with an Event 7 win to earn his spot at the Games. For the past two years, he has been making the drive from Ottawa to Montreal to train with Larouche, and vice versa.
“We try to train as often as possible,” Larouche said. “We know that we found something that can help each other become better athletes. We always said that we wanted to go to the Games together, and now it’s happening. We’re pretty excited for all the preparation, training and competition stuff that comes with the Games season.”
While he remains focused on the competition in July, one of Larouche’s long-term goals is to help the local CrossFit community grow.
“I want Canada East to become a better region,” he said. “I think it’s important to keep our community strong by hanging and training together. I have already talked to some of the other big names in Canada East to meet up with them so we can train together.”
As his fitness keeps improving, Larouche said his preparation for the Games this year will be similar to other years, but his new gym, CrossFit ADM, opens in mid-June.
“I always said that balancing work and training wasn’t hard to do, but with the gym opening I am understanding more a little bit of the importance of balancing your life well,” he said with a laugh. “I have a great partner, friends and family who are helping a lot with the gym to give me the chance to work out and get ready for the Games. I am very thankful to everyone who is helping me, and thankful to have the opportunity to do what I love each day with the people I love.”
“To get into the top five is going to take a lot of hard work and believing in myself,” he added. “I know there are not a lot of people who think it is possible, but if I believe in it, I have the first step already done.”
With his confidence, experience, his good friends and training partners from Canada East, and his father, Yves, helping, Larouche feels more ready than ever.
“Once you taste the Games, you will always want to go back there,” he said. “To prove your ability, to prove what you’re able to do and to prove your fitness.”
