Our finest investigative reporter uncovers the secret real life identities of people you’ve only ever seen in sweatpants for our documentary series ALTER EGOS. For this installment @spensermestel finds out a few things about @rosereid! 🏋 GYM LIFE :: Usually Attends: an eclectic mix of Level 2 classes and (prematurely) Masters classes. :: Started CrossFit: At CFV. :: Years of CrossFit: 3-ish. :: Origin Story: She did her Level 1 training with Blanco and Joey, who "forced her to graduate" after five months. :: Gym Superpowers: Talking (and workouts with running and kettlebells). :: Gym Kryptonite: Showing up. :: Favorite Workout Music: DJ Blanco, especially the Ke$ha radio station he plays on weekends. :: Loves Most about CFV: The yummy aesthetics: "During workouts, I like to look at everyone’s sexy body, so when I’m 80 years old and in a retirement home I can close my eyes and remember them."

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Our finest investigative reporter uncovers the secret real life identities of people you’ve only ever seen in sweatpants for our documentary series ALTER EGOS. For this installment @spensermestel finds out a few things about Mark! 🏋 GYM LIFE :: Usually Attends: 12:30 L2. :: Started CrossFit: At CrossFit South Williamsburg. :: Years of CrossFit: 2.5. :: Origin Story: Mark’s first CrossFit workout was a 21-15-9 with deadlifts. He started at 55 pounds and was so immobile that by the third set, he couldn’t lift the PVC pipe without rounding his back. :: Gym Superpowers: Push-ups. :: Gym Kryptonite: Wall balls and anything overhead. :: Favorite Workout Music: DJ Mike (a fellow Hall and Oates fan). :: Loves Most about CFV: Its rejuvenating power. When Mark starts the week, his upper back is destroyed from bartending (see below). Over the next few days, he can feel his posture improve.

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Our finest investigative reporter uncovers the secret real life identities of people you’ve only ever seen in sweatpants for our documentary series ALTER EGOS. For this installment @spensermestel finds out a few things about Gretchen! 🏋 GYM LIFE :: Usually Attends: 9:00am Level 2. :: Started CrossFit: November 2016 at CFV. :: Years of CrossFit: 0.5. :: Origin Story: A few of her coworkers do CrossFit, so she decided to check it out. :: Athletic Background: High school basketball and lacrosse; field hockey at William and Mary. :: Gym Superpowers: Burpees. Gretchen’s favorite workout is CrossFit Games Open 12.1 (seven minutes of burpees). :: Gym Kryptonite: Kipping pull-ups and Olympic lifts. :: Favorite Workout Music: DJ Morgan. :: Loves Most About CFV: The coaching. Before she started, Gretchen feared CrossFit’s reputation and was nervous about exacerbating her injury-prone shoulders. Needless to say, she doesn’t worry anymore.

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By Spenser Mes It's silly to ask Coach Ariel what movements he'd like to see in a few weeks at Regionals. Last year, the first event alone included handstand push-ups, bar muscle-ups, power cleans, biking, and rowing. During the following eight events, athletes also had to overhead squat, do synchronized burpees, and legless rope climb. "There's no point hoping to see one thing or not see another. You're gonna see it all," Ariel told me. I pressed him. If he had to hope for something, what would it be? He smiled. "Heavy snatches." This won't be Ariel's first trip to Regionals, which are in Albany on May 19-21. In 2014, he competed with Team Virtuosity, which placed third and qualified for the Games. "We spent the next two years feeling the pressure to repeat that performance," Ariel said, "and it didn't go well." Both years, the team went into the final heat of the Open on the bubble for qualifying (the top fifteen teams move on), but when a few members decided to go as individuals, their score dropped below the threshold.

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Our finest investigative reporter uncovers the secret real life identities of people you’ve only ever seen in sweatpants for our documentary series ALTER EGOS. For this special CrossFit Games Open installment @spensermestel finds out a few things about Coach @morgpitch! 🏋 OPEN LIFE :: Started CrossFit: 2008 in College Station, TX. :: Years of CrossFit: 9. :: First Open: 2015. :: Favorite Open Workout: 15.1 (max clean and jerk) or 16.2 (heavy cleans). :: Open Superpowers: "Anything with a barbell or barbell cycling." :: Open Kryptonite: Gymnastics, except for handstand walks, which Morgan "does for days." She didn’t get her first ring muscle-up until the Open in 2015, 7 years after starting CrossFit. :: Wish For The 2017 Open: Heavy, heavy Olympic lifts. Her one rep maxes? Back Squat: 305; Clean and Jerk: 230; Snatch: 190. :: Loves Most About The Open: Competing – for real! Morgan’s fighting for one of three slots on the CrossFit Queens regional competition team. So far, she's holding her own: for 17.3, she finished 11 rounds and 9 pull-ups and ranked 56th in the North East region.

...keep reading for Morgan's real life identity!