1) Who is Chris Cioffi can (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself? (hobbies, etc) A proud Florida transplant! Born and raised in central New Jersey. Went to The Pennsylvania State University. Currently live in Tampa working as a disaster mitigation structural engineer for the insurance industry.
Outside of work and training for Grid, I am an amusement park enthusiast, beach bum, and devoted dog dad.
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
SparkNotes version, I am going on my 5th year of consecutive training.
The full story goes back to a very young age. Growing up I followed in the footsteps of my older siblings playing several different sports including baseball, roller/ice hockey, snowboarding, and gymnastics. It was obvious from a young age that I was not going to be a soccer or hockey all-star, rather I found that gymnastics came to me naturally. I trained competitively for years.
My athletic journey was put on hold through most of high school, college and into my professional career. Stress, office life, and a sedentary lifestyle left me in terrible physical shape. In 2017, at 26 years old I joined a 6-week CrossFit challenge which to my knowledge would be a turning point in my life. Getting back in the gym after a long hiatus was extremely tough but with my gymnastics training ingrained in my brain, I was able to pick back up quickly on the CrossFit Gymnastics. Throughout this part of my journey, I wanted to be competitive but couldn’t quite keep up with other athletes when it came to moving weight. I was introduced to The Florida Grid League in 2020, a unique sport where coed teams have specialists that focus on their own specific strengths (strength specialist, utility play, and bodyweight specialist). I am now going into my third season with the Tampa Bay Brigade as a bodyweight specialist! I focus specifically on gymnastic movements such as muscle ups, back up rises, and burpee backflips.
3) What’s 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)
Balancing my professional career/ professional growth, fitness schedule and social life all while trying to get enough sleep! Personally, I have found that I am successful when I look at each category as buckets. I can only give so much of myself to each before I am mentally and physically depleted. So, I monitor my priorities and distribute myself accordingly, taking it one day at a time.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
I train for 2.5-3 hours a night, 6 days a week. A majority of my training consists of high volume, high skilled gymnastics under heavy stress. In theory, I should be able to go out on the Grid and perform my best each race regardless of any curveballs. My coach throws in some weightlifting in case I must go out for the strength ladder.
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)
Nothing terribly mind blowing. Listen to your body and address issues, enjoy a cheat meal (here and there), and schedule a recovery(s) day during the week. Minor things such as taking a rest day during the week, proper nutrition (with the occasional cheat meal) and seeing a massage therapist have reduced my recovery time and brought my fitness to the next level.
6) What’s your favorite cheat/Treat meal?
Chinese food- Spring rolls, General Tso’s Chicken, and Vegetable Mei Fun.
7) What’s one supplement that you could not live without?
Yolked; a muscle recovery supplement I take with protein to help reduce my recovery time.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would have stuck with gymnastics as a kid and competed through college.
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
Olympians Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy. Both out and proud members of the LGBTQ+ community who are unapologetically themselves. They are paving the way for younger LGBTQ+ athletes to allow them to feel welcome and safe competing in sports.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Find what you love, don’t settle, and do not get discouraged. There are hundreds of ways to be active, find something that makes you smile and go for it with all your heart. For me, it's Grid!
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
Currently training for the 2022 Grid season- ready to take the championship title.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Instagram: chriscioffi_32
Facebook: /cioffi2
