Pat Vellner made his individual debut at the CrossFit Games in 2016 and proceeded to take third overall. Since then, he has become one of the most popular athletes in the sport and a perennial favorite to finish on the podium in Madison.

He joined Sean Woodland to talk about how competing in gymnastics and lacrosse helped prepare him for competitive CrossFit, how he managed to finish third at a Regional competition despite tearing his biceps and what he thinks about the new structure of the CrossFit Games.

Links:

COVID-19 Resources
Join the Gym Owners United group on Facebook
Free Tools
Book a Free Call

Contact:

Instagram: @pvellner

Timeline:

1:12 – Training during coronavirus.

5:13 – Learning work ethic and athleticism from gymnastics and lacrosse.

10:02 – Discovering CrossFit in university.

11:42 – Becoming a competitive CrossFit athlete.

13:19 – Building confidence in his Regional debut.

16:26 – Going team in 2015.

19:05 – Taking third at the East Regional in 2016 with a torn biceps.

23:22 – Setting goals for the Games. 

26:54 – Dealing with the extra pressure after taking third at the 2016 Games.

29:19 – Digging out of a hole in 2017.

32:11 – Mechanical failure and injury in 2018.

36:14 – On the new Games structure. 

43:05 – Why Pat asked Michele Letendre to be his coach.

47:50 – Representing the common man in elite athletics.