Phillip Yero

Hometown: Lake Mary, FL
Age: 27
Occupation: Human Resources

When did you first start Strength & Conditioningting?:
October 2013

What is your favorite movement? Favorite workout?
Back Squat, definitely. And my favorite workout is probably “Helen”. I like anything with running in it, and the KB swings and pullups round out the workout nicely.

What is your least favorite movement? Least favorite workout?
I hate snatches! My least favorite workout is anything that has snatches in it.

Tell us about your sports & fitness background:
I played soccer from the age of 6 all the way through my junior year of high school. I was decent and stayed pretty active but I was always what you’d call “husky”. I got a head start on the freshman 15 and decided to make it a freshman 25; then about midway through my freshman year I really got into running and started playing intramural soccer and was able to lose that weight and then some. I did a lot of body-weight exercises but didn’t go to the gym all that often in college; and when I did it wasn’t with any workout plan in mind. I stayed at pretty much the same level of fitness (with some ups and downs while I lived in New Orleans) until I moved to Durham in mid 2013.

How did you first get exposed to Strength & Conditioning? Do you remember your first WOD? How did it go?
The first time I learned about Strength & Conditioning was through my now brother-in-law Stephen Mills who is a Coach.  I went ahead and joined the Barbell Club and I haven’t left since.

Being in Barbell Club we don’t do too many WODs, and did even less back when Ryan coached, so my first actual WOD experience was doing “Murph” with a partner. It was brutal and exhausting, but as I mentioned above, I like running and squatting; and after I regained consciousness I was glad I’d done it.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting Strength & Conditioning? (before/after)
I think the most surprising thing I’ve noticed is that, throughout the year and a half that I’ve been at CFD I have only fluctuated between 5 lbs. or so on either side of my starting weight. I almost feel like I have been able to see it leaving one part of my body and moving to another. I didn’t start out trying to lose weight, and not even to get stronger really, but mostly just to be fitter and healthier. I didn’t really know what to expect from myself as I’d never done any serious weight-training before, but as I steadily got stronger in each lift I figured I was doing something right.

What impact has Strength & Conditioning had on your life?
I feel good on a much more regular and consistent basis that I remember before, not just physically but mentally as well. Even though I’m usually beat after a workout, I have more energy during the day and more motivation go out and do things.

I’ve also made a lot of great friends through Strength & Conditioning. I think that, as much as my increased level of fitness, has made my life better.

What is your favorite Strength & Conditioning/CFD moment?
My favorite moment was when I noticed two people during a partner WOD that looked to be having the greatest time together even though they looked miserable. I didn’t really know either of them but it seemed to me like they couldn’t be any more different from each other. That’s when I realized how unifying and inclusive Strength & Conditioning can be, and that moment is one of the reason’s why I enjoy Strength & Conditioning so much.

What is your advice for people just getting started or thinking about starting Strength & Conditioning?
Just go ahead and try it. Find something you like to do (a movement, a WOD, whatever) and work hard at it. That way, when you encounter things that you’re not good at or just plain don’t like doing, you keep yourself from getting discouraged.

What are your hobbies, interests, and/or talents outside of Strength & Conditioning?
I love being outside, playing video/board games, and reading (mostly sci-fi/fantasy novels). I also eat a lot and cook a lot, which makes eating a lot less expensive. Candy is probably my biggest weakness, especially anything with peanut butter.