We're continue to highlight the team behind HOTSHOT! This week, our rugby-playing Finance & Accounting Manager shares how he got started & hooked to the grueling sport!
What position do you play on the HOTSHOT team?
Manager of Finance & Accounting. My role is a mix of accounting and financial planning. I’m responsible for maintaining the budget and reviewing our actual results with the R&D and marketing teams.
What’s your workout/sport of choice?
My sport is rugby through and through. I’ve been playing since I was 16 after I tore my rotator cuff playing baseball. I thought it was going to be difficult to give up baseball, but once I started understanding rugby, I fell in love with the challenge.
Rugby is a grueling, and to be competitive I have to be in shape. I know my opposite number will be fit, fast, strong, and mentally aware of his responsibilities on the pitch, and I must surpass that. Rugby is also an extremely team-dependent sport. I not only owe it to myself to be fit, but my teammates rely on me to do my job when I have or don’t have the ball. While training, I try to remember how much more fun the 75th minute of a match is when I’m fit compared to when I get laid out in a tackle after making a wrong decision.
How do you use HOTSHOT?
My main cramping areas are my calf muscles so I’ll take HOTSHOT before a workout or a rugby match where I’m expecting a lot of pressure on my calves (sprints, explosive lifting, jumping, etc.).
What does a normal workout look like for you?
Each workout is focused on strength training or endurance, and I try to always layer in core and lower back. My off-season is more strength training at first, but shifts to more explosive or fitness-based exercises as the rugby season approaches. For fitness, I prefer a swim over a run. For strength training, each day has a balance of upper and lower with core mixed in during and at the end. Depending on the types lower body exercises, I’ll take a HOTSHOT either before or after.
What’s on your go-to workout playlist?
Hard rock and metal. I was first turned on to the heavier tunes in high school when a buddy introduced me to Rage Against the Machine. That was coupled with Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, POD and lead to Disturbed, Halestorm, Godsmack, System of a Down, etc. Pretty much music that’s fast paced and doesn’t let me relax or let my mind wander on other responsibilities once the headphones are in.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about HOTSHOT that you’ve learned since working on the product?
What surprised me right out of the gate is the science. Sometimes there’s nothing more interesting than a fitness myth squashed by hard research. Before I joined the team, I worried about my calves each week leading up to a rugby match. I tried over-hydrating for days, overstretching each night before bed, and loading up on sport drinks. Now learning that HOTSHOT can boost my NMP, I can focus more on rugby strategy and mentally preparing for what I need to do rather than worrying about cramp prevention.