Lifestyle

Steve Moore: Choosing Zoom Classes Over Booze during COVID Lockdowns

January 27, 2021 by
Courtesy of Steve Moore
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When COVID-19 hit and the world shut down, Steve Moore realized he had a choice to make: He could let the stress of life and raising two kids get the best of him “and turn to alcohol,” or “train my ass off,” he explained. 

Moore has been a member of CrossFit Tewkesbury in the UK since September, 2019. “I really could have gone either way,” he said.

  • At the time, Moore had just turned 40 and was no longer playing rugby, and he thought to himself, ‘Right, I need to do something with myself. I have this knackered shoulder from rugby and I’m fed up with being called a big bastard,’ he said of what was motivating him to make a lifestyle change. 
  • And after a year of training hard and eating well, Moore has lost 35 pounds since the first lockdown. “I’m a lot happier and have loads more energy, too, and I can do things which I never would have been able to do 18 months ago,” Moore said. 

The details: Moore’s transformation journey this past year has included three key pieces: commitment to exercise, to nutrition and to mobility.

  • When his gym closed, Moore began doing Zoom classes at home with the CrossFit Tewkesbury crew. He was able to return to the gym in the summer, but was soon locked down again and is back to doing Zoom workouts for the foreseeable future, he explained. Though his equipment includes just a 20 kg plate he borrowed from the gym, a medicine ball and a pull-up bar, he has still been able to see incredible fitness gains in recent months. 
  • Moore also hired a nutrition coach, who helped him figure out the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat for his body. “Before, I just wasn’t eating enough and I was eating a high amount of carbs. I didn’t realize fruit had so much (sugar). I thought it was so healthy so I used to eat a lot of it,” he explained. Today, he is seeing great success through carb cycling, which he has been doing since September 2020.
  • Finally, Moore has been committed to improving his flexibility and rehabbing his shoulder via MAP Online, a mobility program he follows three days a week. As a result, his shoulder feels better than it has in a long time and his overall flexibility has improved significantly.

One big thing: What has kept Moore accountable through the pandemic is twofold: the community and the CrossFit mindset that has him continuously striving to reach new goals. 

  • “Just seeing the other guys in the class, even if I’m at home, it’s a bit of a break from the day and it just makes me feel really happy to do exercise now…It’s just a great place with a great bunch of people, and the competitive nature really gives me the determination to get better,” Moore said. 
  • “During lockdown, my goal was to get my double unders, which I finally learned how to do, so that’s good,” he continued. His next goals are to be able to do handstands and handstand push-ups, and get his spine and shoulder mobility to a place where he can do an overhead squat.

The big picture: Pandemic or not, Moore is committed for the long haul — committed to being fitter at 50 than he was when he turned 40. 

  • “CrossFit has changed my life, especially after finishing rugby, and it’s certainly up there with one of the best decisions I have ever made,” he said.

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