A very big congratulations to our April members of the month. Get to know them below and hear their accomplishments.

James Cross 

James has been showing some major grit lately in all his gym endeavors. He’s always been a member to watch on challenges like “King of the Hill” or the mile, but recently we’ve seen James push himself into new territory. Making improvements in strength, and adding the element of timed challenges with the prescribed weight has really shown that James is capable of so much more than just speed. With a ton of improvements in technique and some obvious muscle endurance to go with it, we’ve seen James push all the big guns and consistently push to the top 5. Not to mention a recent 5:20 mile, and smashing 5:47 on the Biathlon. He is an all around great athlete, incredibly nice guy, and very coachable. We love James and are so proud to see him be recognized, and excited for what the future holds!

How old are you, and where are you from? I’m 27 and from Baltimore, MD (Go O’s).

What do you do for work? I work for a conference management consulting firm in Bankers Hill.

What do you do for fun outside of P360? Anything that involves being outside really. Hiking, skiing, surfing, golf, watching my girlfriend Rachael school me in wake boarding and, of course, the occasional Shore Club Slushy on the deck with the Morrell guys Joe White and the ghost of Tanner Johnson.

How has P360 affected your life? I watched myself transition from someone who goes to the gym strictly to stay in shape without any plan or true knowledge of what I was doing to someone that has made athletic training a major pillar in my life and a defining part of who I am as a person. I love chasing that feeling of accomplishment and endorphin rush you get after every workout and from beating your personal PR or improving a timed challenge split. I enjoy growing and learning something new everyday I’m in the gym, whether from a fellow classmate or coach. P360 is a special place to me and I still find myself with that same giddy excitement from that first Foundations class every time I pull into the parking lot before a workout.

What are your favorite, and least favorite exercises? Favorite: King of the Hill (Eric Hansen I’m gunning for that crown back).  Least Favorite: Thrusters. In the depths of hell I’ll be doing Thrusters and folding laundry.

What is the hardest thing you have done, physically, in the gym? The first time (and let’s be honest… every time) I did the 5 minute row test was/is pure misery. The focus & mental capacity it takes to complete that exercise is taxing enough not to mention the physical toll it takes on your body, which I think is part of the reason it’s so satisfying (about an hour afterwards). Hats off to all the collegiate rowers we have in the gym because whenever that pops up on the schedule, I always shudder a little.

What is your most proud achievement at P360? I’d have to say when I first reached Barbell Club. I’d never been particularly great at going heavy and had set relatively mild expectations going into it but having that breakthrough and being able to hit #405 on the Deadlift and #205 on the Split Jerk was an incredibly pleasant surprise.

What is a hidden talent of yours? Besides being able to eat an entire loaf of bread in one sitting, I do speak Spanish fluently and am currently working on getting there with French.

What is an embarrassing fact most people don’t know about? In middle school, my first ever AIM screen name was BigTexas69… I’m not from Texas nor do I have any relation to the state.

If money was no concern, what would be your dream job? Working for Teton Gravity Research as a Ski/Surf videographer/photographer. Their films are awe-inspiring and being a part of the crew that not only compiles that footage but probably gets to ski and surf with the sponsored athletes would be AMAZING.

What is the biggest overall improvement you’ve made, since joining P360? Endurance and mental toughness. Since making timed challenges a regular thing, I’ve learned that while the body may being doing the work, it’s the mind that drives you forward.

What is the most valuable piece of coaching you’ve received? Focus on your breathing. This is something that I think all coaches have echoed throughout my time at the gym but whether it’s hitting a PR, running a mile, rowing a mile or restorative yoga, breathing (correctly) has been a huge factor in my growth as an athlete.

Which public figure or celebrity would you put in the dunk tank? I don’t know if this is considered a “public figure” but I would put the Traffic Light Engineer for the light turning left onto Ingraham St. outside of the Crown Point gym in the dunk tank. Data shows it’s the quickest light in PB, San Diego and possibly the United States of America.

What’s your favorite place to eat in San Diego? I’m going to cheat a little here and give a multifaceted answer:
Breakfast: Fig Tree
Lunch: Oscars/Robertos/Crack Shack
Dinner: Bracero Cocina

What famous person (alive or not) would you most like to have a drink with and what would you buy them? Maybe this one has been done before but I’d love to grab a drink with Arnold Palmer and obviously order him an Arnold Palmer (with a dash a vodka of course, which would in fact make it a John Daly, but we can table that conversation for later). He changed the course (see what I did there) of a sport altogether and seemed to embrace life with an upbeat and vibrant attitude I always try to mimic.

If you had one movie on a deserted island what would it be? Gladiator. Although I’ve already seen the movie upwards of 100 times (you probably already know this is an understatement), it’s the greatest story of any generation so yeah, I could watch it on repeat.

What’s a funny story from your childhood? When the whole Razor scooter fad was going on, my buddies and I wanted to film all the action and show off our sick (re: not that sweet) moves. So we managed to rig off-road tires onto one of the scooters so we could take it in the grass. My buddies parents had this super steep hill that led into a row of what we thought were just bushes (albeit very soft and fluffy bushes, perfect for landing into after our jumps). We filmed this entire movie with mostly us landing in these bushes, subsequently destroying them of course, and wanted to show it to our parents. Well, when we popped the movie in and the first jump came on the screen, their parents watched in screaming horror as we flung ourselves into what I now know were an incredibly breed of rare African Savanna plants that ran about $10,000 per bush.

“So, Big Question is… aside from the damage to the bushes, what’d you guys think of the presentation?” – Hopefully everyone gets the Step Brothers reference here.

What’s your favorite naughty food? Pizza. Need I say more?

If you could travel to any point in the past, where would you go? Roman Empire at the turn of the millennium. After nearly 500 years operating as a republic, one of the foundational and infamous civilizations in history transitioned their entire government and I’d love to be there to witness it.

What’s your favorite thing about training at P360? The community. The constant support from peers, vast knowledge of athletic movements and exercises from coaches, and strategic programming all combine to make the community an integral part of my life. Since moving here two years ago, P360 has become a important to me in a number of ways including a space to learn and challenge myself, an outlet to relieve stress and refocus, and overall a fun and lively place to kick it with some like-minded people.

What is your biggest goal moving into 2017? Level 4 Barbell Club

Bri Cherry

Bri has been steadily gaining steam for sometime now. Not only does she exhibit fantastic growing strength under the barbell, speed in timed challenges, and power when repping box jumps at 36”, but she has taking incredible strides in her nutrition the past few months and it shows. Bri recently hit a 235# Front Squat, 1:38.2 500m Row (both leaderboard achievements), and is down over 10# of fat cruising into L1 Lean and Mean. She’s a blast to work out with, and always a cheerleader for others. All of these things and more have us waiting on the edge of our seats to watch her crush all of her goals! Congratulations Bri!

How old are you, and where are you from? I am 28 and from Kansas City, Mo… Yes there is a Kansas City, KS too and I am from the better side :)

What do you do for work? Play with blood and guts…I am an ER nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital

What do you do for fun outside of P360? Drink salt water! I am learning how to surf and loving it, but always try to keep up with the big kids and end up just drinking lots of salt water and having a blast while doing it!  I love being outside and especially at the beach. The beach is my happy place.  I love a good glass (or bottle) of wine, reading, traveling, and having a great time with good people.

How has P360 affected your life? It contributes so much to my sanity and my overall happiness. I mean… I get to socialize and work-out with awesome, fellow meat-heads!  I played college basketball, so I have always loved being a part of a team, competing, and working out with other people.

What are your favorite, and least favorite exercises? Least favorite is for sure deadlifts.. they’re just miserable.  I could also go the rest of my life without ever doing a thruster again and live happily ever after.  My favorites are squats (any and all kinds.. back, front , OH) and cleans… cleans are fun.

What is the hardest thing you have done, physically, in the gym? Shred… enough said.  Very humbling experience.

What is your most proud achievement at P360? Doing 6 strict pull-ups! I don’t enjoy doing them and they have always been really hard for me, so working up to being able to do 6 was exciting!

What is a hidden talent of yours? I can teach you how to dougie.. It only takes a beer or two

What is an embarrassing fact most people don’t know about? I fall asleep during just about every movie I attempt to watch.  Doesn’t matter how good it is, how bad I want to see it, or if I am at home or in the movie theatre.  I am so bad at movies.

If money was no concern, what would be your dream job? A Dolphin trainer! I am obsessed with dolphins, they are so magical.  That is not necessarily if money was no concern, but if I didn’t have to go back to school. I would also love  to just travel the world and help educate people about how to take care of their health.

What is the biggest overall improvement you’ve made, since joining P360? I am the strongest and leanest I have ever been.

What is the most valuable piece of coaching you’ve received? There’s so much!  Coach Chris’s pull-up coaching, “squeezing the fruit in your armpits to activate your lats”,  Coach Brenna’s squat coaching of “pulling the bar down on the ascend of a back squat”, or Coach Julianne’s positioning tips on pulls from the floor in all the lifts. I value and welcome all tips and tricks.

Which public figure or celebrity would you put in the dunk tank? Joe Buck… He doesn’t even deserve to be categorized as a celebrity, but I cannot stand him and he ruins every baseball game he announces.

What’s your favorite place to eat in San Diego? Pizza port… Never disappoints.

What famous person (alive or not) would you  most like to have a drink with and what would you buy them? Kobe… I would buy him some whiskey. I don’t know if he likes whiskey, but I do. And then I would beat him in horse.

If you had one movie on a deserted island what would it be? Step brothers… It just always makes me laugh (and fall asleep) no matter how many times I have seen it. And it seem like laughing (and sleeping) would be pretty important on a desert island.

What’s a funny story from your childhood? So I was probably about 10 and my best friend and I were warming up for softball practice. We decided to see who could throw the ball harder as we were playing catch. She looked away for some reason and I nailed her right in the eye. I felt so terrible and was crying before she was. She ended up with a horrible black eye for a week and everyone at school gave me so much shit. She still doesn’t let me live that one down.

What’s your favorite naughty food? Nachos and margaritas on the rocks with salt.  And ice cream.

If you could travel to any point in the past, where would you go? To our wedding day! It was so much fun and ALL of my favorite people were all in one place partying for a whole weekend! What more could I ask for?

What’s your favorite thing about training at P360? The people!  Also being able to just show up and work out without having to plan or think. I know in an hour I will get my ass kicked and feel great when I am done. And I guess the view is okay too :)

What is your biggest goal moving into 2017? Beating Viv and Julianne in the same timed challenge.  Kidding… kinda.  But really, a 200lb clean.  I’m not sure why, but it’s just something I want to do.