Dave Cowan, of CrossFit Sebastopol, has a passion for helping people live a healthier lifestyle. A former paramedic and Cal Fire employee, his exercise philosophy is one that anyone can get behind: “Be fit enough to save your own life.” He admits that he first gained an interest in trying CrossFit after seeing “300”; the cast had infamously gone through a rigorous diet and exercise plan in order to look. . . well, if you haven’t seen the movie just Google it. After trying CrossFit, he quickly fell in love, going on to earn his Level One Certification.
Dave poses next to his Workout of the Day; below are individual scores
Today he and his wife, Candra, co-own a small, inviting gym in the heart of downtown Sebastopol. Hosting no sterile equipment or heavy machinery, Dave’s coaching style focuses on the core CrossFit philosophy: “constantly varied, funcitonal movement, performed at relatively high intensity.” Having grown up in Mendocino County, he remembers that the most in-shape people he knew in High School were the kids who worked on farms- hammering, sawing, lifting and doing other ranch maintenance.
As with other CrossFit coaches, Dave teaches that adequate nutrition and rest are key to the CrossFit lifestyle, and an integral part of good health. He encourages people to follow the Primal Blueprint, and favors an ancestral diet as it is easier to follow than other diets (no weighing, no measuring, no counting- just foods you should eat and foods you shouldn’t.)
Dave has a clear love and passion for the community he has developed at CrossFit Sebastopol. When asked what makes his gym unique, he beams, “CrossFits are unique to the coach.” In that regard, there is a CrossFit gym to fit any goal. While some gyms help to prepare people for competition and CrossFit games, Dave’s coaching style is more focused on helping people from all walks of life, boasting any fitness level, get in shape and improve their daily lives.
For more information, or to sign up for a free trial workout, check out their website!