Dear Aseem,

Congratulations on your “Member of the Month” award. You’ve now already been 1.5 years with us and you’ve improved a lot! We can see your effort, visiting extra classes and taking training and our community seriously. You keep your routine in a healthy way and participate in our community events. Keep up the good work; we are proud of you. 🙂

Could you introduce yourself shortly?

Aseem Yog, 38 years old, originally from the northern part of India, grew up in a city called Pune (near Mumbai, in the western part of India).

I came to Zurich, Switzerland, 13 years ago in 2012 for a project with Credit Suisse and have been here in Switzerland since then. I met my girlfriend (now wife) in 2016 through playing badminton within a common set of friends. After being together for almost 3.5 years, we got married in 2019. Now proud father to 2 lovely daughters, Inaaya (4 years old) and Saanya (11 months old)

As a person, I would describe myself as an open-minded, enthusiastic, curious person always willing and eager to try new things and new experiences (be it new sports, new places to travel, new books to read)

I love to travel and explore and am also a big-time foodie; I love to try out new cuisine and new restaurants (no matter how far). In case anyone wants any restaurant recommendations in Zurich, feel free to ask 😊

Is there any fact about you that most people don't know?

Hmm… Not sure, but probably 3 small fun things that I think most people wouldn’t know about me:

I have a self-designed tattoo, which has a meaning to it, at the back of my neck; probably some might have seen it.
I wear spectacles; however, I actually don’t need them necessarily. I can see quite clearly without them, and I just wear them purely out of habit (I've been wearing them since I was 13 years old), so I got used to seeing myself with glasses.
I have a funny nickname: Bunny (there's a long story behind that).

What are your hobbies besides CrossFit?

Other than CrossFit, if I ever get free time from my kids, I love playing badminton. I try to go for regular swimming and stand-up paddling during summers. I am a proud owner of my Motorbike Yamaha XSR 900. In summer, if I am able to get time, I enjoy going for bike rides.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I have to be an early bird. No choice here...hehehe. ☺Honestly, I don’t have a free choice in this case. Let’s just say I have to be an early owl. My 2 natural alarm clocks (Inaaya and Saanya) make sure that I am awake by the latest 6:30am, even if I am half sleeping.

How do you manage the balance between family, training, and work?

Well, it’s true – with all the commitments, family, kids and work, and household tasks, it does become quite challenging to find time to train, and many times it does get neglected.

However, over the past 2.5 to 3 years I have realized that it’s so important to find time for yourself and for exercise, because not only does it help me to be healthy and fit, but also – after a good exercise session, I see myself more present with kids and family, with a much happier and joyful mood. It helps me be more involved at home with family and be able to spend quality time.

Also, it’s quite encouraging for the kids to observe parents exercising and trying to stay fit; this way it will also help them develop a good habit of exercise early on.

Even at work, I see myself being able to focus better and plan my daily activities better. With the help of exercise, get more disciplined with respect to work.

Therefore, it is important for me and my wife to schedule and plan our daily and weekly routine and make sure to prioritize exercise in our schedule.

It can be sometimes during a lunch session or an early evening session before kids’ dinner, when one of us picks up the kids from KITA. What's important is to enjoy the training and somehow find time for it.

How did your CrossFit journey start?

It's actually quite a funny story: I had quite less of an idea about CrossFit. Had just heard a little about it.

It was one summer evening when I and Rishab were out at Opfikon Badi with our kids when he mentioned that he plans to join the bootcamp at ZNC.

Me being overly enthusiastic and curious about trying a new thing said, “WHY NOT LET’S TRY IT” - not knowing that Bootcamp is going to be 9 weeks of grueling early morning classes at 6am (for which I was late so many times). Hehehe ☺

But it all turned out for the best; I had real great fun during the bootcamp session and enjoyed the CrossFit community feeling and could see good results with CrossFit exercise.

So, post that bootcamp, I decided to continue further with CrossFit.

You do have an injury in your back right now. What do you do to still be able to train in a healthy way, and how did you adjust your training to this circumstance?

One thing to learn and understand is that injury is part of any sport or any form of exercise.

After my injury, there are quite a few things; I have started paying more attention with respect to my training.

I have started paying more attention and detail to warm-up, physio exercises, and post-workout stretching. A small 5- to 10-minute pre- and post-workout stretching makes a huge difference.
For all the complex movements such as Cleans and Snatches, I have started to work more upon the posture and form details rather than increasing the load. Trying to get my posture and movement correct and core strength to gain better benefits.
I have started balancing CrossFit with Pilates/Yoga once a week, and I saw this in turn really helps with CrossFit exercise as well.
Listening to my body, sometimes going with lighter weights and not pushing if I know that my recovery or sleep has not been complete. Giving importance to nutrition & recovery.

What’s important is to not stop training, as exercise in some form also supports recovery from injury.

What goals did you already achieve, and what is the next skill you want to improve?

Well, in the past 2 years – I have been able to do few Handstands, rope climbs, and few Toes to bar and one BMU. The gymnastic part would be the area I would like to work upon and improve. I think for this I need a strong core, which I am working on. This would be the aim for next year.

How do you motivate yourself when you're having a bad day during training?

Well, exercise has a great impact on your mood as well, and it not only helps me to be healthy and fit, but after a good exercise session, you feel happier and more content as well.

Let’s just say finishing a WOD gives a small sense of victory, a sense of achievement that you were able to complete something that your mind thought you couldn’t, and this is quite important to motivate you on a bad day.

Can you share a memorable interaction or connection you've made in our box?

Well, quite a few connections I have made at ZNC:

I was able to encourage and motivate a co-ZNC member to participate in Lausanne half marathon. 😊
I have also made a few good friends as well. With some I also share some funny stories about parenting and kids.

One funny incident I remember was completing a Partner WOD in half the allocated time and thinking that “WOW, WE ARE REALLY BEASTS” and congratulating ourselves and thinking, “Why are others taking so long?” only to realize later that we have only done half the workout correctly. ☺

Member Blogs