By Michael Moroney ’13 and
Joe Skoog ’13
THE ROUNDUP
For some students, working out is as much about mental health as it is about physical health.
“What I love about a hard workout is that it helps me find what I am made of. Once you hit exhaustion, you have to dig deep inside,” said Austin Groen ’13.
After years of never working out, Groen decided to change his lifestyle when he started working out as part of the Brophy wrestling team in his sophomore year.
“I was tired of my unhealthy lifestyle,” he said. “I started lifting weights and eating wholesome foods and my life is radically different because of this change.”
Groen’s weightlifting includes power and Olympic lifting, as well as gymnastic and aerobic workouts for well-rounded workouts.
Other Brophy students workout with a similar motivation, including Demetrios Tsirigotis ’13, who said he works out five to six times a week.
Tsirigotis began seriously exercising after participating in the Spartan Run last February, which is fitting because of his large build and Greek ancestry.
“It has actually turned into something I enjoy a ton and something that I can constantly get better in,” he said. “There are always ways to be better with weight training.”
Tsirigotis said he likes to vary his workouts with a mix of cardio and weight training.
“I think that variation is the most important part of working out. When you find workouts that you like, you take some from them and then add to and improve them,” he said. “By introducing variation in your workouts, your body doesn’t have time to really adapt to one exercise, and this stimulates more muscle growth.”
Like Groen, Tsirigotis also said that to commit to staying in shape, the right meals are key.
“The best way to stay in shape is by maintaining a healthy diet with little to no processed food,” Tsirigotis said.
Groen works out every day at CrossFit Scottsdale, where he goes through the intensive CrossFit program that incorporates a myriad of exercises into competition.
“I started CrossFit after seeing the CrossFit Games on ESPN,” he said. “It is a combination of Olympic and power lifting, gymnastic movements, sprints, and any other functional moves.”
Groen finished third in his first ever CrossFit competition in October, when he competed against men of all ages, including Brophy Spanish teacher Mr. Christopher Ramsey.
