Fitness Friday – My History With Crossfit
The first thing I do when I stumble upon a new blog is try and figure out who is writing and why it matters. So this Fitness Friday, I’m going to give a little bit of a rundown on my history with Crossfit and what led me to this point. It’s the who, what, where, when and why of Lift Like A Mother.
The Beginning
My sports background is nil. Growing up, I was a dancer. Think ballet/pointe, lyrical, tap, etc. I danced for almost 10 years and had a terrible relationship with my body and food. It’s something I still struggle with to this day. My former coach, Jacob Tsypkin, can attest to that. Getting me to eat my calories has never been an easy thing. BC (before crossfit), I ran an upwards of 30 miles a week and lifted 15 lb dumbbells because that’s what healthy was to me. I weighed 128lbs and skinny fat was my name. I was your typical early 20-something, who drank like a fish and lived off of bar food. Oh and believe me, I could drink!
2009 – Drinking at Dave Matthews – Early Crossfit Days
The Middle
In 2008, I saw Annie Sakamoto, Eva T and Nicole Carroll do nasty girls on YouTube. [That sounds so bad if you don’t know Crossfit.] I fell in love with crossfit, functional fitness and a better lifestyle. In 2010, I opened a Crossfit gym. I loved helping people discover a stronger, healthier version of themselves. I loved teaching women that it’s ok to lift weights. I loved watching people grow and improve right in front of my eyes. Seeing a movement “click” put such huge smile on my face. There’s this beauty in movement and lifting. It’s ballet with a barbell and the only way to get better is to fully immerse yourself in every aspect of it, so I decided I wanted to compete in “The Sport of Fitness”.
I qualified as an individual for The Crossfit Regionals in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014. The 3 years I didn’t qualify, I was either pregnant, or just giving birth. These damn kids are always getting in the way of something 🙂
My First 300b Deadlift – Regionals 2010
2013 Regionals – the 100s
2014 – GRID LA Reign
“Lift Like A Mother” started as a joke that just stuck with me. I would come into the gym with a diaper bag, a car seat, a gym bag, a backpack, etc. I had to be strong to carry all my shit around everyday. Lugging everything and everyone is so exhausting.
Still Being Written…
In 2015, I sold a Crossfit gym. I definitely miss coaching but my kids now need my attention. The older they get, the more involved I have to be. I am learning to offload when I don’t have to do it all. I never did Crossfit “for the money” because let’s be honest, if you’re not the top .05%, you’re not making that much money competing anyways. So financially, we’re not losing anything.
Competing was never “fun”. Winning was fun. Making new friends and relationships was fun but now it’s time to put the focus on my inconvenient children. And I know they aren’t meant to be convenient. I have never looked at my kids and thought, wow, it’s really easy to have all three of you! They sure are fun though. I love teaching and traveling and exploring with them. Plus, I have an excuse to see Finding Dory without feeling like that old person 🙂
Somewhere off I-81!
So for now, I’m going to workout in my home gym until I have the desire to drag all of my kids around again. I say this because I have people asking “Why don’t I come to CFWS anymore?” It’s not because I don’t want to (and believe me, I miss it), but it’s because I’m freaking tired. It’s nice to be able to drag my lazy ass out to the garage, do a workout and then walk back into the house, no juggling required. You’ll still see George’s beautiful, bald head though. We’re basically the same person anyways.
It’s OK to take a step back and reevaluate your goals. This is something I have to repeat to myself every so often. Clearly my writings are an extension of my freed up time!
My Week In WoDs
Sunday – Road Trip Home
Monday –
12 min EMOM
min 1 – 10 Triple Under
min 2 – 7 Strict HSPU
min 3 – 7 Strict Pullup
then
5 x 3 Back squat
5 x 3 Push Press
then
12 min AMRAP
12 Cal Assault Bike
7 UB Clean and Jerk 95#
Tuesday – Indoor yoga (thanks thunderstorms)
Wednesday –
15 min EMOM
15 cal row
10 – Pistols
10 – Pullups
then 1 round for time:
30 Wallball
30 Toes to Bar
30 Push Press 55#
30 Pistols
30 DB Alternating Snatch 45#
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday –
3 x 10 OHS
then
21 – 15 – 9
Hang Power Clean
Barrier Burpees
400m Run