August Member of the Month // Sam Torrance

How did you first get involved with Blitz?

I moved to Twickenham (and actually London as a whole) in January this year, a large of part of which
was driven by a desire to be near to my close friends Rachel and Chris Rowland (also Blitz members)
whom I’ve known since university. Part of the welcome ‘package’ included a recommendation/insistence
that I join Blitz. On one of my weekend’s visiting Rachel before I moved, we came into Blitz and she
introduced me to Christina and Tim who were there at the time. And as soon as I moved, I joined. Trish
did my 101 sessions, and there’s been no looking back!

What is your most memorable CrossFit moment so far?

A few for sure! Doing my first rope climb, and then nursing a hideous rope burn on my shin for a good few
weeks. Not a sexy look as we entered summer. Handstands! After banging my head a few times on the
wall (which I still do it on occasion), the feeling of getting up and holding steady is great! Discovering my
strength when it comes to the barbell work; I seem to be able to do a bench press quite well, and a back
squat.

What is your favourite movement/workout?

I like the workouts that have running in them, I know, they’re like marmite. They kill me, but in a slightly
(very slightly) masochistic way, I do enjoy the feeling of my lungs being on fire. Makes me feel like I’ve
done something and pushed myself to the limit. I actually ‘enjoyed’ the scaled version of Murph (I have
worn body armour in the past, but never contemplated mile runs in it!). That last mile run, the feeling
coming around the corner of the pub and seeing Blitz was amazing. I really tried to enjoy the achievement
of it. And then I ate constantly for about two days!

What is your least favourite movement/workout?

So, the coaches are going to kill me and maybe take away this accolade, I still get very confused with
the barbell movements. I’m not sure I know the difference between a snatch, a hang, clean etc. Once I
see them it’s fine, but if you asked me to explain one, I have no clue. But, I digress, I would love to do
more of the weightlifting, but having dislocated my shoulder a few years ago (and it being ‘out’ for 6 hours
waiting around in a Kenyan hospital, and then having the ligaments subsequently pinned), the mobility
isn’t great, and I am a bit wary of having weight over my head. Hopefully with time this will improve and I’ll
make a barbell class in the future, but for now, over-head barbell work is approached gingerly.

Name a CF goal you hope to achieve by the end of this year?

I would so love to be able to do a strict pull-up. At the beginning of the year, it was just the one, but my
ambition has increased, at least three now. I’m not sure why this move in particular, but I know it will
get me a lot of street cred with the men in my family. It looked like such a simple movement, but
understanding just how much prep work goes into it, I certainly respect it more. I managed to do part of a
negative handstand push up the other day, so I may add a handstand push-up to the list.

What do you do when you’re not training at Blitz?

I’ve just a bought a house, so a lot of my spare time is focused on organising various tradesmen and
educating myself on all things DIY. My negotiating and project management skills coming in very useful.
I’ve lived and worked abroad for so long and in some slightly less desirable and least developed places
(Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia etc.) that I’m enjoying just being in one place and doing ‘normal’
things – investigating Twickenham and its surrounds, exploring London, going to the theatre, developing a
newfound interest in rugby. Once things settle down, I hope to start playing tennis again, and horse-riding
(shoulder dislocation culprit) too.

What is your favourite part of being a Blitz Member?

A few factors mean it’s really become part of my routine. Everyone says it, but it’s true, the community
aspect. Blitz is the first gym that I’ve been to that I’ve made friends. I think that that is still quite a rare
thing today, so long may it be the case. More specifically, I like that shared, brief eye contact with
someone in the gym, when you’re both struggling through a workout. That camaraderie is a great motivating factor. The nature of workouts: it’s a class environment but you get personal attention from the coaches, which makes all the difference.

If you could give a new member one piece of advice- what would it be?

Don’t self-select out of classes because you don’t like the look of the WOD. There is always some scaled
activity that you can do, which still means you get a good workout, and you’ll be surprised by how quickly
you’re able / want to do more.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself…

I was born in Chester, but I grew up in Zambia, a very beautiful country in Southern Africa.