Pursuing Health

Dr. Michael Canales was a gymnast at Ohio State University from 1996-1999 where he was a member of the 1996 NCAA championship team and several Big 10 Championship teams. He has since mentored and coached several Olympians and continues to provide mentorship to the Ohio State Men’s gymnastics program today. He is also a practicing foot and ankle surgeon at St. Vincenty Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. I first met Mike and his wife Dominique Moceanu, member of the 1996 women's Olympic gold-medal winning gymnastics team, over 2 years ago when I was searching for gymnastics coaches to supplement my CrossFit Games training. We have since worked together on a regular basis and developed a close friendship.

After my Achilles tendon injury at the Central Regional, Mike was one of the first people I turned to. He performed my Achilles repair surgery the week after my injury and has supported me throughout my recovery process. In Part 1 we discussed gymnastics, CrossFit, mentorship, and Mike's interest in foot and ankle surgery. Here we sit down to talk about my Achilles injury and our experience in detail, as well as talking about Mike's pursuit of excellence and virtuosity.

Video: http://youtu.be/9q6tUtnb6N8

Dr. Michael Canales was a gymnast at Ohio State University from 1996-1999 where he was a member of the 1996 NCAA championship team and several Big 10 Championship teams. He has since mentored and coached several Olympians and continues to provide mentorship to the Ohio State Men’s gymnastics program today. He is also a practicing foot and ankle surgeon at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. I first met Mike and his wife Dominique Moceanu, member of the 1996 women's Olympic gold-medal winning gymnastics team, over 2 years ago when I was searching for gymnastics coaches to supplement my CrossFit Games training. We have since worked together on a regular basis and developed a close friendship.

After my Achilles tendon injury at the Central Regional, Mike was one of the first people I turned to. He performed my Achilles repair surgery the week after my injury and has supported me throughout my recovery process. Here we sit down to talk about his loves for gymnastics, mentorship, and foot and ankle surgery. We also talk about his impressions of CrossFit and how it has increased the attention and appreciation of gymnastics, as well as Achilles injuries in CrossFit. In Part 2 we will dive into my specific injury and our experience in detail, as well as talking about Mike's pursuit of excellence and virtuosity.

Video: http://youtu.be/CwM0JViTVhM

Rich Froning is the reigning and four-time Fittest Man on Earth. He has competed at the CrossFit Games since 2010 as an individual, but this year he will appear at the Games with his team, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom. I've had the opportunity to get to know Rich a little bit over the past several years, as we both competed on Team USA at the CrossFit Invitational in 2012 and 2014 and on Rogue Team Black during the 2014 CrossFit Team Series.

I've recently spent time in Cookeville, TN training with him and his team and getting to know his family (his daughter just turned 1!) and community at CrossFit Mayhem. I've always been impressed by how competing in CrossFit has helped Rich to discover his true priorities in life and how he has used his platform to positively impact so many people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7rv-HThwHo