January's Athlete of the Month

Time to highlight one of our spectacular athletes! What makes up an Athlete of the Month? Not RX’ing every workout or lifting the most weight. This athlete exhibits consistency and a hard work mentality. Every time they come to the gym they have a good attitude and give their all. This person is also welcoming of others, helping make CFHD the best community there is. Each month we choose a different athlete and post some fun facts about them to help y’all get to know them better.

Congrats to the well deserving, Rainu Ittycheriah! While we haven't seen her inside the gym in quite some time, she is still a huge part of the H Dub fam. In March, she made the decision to workout at home as an extra precaution for Covid-19 and she has been crushing it since. She still follows H Dub's programming and we love seeing her workout results in Sugarwod on a daily basis. She even competed in an online competition recently and got 3rd place! We miss seeing her smiling face in class but look forward to having her back. For now, keep up the hard work at home, Rainu!

Name: Rainu Ittycheriah

Hometown: Nashville, TN

Age: 30… for a few more days

Occupation: Data Engineer

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I am super honored to be this month’s Athlete of the Month. Being someone who went to an arts high school without sports, it’s been a real journey to start taking more pride in athleticism. While I’ve been in Nashville for the majority of my life, I’m also East Indian by heritage, and I’m very proud of both cultures!

What were your goals when you started training?

I started training at H Dub because I loved the feeling of lifting weights, but I had zero coaching in how to do so safely, effectively, and well. It has been a game changer to have coaches to encourage me, give me feedback, and show me new ways to scale things so that I can keep making progress.

How long have you been at H Dub and how did you get into it?

I have been at H Dub for 2.5 years now, and I attribute joining the gym to Brian Rutledge. He was new at our company, and we did a workout challenge together on a team of engineers. After being on the team with me, he said I would enjoy coming to H Dub due to the intensity of workouts. We basically trolled each other the whole time through the competition.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing we do in training?

I love just about anything with a barbell. I’m not a fan of gymnastics on the whole but would love to do better with them in the future!

How has H Dub positively affected you?

Throughout this pandemic, being able to workout and keep consistency with H Dub at home has been the only thing that has continued to be somewhat normal for me. I really look forward to pushing my body and turning off the rest of the world for a bit. It’s become a major outlet for the stress of last year. Also, even though I’m not physically in the gym, it feels awesome to be in a community of such positive and lovely people. From a long term perspective, I’ve really started to value my body for what I’m capable of instead of just a weight, size, or aesthetics.

What advice do you have for newcomers?

Not every day will bring massive progress, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t making progress. Stress-level, rest and eating well are just as important as working out.

What is something no one at the gym knows about you?

I lived and taught English in Thailand for three months post-college before I started into a career in tech. I thought I was going to be a professor and teach English at the time.

Who are 3 people you would have a meal or drink with dead or alive?

Anthony Bourdain, Michelle Obama, Dave Chang

If you had an intro song when you walk into the gym what would it be.

Oooooo this is hard. I like both metal and rap, so I think it’d depend on my mood. Probably Gunfight by Sick Puppies OR Getting Jiggy With It by Will Smith.

Favorite Sport?

To play, volleyball.

To watch, rugby. My hubby played all through college.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

The ability to bring people together no matter their divisions.

What is your favorite cheat meal?

Noodles! Smiling Elephant Pad See Ew or Nicolettos Pasta <3 !