Ole Glory’s Athlete of the Month for March goes to Anthony Rogers. Anthony first learned of Ole Glory from his buddy, Bryce Thibodeaux, and brother in law, Neil Huval. He states that they were constantly in his ear about it. During this time he felt like he was in a funk since he was at his heaviest weight and felt unmotivated. He also wasn’t in a good place with his military career either. He finally caved and dropped in for a workout with Bryce in December of 2013. “They were doing some workout with back squats in it. Coach Katie wouldn’t let me use a barbell and made me do air squats. I remember being so pissed at the time. I can’t remember how many I did, but what I do remember is that I couldn’t walk for two days. That, oddly enough, was the hook and I’ve been a paying customer ever since!”

Anthony attends our 5:00 AM class at OG and always comes in ready to put in work. His initial goal was to get back into shape, test his limits and see how far he could push his body. “I feel as though I’m in the best shape that I could possibly be in and even after so long, I still manage to dig deep and push my body past my mental limits everyday that I’m in class.” His current challenge is to snatch his body weight. He is about 15 lbs. off, so close!! “I love to snatch. It is the most beautiful movement we perform.” Although it took a lot of practice to get the movement down, Anthony says it’s his best movement. Back in 2010 he had a pretty bad shoulder injury when he was in Iraq. Snatches are a tough movement, but he was able to self rehab it and improve his snatch technique. “Snatches let me know I’ve taken care of it properly.”

Another one of Anthony’s favorites is burpees. I know what you’re thinking…weirdo! “I get the same high from burpees as I do running.” He did state that although he has a love for burpees they nearly killed him for Open WOD 18.2. It’s the only time he can remember pushing too hard and actually red-lining. Somehow I don’t think you were the only one, Anthony. As far as workouts go he says he doesn’t really have a favorite. Instead he prefers anything that provides the “push me” kind of hurt. “The hurt you get when you’re in your last round and there is some b**** made DNA in your head telling you you’re done but you ring out every ounce of ‘F*** YOU’ you have left in your body to finish and produce the best result possible.”

Prior to CrossFit he can remember a time where he could sit a beer on his belly when he sat down. Since then he has cut out all Coke type beverages out of his life and rarely drinks alcohol, except for the occasional beer. “This is a lifestyle. If you want your monetary investment to pay out, you have to fully commit. You have to be consistent. You have to listen to the coaches. You have to take care of your body to the best of your abilities. I’m committed because I want to live the healthiest life I possibly can (while still enjoying all the delicious food that South Louisiana has to offer) in order to give my wife and kids the best me for the longest amount of time.”

Anthony’s athletic background involves a lot of running. He’s played soccer since he was 6 years old. He played all four years at Westgate High School and was on the varsity team from his sophomore to senior year. He also participated in track which he also did for four years in high school. He mainly ran long distances including the 1600 and 3200 meter. Before becoming addicted to CrossFit, Anthony mainly stuck to running. “I’m naturally good at it. I love getting lost in my head while I’m going. I love the pain of busting my lungs. I love leaving people behind me. That’s cocky, but honesty is one of my best traits.”

In Anthony’s every day life he is 32 years old and married to Amber Rogers. Together they have 3 kids, Harper, 2, and 3 month old twins, Hattie and Henry. He has a few different jobs at the moment which include an Aviation Maintenance Technician at Precision Heliparts, owner of Sam’s Kamp K9 in Youngsville, as well as Platoon Sergeant for the 256th Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Platoon. Besides CrossFit, his hobbies include being an avid Liverpool Football Club Supporter, which of course drives his wife nuts. Occasionally he still plays soccer when an opportunity presents itself. But most importantly, he has three little ones to keep him on his toes and to take up what little spare time he has left.

When we asked Anthony what his favorite thing about OG is he responded that it’s not just about the workouts; OG focuses on the health of their members. “I like spending ‘too much time’ on warming up. I like being stopped in the middle of the workout and being told to fix this or fix that. I want to be taught how to lift properly. I know that any and all critiques that come from OG coaches are meant to ensure that I don’t hurt myself. I appreciate that and welcome it. OG will never be the box you hear horror stories about from non-CrossFitters. That’s important to me. That’s why I’ve stayed with OG, specifically, for so long.”

Anthony’s choice of words to live by are “do the right thing, 100% of the time.” He came up with these words to help him through the last 15 years of the military. He preaches it to his soldiers and tries to remind them to do the right thing even when their Senior Leadership is not around. He replays these words in his head when he is faced with difficult decisions and tries to remember them at home too, especially when dealing with his kids. “Sometimes the ‘right thing’ is not always the ‘easiest thing’ and that’s why it’s something that means so much to me.”

If you or someone you know is interested in giving CrossFit a shot, here are a few words of advice from Anthony. “Commit! Commit to being physically able. Commit to being healthy. Commit to a lifestyle that betters you and everything associated with you. I’ve seen about every walk of life and every type of person walk through OG’s doors. It’s for everybody. Whether you believe it or not. All it takes is erasing the doubt in your mind (I call it your ‘bitch made DNA’) and committing to being a better you through the tool that is CrossFit.”

Keep up all of your hard work, Anthony. It doesn’t go unnoticed! 185 snatch, where you at??