Name: Mikey Drobac
Hometown: Brookfield, WI
Age: 34

When did you first start CrossFitting?  5 months ago when Brew City opened it’s doors.

When did you first start training at BrewCity?  See above.  I did Fight Gone Bad at the Grand Opening…talk about a rude awakening.

Favorite WOD: I like flipping upside down and climbing things…so workouts with handstand push-ups or rope work are always cool.  Really though, I end up liking almost every workout…just not until about an hour after it’s over.

Least Favorite WOD:  Anything with running because I hate running…anything where kipping is allowed Rx because I think that’s cheating…and pretty much any WOD that takes longer than 20 minutes because that’s usually the point where my head explodes.

Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I was a really small kid and wasn’t blessed with anything more than moderate athleticism…so I didn’t play any sports after reaching the age where you actually had to tryout for the team.  When I started college, I was the scrawniest person ever (5’10″ 115lbs)…that’s when I decided to start training.  Over a decade of weightlifting at what CrossFitters like to refer to as “globo gyms”, I saw slow and steady gains, put on 50lbs of good weight and achieved some milestones I’m pretty proud of.  All I knew was isometric exercise and I loved it…always will. 

In the summer of 2010 I got married and traveled the world.  It took only 4 months of being away from the gym and not really eating (it’s hard being a vegan in other countries) for me to lose years of progress.  Frustrated and discouraged almost every time I went to workout, it was hard to motivate myself to get back into shape…until my brother Andy introduced me to Crossfit.  Yes, THAT Andy.  On the one hand, I’m in much better shape than I was 5 months ago…on the other, my little brother kicks my butt at EVERYTHING.

What sort of changes have you seen since starting CrossFit (health/body composition/fitness/function/anything unexpected?):  CrossFit has been great in helping me regain what I lost in my time away from training.  Strength, flexibility and endurance have all improved.  Since I never used to do aerobic exercise of any kind, my motor is probably the thing that has improved the most…but it remains my biggest struggle.  One huge (and awesome) difference between CrossFit and my old way of training is that I haven’t really hit any plateaus in the box.  There might be times where efforts at one aspect are stagnant, but at the same time there will be progress in like 10 other things.

Favorite CrossFit/BrewCity CrossFit moments: Anytime people get together outside the gym.  I’m really happy to have met so many great people.  Can’t wait to go curling!

Any advice for people just getting started?  When you first start, you might feel like you suck and that you can’t do it.  But you can do it and you don’t suck…unless you quit.  Don’t be intimidated.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?  Something you might not know about me is that I’ve been a vegetarian for 21 years and a vegan for the last 6 years. I do it for moral reasons, not health.  People have always told me that it holds me back in the gym…I say bring it on.

I’m a huge sports fan.  If I’m not at the game, I’m watching it on TV.  Love all teams Wisconsin (except Marquette basketball)…so this year has been amazing.

While I have no real talents to speak of, the closest thing would probably be that I’m a pretty successful gambler.  I moved to Las Vegas 7 years ago and made a good living as a semi-professional poker player/sports bettor.  I still love to gamble and will bet on anything, but I left a lot of that back in Vegas.  Most of my time these days is spent trying to be a good husband to my wonderful wife.  Hi Jess!