Man of the People
– as transcribed by Chad
I asked both of this month’s BAM!s who they would nominate from the Shop community to run for president. After this interview, I might say that Raghav is the best choice. At the very least, he is a publicist’s dream. This interview required next to no editing because Raghav’s responses were so bright, focused, and interesting that they stood on their own. Hell, I think he could actually even be trusted with his own Twitter account!
The place I wanted to start, because it is so fresh in our minds, is The Strong Person Mini-Meet. I just wanted to get your impression of the meet as someone who participated.
I thought it was awesome. I wish I would have done better- not to have competed better, but just to have done better for myself. But now I know what to improve on for next year. It was just a huge adrenaline rush- amazing. A lot of things I assumed I couldn’t do one rep of, I surprised myself. I didn’t even think I’d be able to get the Zercher Carry up, but I did.
What do you think the hardest event was?
I think the Hercules Hold was the one I had the hardest time with. Grip strength was the issue- I didn’t get a good grip from the start and you can’t recover from that.
Was there an event you were extra amped for?
The Zercher Carry. That’s a lot of weight!
And its painful right?
Yes. After (the meet), I thought I would be sore and I wasn’t, i was just exhausted. I went home and took a nap- I don’t take naps!
How did the meet differ from your expectations going in?
It was about what I expected- hard and fun. Everybody there is cheering you on, so it is a great experience no matter how you do. Even if you’re just a spectator. It is cool to see the Dane’s community really rally around everybody.
Do you think you’ll do a competition like that again?
Oh yeah, for sure!
That is great. How long have you been coming to Dane’s?
Since October. I moved to Austin and then came to a couple community workouts and then was sold.
What prompted you to start coming?
When my wife and I first moved here, we were having dinner at Vino Vino and I thought (The Hyde Park Shop) looked like a cool place. Fast forward, we moved to Mueller and I saw that the Manor location was close.
What sort of physical training had you done before?
I started going to the gym in college and I was pretty good about working out when I moved to Austin, but then after my son was born work and life kind of took over. I got back in to going to a bootcamp, but I really missed lifting. That is kind of why I checked out Dane’s- I get the lifting and the cardio as well.
What have you noticed a difference from then to now?
I feel a lot stronger and that I’ve progressed in strength. Things that I’d never done before like cleans, I can do now. I love the clean, it feels like an animal movement
That is a great way to put it- pure power.
Lifting stuff off the ground, almost like a gorilla. And so things like that, I’m surprised that I have been able to do that. Something like that, you wouldn’t do on your own. Having the coaches there to break it down into manageable steps makes a big difference.
I facebook stalked you a bit and I know that you’re from Pennsylvania- can you give us like a little three or four sentence biography?
Sure. I grew up outside Pittsburgh in a town called Greensburg, fifteen minutes from where Mr. Rogers was born and also where Arnold Palmer is from. I decided to go to college in Philadelphia because my parents wanted me to stay close, but I didn’t want to be too close. I loved Philadelphia so much that I stayed there for law school and then moved to DC after graduating. I met my then girlfriend, now wife there. In 2013 we decided that we were going to move somewhere, so we looked at a map and decided on Austin.
What sort of law do you practice?
Patent law.
Oh! Is that exciting?
It is! I do mostly computer hardware and software stuff. I did my undergrad in computer science, so it fits me well.
So you’re a computer science lawyer? Those are two things that I regard to be almost mystical, like beyond the grasp of humans.
I don’t know that it is mystical, but it is interesting to me.
Nope, I think you’re straddling the cosmos. So you’re back in to working out now, how does fitness and work and family all play out together? Do they complement one another?
Definitely. I feel like I’ve accomplished something first thing in the morning. I go to the 6:30am class and get home just around the time my son is waking up. I think the year I took off (of working out) made me feel more lethargic. I want my son to see that being healthy is a good thing. He enjoys it- I like to put him on my shoulder and do squats. He’s not so good at being a kettlebell.
I could see that being upsetting for him.
No, he likes it! Its just when I hike him between my legs he swings his legs.
Oh! Little known fact, it is easier to swing a kettlebell than be one.
Thats fair.
That is a common thing I’ve seen with parents- valuing the example they are setting for their children with fitness. Have you noticed traits of physicality in your son?
He is a climber. I think this is earlier than he should be doing this, but he can climb into his car seat and buckle himself in. He can climb on to our barstools.
So you’ve got a beard. How long have you had that?
Since my son was born.
Oh! So you know you’re never allowed to shave it then. My dad had a Tom Selleck mustache and he shaved it off once. I was like five or six, so I was mostly okay with it, but my sister was only two or three and she lost her mind.
Oh yeah. My dad had a mustache until I was twenty eight or twenty nine and then decided to grow a goatee. I still think it looks weird.
I think there is value in working out not just for yourself, but also for your beard. You’ve got your super cool computer lawyer job, an awesome family, and the best gym in Austin. What do you do outside of that?
Basically just spending time with the son and fixing little things around the house. But I like that part. It brings me satisfaction to do stuff around the house myself. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have expected that I could replace a light switch or do any electrical work at all, but if you watch enough youtube, you can figure it out.
How did our forefathers survive without youtube? So this is a question that Pete has me asking. If we were to come up with a Raghav workout, what would it look like? What are the things that you enjoy?
What wouldn’t be included would be burpees. I hate burpees. I love deadlifts and I love cleans and with respect to other stuff- tire flips.
Awesome. One of the things I like to get into are some random questions. The first thing I want to do is put the coaches on the spot. Who has the best music and who has the worst music?
Okay. Best music I would say is Courtney. She’s not afraid to play stuff that you wouldn’t think is good to work out to but actually is.
Anyone you’d like to give some tips to?
*deep breath* A couple weeks ago, Pete played too much Katy Perry. He claims he meant to skip some of it. But he played a lot of Katy Perry.
Really? Okay Pete, you’re getting called out for Katy Perry! Do you have any party tricks? For instance Dane opens up beer bottles with his wedding ring.
I have a weird ability for knowing song lyrics. It is probably taking up space in my brain that could be used for something more important.
We’re sitting here enjoying some beers, do you have a favorite indulgence with respect to food or drink? Cheat meals they would call them.
For drinking I like whiskey- bourbon. My wife got me a bottle of MacAllen 18 and that was great. I like an Old Fashioned and when it gets hot a gin and tonic. For cheat meals, I love burgers.
Favorite Burger in town?
I like Clark’s burger. A good reliable place is Silo on 7th. I didn’t eat beef until a couple years ago and since then I’ve made up for lost time.
Nice. If you were to go undercover as a drag queen, what would your drag name be? For instance, I would be “Kitten Kaboodle”, like the whole kit and kaboodle.
That is one I have never thought of. I feel like “Princess” is a good one. And I feel like with a name like that, you don’t need a last name.
Oh yeah, and particularly when you also have an awesome beard! Fantastic answer. Okay, if you were to nominate anyone at The Shop to be President of the United States of America, who would you nominate and why?
That is very easy. George Washington. The name carries a lot, but he is also a great person to work out with- what do you call someone you workout with?
Gym bro?
Gym bro! Yes. He is a great gym bro. He is very motivating, always encouraging people. Great guy.
And he leads by example. Very quietly lifting really heavy weights with excellent form. Who would be a good Vice President to balance the ticket? George is kind of quiet, do you have someone who might be more of a Joe Biden sort to balance it out?
I think Carrie (Leigh) would be a great balance. Very social, she goes to Fusion, Strength, and Run Group. She’d bring a broad base of support.
She’d be great at a fund-raiser! Also, I don’t know if George has any tattoos and Carrie has tons of amazing tattoos. That is perfect! GWIII and Carrie Leigh- I’ll go for that! Here is an important one Raghav, what pisses you off in this world. What makes you angry?
Not a lot. I try to be a happy guy. Walking behind smokers is probably the biggest pet peeve in my life. And mean people.
Mean People Suck. I’m with you there. So walking into a gym, walking into a bar, just following you throughout life you have a theme song. What is it?
My wife is going to be so embarrassed by this.
That is how it should be.
There are two choices. “I’m a King” by P$C (How cool am I dear readers? I had to look this one up. Pimp Squad Click- classic!) and also “Party all the Time” by Rick James and Eddie Murphy. That song is great- very underrated.
Oh yeah! I need to look that one up again. Now to wrap things up, we’ve touched on many things hither and yon, but do you have any final thoughts? This BAM! thing is a fun silly thing we do, but we also do take it seriously and have contentious debates as to who it should be. We’ve chosen you for a very deliberate reason, so I’m always curious to hear thoughts and even shout outs.
As bad as his music is, I really appreciate Pete for supporting me and lobbying for me to be BAM! I really like his classes.
Great energy. I love that guy.
I love that I’m able to experience and go to classes with different coaches. I think that the Dane’s feel has never been met by any other gym I’ve been to. Lately I’ve been traveling a lot for work and so wherever I go I try to find a gym that isn’t a hotel gym, but I’ve never been to another place that feels like Dane’s.
Any words of advice or warning for your minions, because they are your minions now.
I don’t think that I’m in a position to have minions. I’m a man of the people. All I would say is make sure that the BAM! statue is out of the reach of a two year old!
