Here, we want to share stories about people who use functional fitness to stay ready for their main sport. About people who need to be fit for their jobs. About mothers who continue training during pregnancy and want to return after giving birth. And about people who are dealing with illnesses and, thanks to training, manage their symptoms better.

Today, meet Paul — a rugby player, 20 years old, and part of our community for one and a half years.

ABOUT PAUL

  • Age: 20
  • Sports: Rugby & CrossFit (since ~1.5 years)
  • Status: Recently finished his Abitur (German high school diploma); preparing for a voluntary social year (FSJ)
  • Inspiration: Noah Olsen (“inspires me”)
  • Favorite/least favorite movements: Anything with squats (except overhead squats); Toes-to-Bar is a work in progress; Echo Bike = love–hate

THE INTERVIEW

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Who are you, how old are you, what do you do — and which sports do you practice?

I’m Paul, I’m 20 years old and I’ve been doing CrossFit here for about 1.5 years. I just finished my Abitur, and when I’m not diligently doing CrossFit workouts here, I play rugby. I’m currently getting ready for my voluntary social year (FSJ).

How did you discover CrossFit, why did you start with us, and what motivated you?

Somehow a lot of paths led me here. I have a friend who had been doing CrossFit for a long time, and he always told me about these crazy workouts that sounded way too hard. I also had coaches and friends who had tried it at some point, and I was always interested. At some point I started doing the classic thing of watching random YouTube videos about it — Noah Olsen videos and such — which really intrigued me. And since I was a typical gym-bro at the time and found it a bit boring to sit alone at FitX and grind through workouts, I thought I’d try something new. I looked up the nearest box to me and somehow ended up here.

Is Noah Olsen your role model?

Yeah, I’d say so. For some reason I find his vibe very inspiring. I’m actually not really into the influencer scene or CrossFit Games videos, but I just find those videos entertaining, and he motivated me to start CrossFit.

Since when have you been playing rugby — and has CrossFit helped you with it?

I started playing rugby about three and a half years ago. During my year abroad in South Africa I messed around with friends playing rugby, eventually bought myself a ball, and got interested in starting properly. When I came back from my year abroad I thought: why not now! I started with rugby, first in the U18s for a long time, then moved up to the men’s team — and the men’s team was a huge physical difference. Much tougher, much more demanding for my position. Honestly, I got pretty beat up in the first season. Then I started CrossFit, built a lot of muscle, and also noticed tactically and mentally that things were going in the right direction and I could keep up. In that sense CrossFit helped me a lot — endurance, self-confidence, and just building strength — and together with rugby I kind of grew into the type of player I am now.

Have you had injuries (in rugby or CrossFit) that you’ve had to deal with?

Yeah — injuries and the usual little niggles. I’ve twisted my ankle, capsule tears in the fingers are a classic, several concussions, including just a few months ago. It kind of comes with the territory; you can only avoid it up to a certain point. It’s a full-contact sport without much protection. But all in all I’ve been pretty lucky compared to players with dislocated shoulders or broken bones.

Does scaling in CrossFit help you stay active despite injuries?

Definitely. CrossFit taught me to listen to my body more. I think I used to just push through workouts with my head down even when it wasn’t good for me, but I learned that when my shoulder hurts or I feel a bit dizzy, I don’t have to risk anything or go at 100%. Maybe I drop a level and focus more on execution. The coaches always supported me really well with that. Even though it wasn’t easy for me at first to take a step back and try that properly, it helped me a lot to know there are always options — no matter what little issues you have.

What does a normal day look like for you right now — including training?

At the moment it’s much freer than a few months ago. I don’t have other appointments I have to keep, so I sleep in, get up around 10, force myself to get moving, eat something, and then go to the noon class — I stroll in sleepy while others are spending their lunch break here. I do the workout, go home, dawdle around a bit, eat something. Right now I’m doing a lot of fun stuff — playing a bit of rugby in the park with friends or getting ready for a not-so-serious tournament in August. For now it’s all a lot more relaxed — more joy in movement and more time with friends than serious competition prep.

You recently made a final — want to tell us about it?

Gladly — it was a huge deal for our club. We’re coming out of a period where our club had to restructure, we had to merge two teams into one, go back to the regional league, build up the youth — and it was a big deal that this season we not only kept up but actually set standards in our league, and then made it to the regional championship final. I played 90% of the games when I wasn’t sick, and unfortunately I couldn’t play the final because of a concussion, which was really hard for me because we’d worked all season for it. But it was still a great day — my graduation ball was right after — a dream day — and I’m super proud of my boys and what we achieved.

Has CrossFit changed your everyday life?

I’d say it’s a kind of self-confidence I’ve built that’s hard to put into words. It’s this certainty that whatever I do in everyday life, I’m prepared. A friend can text me tomorrow to go climbing for three hours and I’m in, or I can do a 50 km bike tour with my dad and I’ll be fine. On the other hand, it’s a mental balance for me — it feels freeing to come in here, do a really tough workout, then go out and fill out some form — suddenly everything is much easier because I just did 100 burpees. It’s the certainty that, whatever happens, I can do a lot more and I’m prepared for anything.

What advice would you give young athletes who want to do two sports in parallel?

I’d say you can definitely do both. You can shape your life around it — that’s what I do. Listen to yourself and make sure it’s fun; don’t force yourself to do something, because then you lose a lot of joy for your passion and might quit even though you’re not at the end yet. I’d also tell a friend to be a bit brave. Especially as a young athlete, walking into a CrossFit box can feel a bit weird because there might be people as old as your parents — you might be the youngest in the room and that’s a bit intimidating. But you just have to be brave — it’s an environment where you quickly learn it doesn’t matter how old or how fit you are; you just work out together. I think that’s the most important thing I’d pass on.

Do you have any long-term goals in rugby or CrossFit?

Honestly I haven’t thought about it that much because I want to keep the fun aspect. The second it becomes about money and income security, there’d be too much pressure for me. I don’t think I’m good enough for that. I do it for fun and because I like to move. I definitely have ambitions somewhere — maybe to play at a higher level or to coach, which is also what I’m aiming for with my FSJ — but otherwise it’s small goals: better execution of movements in rugby, fulfilling my role for the team better, setting smaller targets in CrossFit like hitting a certain number on a lift and working towards it. No big goals — just thinking in smaller intervals and working towards the next step.

What does the CrossFit 40477 community mean to you?

I think I can best compare it to a rugby team — that team dynamic of working towards something together. It’s a very positive environment to grow together and work on something together. Even if I come in and I’ve seen people before but don’t know their names, it’s always nice to see a familiar face. And it’s a network — if you’re looking for anything, want to sell your bike, or just need someone to do a hard workout with, you’ll always find someone in this community. And the energy that arises when you work towards something together — I think you only find that in sports.

Favorite and least favorite movements?

I come from that gym-bro background, so I’m not that talented at gymnastics — that’s where I want to improve. Toes-to-Bar are definitely something I need to work on. The machines — I have a love–hate relationship with them; a sprint on the Echo Bike really hurts, but it also delivers. Otherwise, anything squat-related — except overhead squats — that’s my thing.

That was Paul’s story — a balancing act between rugby and CrossFit that shows how versatile and adaptable our training is. Find more inspiring member stories on our Member Stories page.