Josh Rousseau

Hi, I'm Josh. As a kid growing up in the Midwest I dabbled in a little bit of every sport, from baseball and soccer to swimming and cycling. Unfortunately nothing resonated with me and so I gave up on any athletic goals to solely focus on my academic career and my passion to work in healthcare. Fast forward a few years and I'm nearing the completion of two engineering degrees at the University of Michigan and getting ready to apply to medical schools, but I was still unsatisfied with where I was. My sister and my best friend were avid gym goers and convinced me to try Olympic weightlifting as a hobby to get me away from school. I immediately grew a liking to weightlifting and eventually that brought me into the Crossfit community. Fast forward a few more years and I've given up on medical school and moved across the country to Arizona to work on my PhD in biomedical engineering. Not knowing anyone or anything about the area, the only thing I could do was look for a new gym to join. When I showed up to CrossFit Tempe I was immediately drawn in by the weightlifting classes. For my first year in Arizona, Ken's weightlifting classes, coaching, and personality were my distraction and escape from the stress of graduate school. The impact that had on my mental well-being, combined with my love for weightlifting and healthcare, pushed me to want to follow Ken's lead and continue coaching in his place. Still owing to my love for healthcare, I believe there is nothing that promotes better mental and physical health than simply being active, whether that be through weightlifting, CrossFit, or anything else you decide.