1) Who is Joe Taylor? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I’m a proud Yorkshireman from Barnsley currently residing in Leeds. I decided to stay in Leeds after finishing my Bachelors degree in 2012, as it’s the best city in the UK! As a child, I played football at academy level and then moved onto playing rugby at 16. While playing rugby at Leeds Beckett University I was part of a team who were unbeaten for four years and also played for Ireland Students. After University I played semi-professionally for National 2 side Sheffield Tigers, before deciding to call it a day on cold winter mornings in 2015. Up until this point I had really only done rugby specific strength and conditioning sessions – which I loved. I stumbled across CrossFit when a friend asked me to go check out this ‘new gym’. As soon as I saw the buff guys and girls in the class workout doing gymnastics and weightlifting I was sold. I knew I had found something which I would like to try... The rest is history!
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
Three years CrossFit. Since 2015, I have been training five days a week alongside working full-time in Marketing. I train out of the best facility in Yorkshire – Form Leeds.
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
The biggest challenge for me is juggling a full-time job with the ever-growing demands of training volume to stay competitive at CrossFit. Otherwise, I have broken legs, severed nerves and torn rotator cuffs playing rugby. I find it important to understand the rehab process and that you will come back stronger - so stay mentally strong while out injured.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
My weekly routine is most likely very similar to other non-full-time CrossFitters… I train four weeknights a week and one day at the weekend. Training is usually between 2-3 hours and I follow JST Compete Programming. Training fits well around my job, as I can scale back as appropriate based on my work commitments. My programming depends upon my goals. If I have a competition coming up I jump on the compete bias programme to sharpen up and if there’s a substantial gap between competitions, I’ll go on a strength bias. My nutrition is based around my sedentary job and my goals. My calorie intake is usually quite low against other athletes, but carb loading around sessions tends to work to ensure I get the best out of each session. I worked for a long time with Next Step Nutrition and they educated me to dial in my diet and know what to eat and when to eat it.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And How has it changed your focus for the future).
CrossFit has taught me about the importance and benefits of moving well and the effects of nutrition can have on sports performance and everyday life.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Halloumi or Pizza (yet to try a halloumi pizza).
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Pre-workout. I need a kick up the butt after a long day at work.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
Don’t run before you can walk. When you get the CrossFit bug you instantly want to be able to ‘RX’ everything. I would take a step back to work on movement and mobility to ensure I have longevity in the sport. Otherwise, I have no regrets – every mistake has shaped the person I am today.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
As a marketer, I look up to vloggers like Craig Richey and the Lean Machines who are incredibly talented people that can not only edit videos well but are charismatic and also really fit guys! I love tuning into their videos on YouTube
I have to admire the big guys in CrossFit such as Sam Dancer and Zack George! These guys can not only lift tin as you’d expect but can also shift as fast as any lighter athlete on the dance floor.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Do it!
Whether you want to improve your general fitness, health or compete – do it!
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
• Take part in more classes on days they fit in with my training programme.
• Get back to blogging about CrossFit competitions and product reviews.
• Motivate others through my channels to be the best they can be.
• Improve my overall CrossFit Games Open ranking to be inside the top 25 in the UK.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Website: Joetayla.com
Instagram: @joetayla
LinkedIn: Joe Taylor
