Pain Yields Rewards: Gabe Subry

September 7, 2012

CrossFit

"Coming out of that tunnel with thousands of screaming CrossFitters, surrounded by all the top dogs in the sport was a feeling and moment I'll never forget."


Most CrossFit Games competitors would not pick the event that was most difficult for them as their favorite. But Gabe Subry did.

Subry finished third at this year’s NorCal Regional and 18th at the Games. “Overall, I was very happy with my performance this year,” Subry says. “I obviously would have liked to have placed higher, but I did the best I could have done on each event. I just need to get more fit to earn a higher placing. I PR'd my clean, and even though it was a 28th place finish in that event, it was a PR and I couldn’t have asked for more. I felt very prepared for each event and maxed myself out every time I stepped on the floor.”

After a 27th place finish at the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games, Subry was thrilled to make it farther this year. “This past year was the first time I made it to the final 18 and got to do the final WOD. It was a pretty cool feeling and the vibe was awesome,” he says. “Coming out of that tunnel with thousands of screaming CrossFitters, surrounded by all the top dogs in the sport was a feeling and moment I’ll never forget.”

The Sprint/Rope-Sled event brought about mixed feelings for Subry. “That was possibly the most devastating workout I’ve ever done. The sprint beforehand completely maxed out the legs and lungs, and the short one minute rest transition into the Rope-Sled portion didn’t give much time for recovery,” Subry says. “This was one of the few times in all of the CrossFit competitions I’ve done where I did not feel fit.”

Despite his frustration with his performance, he named it as his favorite. “For all the same reasons I loved it, I also hated it,” he says. “When you find a combination of movements that can completely end your world in a few minutes, it’s a very painful miserable feeling, but the more painful the work the higher the reward at the end. It’s definitely a love/hate type of thing.”

Subry’s love of CrossFit is apparent in his dedication. “2013 training began the Wednesday after the Games. The overall focus has changed from all around strength/conditioning/skill to mainly strength, then skill weakness, and some strength based conditioning,” Subry says. “After watching the Clean Ladder and struggling with some weights that a lot of guys were crushing, it’s evident that I need to get way stronger, especially in the legs.”

Subry will focus on squatting, handstand work and ring work with the help of gymnastic coach Carl Paoli in preparation for 2013.

Subry draws inspiration from his fellow competitors. “Every athlete had something very inspiring about them, whether it was Froning’s freakish strength and capacity, or someone like Jeremy Kinnick, who doesn’t have an ounce of surrender in him, or watching Annie Sakamoto beating the shit out of that chunk of steal on the Double Banger, everyone had something to offer that was inspiring and motivating.”