A high school health teacher by day and badass CrossFitter by night, 25-year-old Scott Panchik of Mentor, Ohio, has all qualities of a modern-day superhero. A former collegiate football standout at Division III powerhouse Mt. Union College, Panchik made a name for himself at last year’s Reebok CrossFit Games by finishing fourth overall. Introduced to CrossFit by his father, Panchik trained mostly on his own before realizing his potential at CrossFit competitions. Travis Page, owner of Cleveland’s CrossFit Distinction, was impressed by Panchik’s performance and shocked to find out that Panchik had been working out alone. Now, Panchik and Page train side by side four to six days a week at CrossFit Distinction. The atmosphere is intensely competitive, and the level of athleticism is off the charts.

Panchik has again been impressive throughout this year’s competitions. He recently finished second overall at the Central East Regionals in Columbus, Ohio, slightly behind 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Games champion Rich Fronning and ahead of CrossFit veterans Dan Bailey and Graham Holmberg. All four athletes will go head-to-head once again with other the top CrossFitters from the U.S., Canada, Asia, Africa and Latin America at the Reebok CrossFit Games on July 22-28, in Carson, Calif. Panchik believes the difference this year will be his efficiency and experience. For updates during the CrossFit Games, head over to games.crossfit.com.