August 2015 Athlete Spotlight
Name: Brenda Dallmann
Favorite exercise: Lately it's the back squat I like most. Four short years ago I suffered from lower back problems ~ I worked for months to learn how to pick up grocery bags or a laundry basket again. I think that's why any lifts are so cool, I never thought I'd do anything like this and I've been motivated to improve and develop more confidence with this lift!!!
Least favorite exercise: Double-unders ~ they elude me! Occasionally I can do one, however need more practice and am too focused on back squats right now. I know when I decide to work on them I'll get 'em!
Goal for month: Back squat (seeing a theme here?) 5x5@175 by end of August
What I love about IST: How many characters am I limited to here? We'll find out!
The training team:
Alex "best powerlifting coach ever" Taray
Brendan "I believe you can do anything" Willis (and he HAS taught me I can do anything)
Chris "come on Dallmann!" Bell (how does he always get one more rep outta me?)
There are a lot of amazing people at the gym who help motivate me. Thank you for the support ~ it makes a difference!!!
Hometown & Family members: Born in Shakopee, Minnesota ~ raised in Duluth.
Amazing, handsome, and coolest guy I know ~ my husband "Super" Dave Dallmann. Our two whippets, Minnie Pearl & Hank.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I'm signed up to volunteer and work all three days at the Granite Games this year. Can't wait!!!!
July 2015 Female
Name: Breanna Greenly
Favorite exercise: Handstand pushups and deadlifts.
Least favorite exercise: Carioca, plate pinch, pull-ups!
Goal for next month: 135lb Clean and Jerk, run 3x/week, sell my house, stay more tanned than Alex.
What I love about IST: Attentive, professional but approachable trainers who encourage & challenge me, don’t put up with my excuses, know my goals, and at least pretend to laugh at my jokes. My gym friends aren’t too shabby either.
Hometown & Family members: Roots on Da Range, born in Duluth, raised in Colorado. Mom, Dad, sister, and brother-in-law.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I often look mean or angry when my face is relaxed (thank you Dad…) but I’m actually pretty silly. I love cheesy, ridiculous puns and have the sense of humor of a 7 year old. Ask me my favorite knock knock joke!
July 2015 Male
Name: Evan Rollo
Favorite exercise: Snatch
Least favorite exercise: Double unders (for obvious reasons)
Goal for next month: Be able to do double unders.
What I love about IST: The people & community. Mostly Alex Taray though.
Hometown & Family members: I’m from Duluth. I live alone, but my mom and sister both workout at IST. My dad and brother also live in town, but they don’t even lift.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I’ve been working out at IST since I was in grade 9 in 2007. And I have extensive Lord of the Rings knowledge.
June 2015 Female
Name: Brooke Maddox
Favorite exercise: Gosh favorite exercise, I don't know if I can pick just one! I enjoy most of everything we do in the gym! Right now I am really focusing on Olympic Lifting. Of the two oly lifts I probably would pick the snatch as my favorite. It is not only an athletic and explosive lift but it can appear extremely graceful. I love watching world class lifters perform the snatch it looks almost effortless.
Least favorite exercise: I absolutely HATE burpees! I'm pretty sure they were invented as an evil joke by a frustrated trainer. Any exercise that contains the word burp in it is bound to make you hurl!
Goal for next month: I always have lots of goals that I want to accomplish, but the past few months I've had the same two goals: to get a ring muscle up and to snatch 130#. The 130# snatch is a lot closer than the MU!
What I love about IST: My first impression of IST was a lasting one. I actually emailed Chris before moving to Duluth and he responded to me right away with a warm welcome. When we finally moved here my plan was to check out all the Crossfit gyms in town and see how I liked each of them. That all changed when on my first day of working out at IST I made a great first impression. If you've ever heard the story about the girl who hit her head on the pull up bar...yep, that was me :\ After that day I knew IST was my new gym. Not only did I make a lasting memory but I gained a ton of friends and I have an epic scar to prove it! Everyone at IST is super nice and encouraging and will help you up even when you're lying on the floor in a pool of blood, sweat or tears. ;)
Hometown & Family members: I am originally from Deadwood, South Dakota. Made famous by the HBO show. If you've ever seen this show you now know exactly where I get my proper language from ;) . My husband Todd is an Air Force Veteran, we have a 21 year old daughter and a 10 year old Boxer.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I have a twin sister who has cerebral palsy. She is one of the reasons why I started exercising. About four years ago I was smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day and weighed right around 190#. After talking to my twin sister about how she needed to stay active I decided I needed to start practicing what I was preaching. I quit smoking in October of 2012 and have since lost about 30#.
June 2015 Male
Name: Mitch Johnson
Favorite exercise: Power Lifts
Least favorite exercise: Olympic Lifts
Goal for next month: To continue being totally yoked and juicy, and this is the year I make it to state!
What I love about IST: Kind of a leading question, don’t you think?
Hometown & Family members: A wife and two offspring. We live in Duluth.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I am an open book. If you know me you know everything about me.
May 2015 Female
Name: April Berg
Favorite exercise: Deadlift!!!! I’m kinda crazy about it! Bench press is a close second!
Least favorite exercise: Uh…Burpees!
Goal for next month: Deadlift 300lbs. Lift more / weigh less, my new motto!!
What I love about IST: I love that as a beginner I never felt out of place, Chris, Brendan and Alex, are always there to encourage you and challenge you, if you’re outta shape, in shape or super fit they are serious trainers with a lot of heart! It's always a challenge and when I think I can't take another step or complete another rep, I do! And that is the best feeling!!
Hometown & Family members: Home grown in Grand Rapids, MN then to all over the place, now Duluth is home with my husband Doug and our Girls Adriana (13) and Elizabeth (10)
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I believe tacos or anything related to tacos are the most perfect food on earth, if I had to eat Chipotle or Qdoba every day, that would be ok!!
May 2015 Male
Name: David Dallmann
Favorite exercise: Anything but running – I love the constant variety
Least favorite exercise: Obviously running!
Goal for next month: Eat decent and keep training consistently.
What I love about IST: The trainers – Alex, Brendan and Chris are great!
Hometown & Family members: Cloquet, MN. My beautiful wife Brenda Dallmann!
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I dressed up as Peter Criss of KISS every Halloween from 1976-1980!
April 2015 Female
Name: Penny Jenkins
Favorite exercise: Well I have 2! Roll outs and bench press
Least favorite exercise: Prowler – that will be the death of me!
Goal for next month: I just want to do a regular pull up without a band and a proper push up so I don’t get yelled at!
What I love about IST: It’s such a nice feeling to go in and everyone is so upbeat and positive. Brendan and Alex are so good at helping you with anything and make sure you do it right. They push you to do more and be better without putting you at risk for injury! Chris and his staff always make you feel like you’re part of a family “gym family” and that makes it easier to keep going back on days when you don’t feel like it. Thanks guys!
Hometown & Family members: I live in Esko and have 3 amazing daughters and a great son in-law. But the most amazing part is my 2 perfect grandchildren.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I am a huge football fan “Go Vikings” and I love watching the Twins.
April 2015 Male
Name: Chad Scott
Favorite exercise: Deadlift & Bench Press
Least favorite exercise: Burpee’s & Double unders! Why do the instructors choose to torture me so!
Goal for next month: Exceed 400lb deadlift and 300lb squat
What I love about IST: I can get into the gym first thing in the morning and get a complete body workout before my busy day begins. The coaches push me far beyond what I would do on my own and are always positive and supportive! I sleep better at night and exercise keeps me fit so I can keep up with my kids and work! I love that my kids also come down and workout with me when they can!
Hometown & Family members: I grew up in the Duluth area and graduated from Marshall School. I currently live in Hermantown and my engineering business is located in Superior. My family consists of my wife Missy and 4 children Cody (27), Katie (25), Madelynn (17) and Samuel (14).
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I’m an 8 year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, worked at U.S. Space Command, and have a tattoo of Mr. Bill on my ankle, my favorite food is Lefsa, and love any activity that involves sun and water!
March 2015 Female
Name: Anne Robb
Favorite exercise: Toes to Bar, Hand Stand push-ups, jerks
Least favorite exercise: Thrusters
Goal for next month: Increase snatch weight - we practice them enough. And work on a bar muscle-up.
What I love about IST: I love the environment at IST. Chris, Brendan & Alex know their stuff and tailor that knowledge to help young, old and everyone in between. The staff and members are supportive, hardworking, encouraging and fun. It's always a great work-out and most days I walk out with a smile on my face.
Hometown & Family members: I was born and raised in Nebraska. Migrated north from the cities after college and Duluth is home for the past 23 years. My husband Mike and I have two kids, Lucy & Alex. We share the house with a dog and a cat.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I was born on leap year so I use it as justification for not acting my age.
March 2015 Male
Name: Dave Moline
Favorite exercise: Cleans
Least favorite exercise: Anything related to lunges. I also do not like stretching.
Goal for next month: Same goal as the last 6 months – to lose 5 pounds.
What I love about IST: I can say “eh” and the staff thinks its normal because they are mostly Canadian. The Member of the Month parking spot is also a great motivator, so I’m honored to have earned this distinction! Seriously though, the people and atmosphere are second to none…I’ve been working out at IST since last May and couldn’t be happier.
Hometown & Family members: Born and raised in Duluth, MN. Graduated from Duluth Marshall (go Toppers) and Iowa State University. Wife Rachel, Sons Ben (2) and Josh (6 weeks), Golden Retriever Buck (11) and Weiner Dog/Terrier mix Bailey (1).
Something you probably didn’t know about me: Tough question. I guarantee I eat more peanut butter than anyone else at the gym, though that is definitely not why I’m having trouble meeting my monthly goals.
February 2015 Female
Name: KATIE MOENCH
Favorite Exercise: Double unders & bench press. I think the two movements would make a great WOD. Maybe call it the Moench?
Least Favorite Exercise: Plate Pinch
Goal for next month: 5 butterfly kipping pullups
What I love about IST CrossFit: IST has a fun, supportive, and competitive atmosphere. Chris, Brendan, and Alex are the reasons I ultimately chose to train at IST. I trust that they are extremely knowledgeable in their field and appreciate their passion for training athletes. They conduct their classes with professionalism but will also laugh at my jokes. The trainers and members of IST motivate each other to improve and celebrate each other's accomplishments. My only complaint about IST is that I was promised results using the "1 Month, 1 Moench, 1 Muscle Up" protocol and yet still cannot perform a muscle up.
Hometown & Family Members: Carlton, MN. I come from a family of 7. My parents, siblings, and nieces/nephews all live in the Duluth area.
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I love working with babies and I hate animals. I've always thought those two things kept me balanced.
February 2015 Male
Name: MIKE FARRELL
Favorite Exercise: Deadlift
Least Favorite Exercise: Overhead squat
Goal for next month: A new personal best on bench press, and 25 unbroken double unders
What I love about IST CrossFit: The format of the daily workout. Warmup,core work, strength
work, and then the metabolic conditioning. The people and coaches at IST are fantastic.
Hometown & Family Members: Duluth, MN. Wife Linda, kids Derek and Katie. Golden retriever Lexi
Something you probably didn’t know about me: I’ve never lived anywhere else besides Duluth.
