Yuri Gorokhov. Yuri has been a member of P360 since 2014 and we have watched him progress to become one of the strongest men in the gym. He started this past month off with a 54″ Box Jump right into Level 2, and Level 1 Prison yard with 15 pull-ups. He also hit a 215# Snatch (#5) and Clean and Jerk PR, as well as overall hard work in every class, with a few solid timed challenge performances in the mix. Yuri is a super friendly guy, someone most likely to welcome you immediately into the community on Facebook, always willing to share equipment, help set up or break down, and around to root on his fellow members. No doubt we will continue to see all hard work and focus from Yuri moving into a new year, and we can’t wait to see where it takes him!

How old are you, and where are you from?
I am 27 years old. I am from Odessa, Ukraine.

What do you do for work?
Software engineer and math nerd

What do you do for fun outside of P360?
Martial Arts, snowboarding, beach volleyball, hiking, traveling

How has P360 affected your life?
P360 has ingrained in me the value of consistent and goal-driven work. This has positively affected my life outside the gym as well. I feel as though I am in the best shape I have ever been physically and getting better every day. That’s a great feeling. Also, I met lots of great friends here.

What are your favorite, and least favorite exercises?
The snatch is my favorite exercise. My least favorite would have to be rowing.

What is the hardest thing you have done, physically, in the gym?
Fortify classes – keeping up effort for such a long period of time, was very challenging.

What is your most proud achievement at P360?
Competing in an olympic weightlifting competition. It has been a goal of mine for many years, and after getting injured last year I was doubting my ability to do it. Thanks to the support of the awesome coaches and members of P360, I did it, and can’t wait to do it again!

What is a hidden talent of yours?
Russian Squat Dance. Feed me enough vodka, and I’ll do it at Prom.

What is an embarrassing fact most people don’t know about?
At one of my first few classes at P360 (at the old Mission Beach gym), a 800M sprint was scheduled to start off the class. I went as hard as I could, and overexerted myself a bit. Spent the rest of the class throwing up behind a kayak that was beached nearby. Luckily it was dark and I think I went undetected. I am sure the coach wondered why I had dissapeared.

If money was no concern, what would be your dream job?
I love math and software, so I am already in the right spot. But given the additional resources I would love to do something in the education field. That’s the future.

What is the biggest overall improvement you’ve made, since joining P360?
It would probably be in the flexibility/mobility department. Couldn’t touch my toes a few years ago!

What is the most valuable piece of coaching you’ve received?
Focusing on breathing a trunk stability – Dr. Hill

Which public figure or celebrity would you put in the dunk tank?
All celebrities who came out recently with their beliefs about the earth being flat. #science

What’s your favorite place to eat in San Diego?
I love Costa Brava. Something about the ambiance there is very appealing to me. The food is good too.

What famous person (alive or not) would you most like to have a drink with and what would you buy them?
Carl Gauss (18th century mathematician). Napoleon ordered his army to spare the town he lived in so that Gauss could continue working undisturbed. Badass. He was German, so I’d probably get him a lager.

If you had one movie on a deserted island what would it be?
Cast Away – seems like it would be appropriate.

What’s a funny story from your childhood?
When I was little I would pretend to be a cassette player, and make my parents press a button on my head to play the tape. I only knew one song at the time – “8 days a week” by the Beatles. That must have been annoying.

What’s your favorite naughty food?
Patatas a la brava – (potatoes in aioli sauce). You can get them @ Costa Brava.

If you could travel to any point in the past, where would you go?
I have always been fascinated by Viking culture. I’d go train with them.

What’s your favorite thing about training at P360?
The coaches are absolute nerds when it comes to fitness. The programming, the blogs and the podcasts reflect it. I feel like I am learning all the time. The community and the people are great, makes me want to keep coming back!

What is your biggest goal moving into 2018?
Align my nutrition with my training goals and do another competition!

Monica Dickerson.
Monica has been a consistent, strong, and friendly member for over a year and we’ve watched her grow a lot in that time. She works incredibly hard in every class, seeks out and applies coaching to move toward her goals. In November we saw Monica test herself in new ways to see where her work had taken her, and found a 45″ (tied for #3) box jump, and a 280# Deadlift moving her into Level 3 Barbell Club. Outside of these accomplishments, Monica is simply an all around fantastic member. She’s always looking to improve and looks like she is having a blast while doing it! Congratulations Monica!

How old are you, and where are you from?
29, Antioch, CA (small city in the Bay Area)

What do you do for work?
I am a Customer Account Manager at a healthcare staffing agency… I basically deal with payroll issues for travel/ per diem healthcare professionals

What do you do for fun outside of P360?
I love being outdoors and being active. I’ve been playing Softball through VAVI for the past few years and I’m a big fan of country concerts. I do love the occasional hike, camping or being on a lake even if I don’t take advantage of it as often as I’d like. I LOVE food, so eating and trying new places or cooking/baking when I want to test my skills in the kitchen. Day drinking and beach days are also some of my favorite things.

How has P360 affected your life?
Where do I begin?! I used to make every excuse in the book to not workout… Too busy… Too tired… I still fit in my pants, so I’m fine and don’t need to (haha). Once I joined the gym I forced myself to go everyday no matter what to create that habit. Then I noticed that my mentality changed and I WANTED to go all the time and most days it’s the highlight of my day! I feel more like an athlete again and feel super confident in my abilities inside and outside the gym.   I’ve met a ton of people and have loved gaining more friends in this little big town of San Diego! My weekends have become more active too especially, since I always try to start my Saturday with a workout which would have never happened before I joined.

What are your favorite, and least favorite exercises?
Favorite: Squats and deadlifts!
Least Favorite: The top of the list would be rowing. I have a love/hate (mostly hate at the moment) relationship with it and would rather run 3 miles any day than row anything more than 100m…I am trying to get to a point where that changes. Also some of the one armed overhead kettlebell stuff… I always joke that I have noodle arms and don’t fully trust them to not drop a kettle bell on my face… but it’s not a joke and I actually am nervous about that happening.

What is the hardest thing you have done, physically, in the gym?
Fortify! And the first Primal we did at Tourmaline. They were both so mentally and physically exhausting. I felt like I wanted to give up and die multiple times, but kept going and felt so accomplished when it was over!

What is your most proud achievement at P360?
Most recently would be making level 3 Barbell. At the beginning of the year I had a was just shooting for Level 1 so it has been awesome to look back at where I started and see the progress I’ve made. It also made me realize that I need to stop underestimating myself when it comes to adding weight!

What is a hidden talent of yours?
I don’t know if it’s necessarily a hidden talent… but I love to cook and rarely follow a recipe when I do have one… Haven’t killed anyone yet, so I’m on the right track!

What is an embarrassing fact most people don’t know about?
I don’t like loud noises and already don’t have the greatest hearing…so I bring earplugs with me out to the bars… I’m a loser, I know…

If money was no concern, what would be your dream job?
Can I just play with puppies and bake cookies all day? Is that a thing?

What is the biggest overall improvement you’ve made, since joining P360?
My mindset when it comes to working out. It is no longer a chore but part of my everyday routine. My overall fitness has increased and I am the strongest that I’ve ever been.

What is the most valuable piece of coaching you’ve received?
All of our coaches are amazing and I am so thankful for all of them!  One of the biggest pieces of advice is just listen to your body. I am super stubborn when it comes to being hurt. So when I did get hurt and was trying to tough it out/power through it, Coach Jules put it into perspective for me and said “being out for a week is better than being out for a month. Rest and I don’t want to see you here tomorrow!” I was not a happy camper that I had to rest, but she was definitely right and I now am more inclined to take the rest days when I need them.
Also I remember reading either a post from Dave that said something along the lines of the workouts that you hate the most are probably the ones that you need more of. It stuck with me, because even on the workouts I don’t like/ aren’t good at are the ones that I need to work on the most (ie. Rowing). It helps me stop making excuses, not avoid those workouts and take it as a challenge to improve.

Which public figure or celebrity would you put in the dunk tank?
Kardashians/Jenners…. Pick one.

What’s your favorite place to eat in San Diego?
It’s impossible to pick just one! But if I had to pick just a few: Breakfast: Snooze, and Tacos: South Beach or Fish Shop, Burgers: Rockys

What famous person (alive or not) would you most like to have a drink with and what would you buy them?
Betty White! She is hilarious and I hope to be as lively as her when/if I get to be that age. She seems like a vodka martini kind of lady.

If you had one movie on a deserted island what would it be?
Probably Bridesmaids

 What’s a funny story from your childhood?
I used to get really homesick whenever I stayed anywhere besides my house or my grandparents’. Like clockwork, right before bed I would feel sick and would want my parents to pick me up (which they never would because they knew I was fine). So to make me feel better I used to pack my phonebook with me and call random family members just to say hi and hear their voice. I have no idea where that came from, but it’s pretty ridiculous, hilarious and embarrassing that I used to do that.

What’s your favorite naughty food?
I have so many it is pretty bad. Pretty much anything with cheese and carbs (pizza, mac n cheese, grilled cheese) and donuts will forever be my kryptonite.

If you could travel to any point in the past, where would you go?
40s-50s… such a different mindset back then and it would be interesting to see.

What’s your favorite thing about training at P360?
The community and the coaches. I love that I’m challenged and encouraged every day that I walk into the gym. The posts/blog that help us all become educated and the amazing coaches that continue to push you to your potential. I can’t imagine working out anywhere else!

What is your biggest goal moving into 2018?
I want to get better/ more confident with pull ups and overhead stuff. My little noodle arms need to wake up and get with the program! Also pushing myself to do more timed challenges.