Towers Linebacker Frederik Ægidius came in second at the Danish Crossfit Open this past weekend, and qualified for the Nordic Crossfit Open in Stockholm. Here's what Frederik had to say about training and about the coming season.
So what is cross-fit?
Crossfit is a training method that puts a lot of emphasis on versatility. It consists of equal parts strength and conditioning. The exercises include the Olympic lifts, kettlebell exercises, as well as body-weight exercises, such as pull-ups and burpees.
How did you get into it?
The whole team started doing crossfit at the crossfit Butcher’s Lab, last winter, and I’ve just stuck with it ever since.
It was the unofficial Danish championship. In the men’s competition 27 contestants participated, among these was Blair Morrison, who finished 7th at the world championships. The competition consisted of 5 “workouts” where the winner got one point, the runner up two, and so on. Whoever had the fewest points won. I finished with 20 points, only two more than Blair.
How do you feel this training has helped prepare you for the football season?
I’ve become more athletic and feel like I have more body-control. Most of the exercises have a functional focus, which means that the small stabilizing muscles work more than they do in a conventional workout.
I know you’ve always trained hard, even before you started doing this. Could you feel a difference compared to how you trained before?
My body feels healthier and more agile. In the NL, endurance is also an important consideration, as there is a strong possibility that you have to play more than just your primary position. And for that, conventional weightlifting is not enough.
What are your thoughts on the past season?
It was a very up and down season. The way I saw it, the gap between feast and famine is very small, which was clear in our two games against the Gold-diggers. Injuries at key positions also hurt us.
Any injuries in particular?
(ILB) Jacob Vestergaard’s shoulder injury turned out to be a huge blow, as he tied the defense together by taking away the deep middle of the field on passing plays as well as being a solid run-defender. And having also lost NT Steffen Jørgensen to an Achilles injury gave us problems on the inside.
What do you expect from this season? I know the new coach has arrived what are your impressions of him?
I am very excited about this season, especially Coach Millers impact will be interesting to see. Through the past two seasons, I’ve had to do a lot more than just play on defense, so this year, I hope to just get to focus on my own part of it, and hopefully that will help improve my game. There is no question that Coach Miller is very knowledgeable about the game, and his approach is a lot more structured than that of our earlier defensive coaches.
What will be the most important factors for his success?
The commitment of the players. The framework is there if the players are willing to work. We have the players to be a serious playoff contender if Coach Miller puts the pieces together the right way. I think that our defense will set the tone again, but bringing in J.R. will definitely help make our offense more potent, which in turn will take more pressure off the defense.
