BEN PASQUINO

Ben, originally from South Carolina, lives in Bethlehem with his wife Cassie and their son Bentley. Ben is the Product Manager at Tender Corporation. CrossFit was a large part of his training for a backcountry mountaineering trip.

Prior to CrossFit, Ben was a NCAA swimmer and ultra-marathon runner. When he’s not at the gym or spending time with his family, you might be able to track him down hunting in the woods or fly fishing on the river. He’s also an active member of Pemi Valley Search & Rescue and Androscoggin Valley Search & Rescue, local organizations that aid lost or injured hikers.

Ben started CrossFit to cross-train for a 50 mile trail run over five years ago, he’s been coaching at Mount Washington CrossFit for over two years. He started out with a two week boot camp to learn the movements and knew that it would be addictive. He’s chosen to stay because of the community and because it challenges him to push his limits. After five years, the biggest mental challenge is still just getting one more rep in.

Let’s talk nutrition. Before a workout, Ben likes Cellucor pre-workout or peanut butter toast. Post workout, he goes for a protein shake or eggs. His favorite healthy things to eat are salmon and eggs.

The biggest thing he’s learned from CrossFit is that it's not about how you score on the board, it's about pushing yourself... and it's all in the hips, every movement. CrossFit has made been more confident in life in general, what he does and how he does it.

Ben enjoyed coaching in college so when Jay asked him to consider being a coach, he was all for it. Ben’s one of Mount Washington CF-L1 and Weightlifting certified coaches and he loves seeing people’s progressions in class. At the end of his classes, he wants his athletes going home thinking “I’m better off now than when I came to class.”

Wrapping this up with the one piece of advice Ben gives all of his athletes: "CAN'T" stops at the door, just because you're not able to do that movement at that moment, doesn't mean you won't ever be able too.