September 4, 2024
Outside of his day-to-day job as a research associate at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Matthew Axtman is taking his CrossFit workouts to the next level.
After competing last spring in the CrossFit Open, then the quarterfinals, and finally the semifinals, Axtman earned his spot in the top 40 for his division to compete in the Masters CrossFit Games in Birmingham, Alabama. The competition brings CrossFit athletes from all over the world to compete for the number one spot.
“I was shocked when I found out that I qualified,” he said. “I would have been happy with just making the semifinals.”
CrossFit is a high-intensity fitness program that combines a variety of movements into a timed or scored workout. CrossFit workouts often include skills such as squats, push-ups, weightlifting, rowers and bikes, and more.
This was Axtman’s first time making it to the games, but he has competed in the quarterfinals several times. He started his CrossFit journey 10 years ago when he was living in California. He shared that the variety of workouts and always working on new skills has helped him stay consistent over the years.
“There’s always a different way to push yourself, and I enjoy the drive to get better at a variety of skills,” he said. “Working in the lab is very similar, you need to spend the time learning new techniques that can be applied to a variety of applications.”
Preparing for the games is no easy task. Axtman has been working out daily on top of working full-time and taking care of three kids at home. However, his wife, Alison Axtman, PhD, assistant professor at the School, has been his biggest cheerleader.
“We’ve always done CrossFit together and do our workouts in our garage gym—it’s fun to compete since she has her strengths and I have mine,” he said. “When we started 10 years ago, we were two scientists in a lab all day, so going to our CrossFit gym at the time allowed us to meet and connect with other people.”
Going into the games, he had no idea what to expect, but his goal was to complete the workout and have fun. The most challenging event was a sprint workout where he had three minutes to complete 25 overhead squats, 80 feet of walking lunges with a 50-pound dumbbell in each hand, followed by another 25 overhead squats. Although his legs were like Jello at the end, he “rolled” across the finish line, and still completed it 40 seconds faster than his practice time.
At the end of the competition, he ranked 29 out of 40 overall and finished seventh in the snatch-ladder, a strength exercise involving a series of reps with ascending weights and descending reps. Another highlight for him was lifting 370 pounds, his personal best, in the heavy front squat.
“The competition was challenging, for sure, but rewarding—I’m most proud of making it to the games,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of people that make it, and I never thought I’d be able to do it—now it’s time to recover and start training for next year.”
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