Athlete Perspective – Kristin

 

What brought you to C44/CrossFit in the first place?

I had lost a little weight from changing my diet and family friends, Jeremy & Jo Anna, noticed my progress. They were members of Crusher and insisted I try Crossfit. This was right before Thanksgiving, and it seemed totally crazy to start something during the holidays, but I promised myself I would give it three weeks. It only took about ten days before I text messaged Jeremy and thanked him for taking me. I love the variety and I never get bored. I have now lost 40 pounds since starting (10 of those were in December!).

What was your first impression? How has that changed?

I was shocked at how welcoming an environment it is. If someone is struggling with a workout and everyone else is done, someone always comes and finishes the workout with the last person, so you are never just working out alone. Even though the workout is an individualized thing, there is a special attitude shared by everyone to be supportive of each other. That impression hasn’t changed, I love seeing this happen over and over. It is such a positive environment.

What has been your most proud moment at Crusher?

I participated in the Crossfit Open! The Kristin of a year ago would never have believed that would happen. In March of 2017 my only exercise was to struggle walking up the 16 flights of stairs to get to my office, but in March of 2018, I was participating in a fitness competition. Honestly, I have proud moments all the time when I surprise myself and do better than I thought I could do. I feel much more confident in general.

What are you working on now?

I had not exercised in a long time before starting so I started using the lightest weights, lowest reps, but now I am working on increased weights and speed. I want to finish losing the last of the weight I need to lose which is my shorter term goal, but my long-term stretch goal would be to do a pull-up.

What’s your favorite Crusher memory?

We ended up doing partner holds, and Jo Anna (my friend that introduced me to Crossfit) who is half my size held me on her back. She is so tough! It was such a goofy activity made goofier watching
other pairs do the same thing.

Do you have advice for someone who might be a bit nervous to give CrossFit a try?

I was so nervous to start. Crossfit has a reputation that it might only be for top athletes. When I started, I struggled to do ten situps or jump rope. While there are people that are doing handstand pushups and legless rope climbing, there are plenty of us that scale movements to what is challenging for us. The whole point is to challenge and beat yourself, and there is no shame in doing less intense movements.
The change in my diet and exercise has had a positive impact on more than just me. My husband has lost 35 pounds from my lifestyle change. My children are enjoying both of their parents being more energetic. We are much more active as a family, more dance parties, more soccer in the backyard, or even trying wall walks all together. It feels good to be a better example to the kids and teaching them self-care is a priority rather than an afterthought.

— Kristin


Where did Kristin begin? Crusher Bootcamp

If Crossfit doesn’t look like your thing check out another great program C44 (Where Kristin  started!)

Come to see what we are all about. Your first class is on us!

Athlete Perspective – Lori

What brought you to CrossFit in the first place?

I kept seeing a Facebook friend checking in at Crusher Crossfit early last year, and I finally sent her a message asking her about it. I checked out the website and decided to sign up for Bootcamp and haven’t looked back since. Like many people, I was ready to lose the extra baby weight and get back into shape.

What was your first impression? How has that changed?

I was really intimidated at first since I wasn’t very familiar with lifting and weight training. It was hard not to watch other people and think (at least for me anyway), “gees, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that,” but then that changed as time progressed. For me now, it’s more about pushing myself to my own limits and focusing on my own personal goals.

What has been your most proud moment at Crusher?

I think this changes all the time because I’m always working to be better at something. One of the bigger moments for me was when I actually participated in a competition and held my own. I competed to the best of my ability, and it was great to cheer on the other Crushers who were participating.

What are you working on now?

Those silly double unders (jumping rope when the rope passes under your feet twice per jump) and not psyching myself out when trying something new or when I’m working on something that’s an area of growth.

What’s your favorite Crusher memory?

I seriously have a lot and they usually happen during the 5 AM class. Lots of jokes and cheering each other on happening!

Do you have advice for someone who might be a bit nervous to give CrossFit a try?

Just give it a try, listen to your body, have fun and smile. You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you’re not willing to try something new and if you’re not willing to do the work, even when it’s challenging.

— Lori L.


Where did Lori begin? Crusher Bootcamp

If Crossfit doesn’t look like your thing check out another great program C44

Come see what we are all about. Your first class is on us!

Athlete Perspective – Lindsay

Do you want to throw up?…Me too! The feeling you get when you are 99% sure you are going to fail at something, let your team down, disappoint everyone watching and embarrass yourself in front of EVERYONE.  Wishing you could walk out the door and hope nobody noticed you left.  I get it. I was there….the struggle was REAL.

Let me back up to over a month ago, when I said yes to compete on an RX team. I was aware of what the workouts were, so I knew there were skills that I struggled with and one that I had never even attempted…legless rope climbs.  I committed knowing I would need to put in the extra time and effort to prepare.   Adam gave me some drills to work on, but I never completed the skill, a few no reps here and there and those didn’t help with confidence.  Hurting myself while practicing rope climbs took two weeks away from really being able to do much.  With a week before the competition, I was just trying to get back to good squatting form as pain-free as possible, not to mention my loss of conditioning.  

To say I went into the weekend with some doubts and hesitation is an understatement.  But I could not ask for a better team to compete with or a more supportive community in general.  The emotions on Saturday were normal, anxious before an event and exhausted after. I knew I could do everything I was expected to do, but you always want to do your best.  

My dreaded event was first thing on Sunday morning….dun dun dun

When I woke up from the worst sleep ever, I wanted to leave and go home. (I’m talking nightmares that I would fall from the top of the rope or end up stranded in my lane for 8 minutes). I was tired, sore and not ready to face this challenge.  I went to the gym early to support the other Crusher teams.  I was there physically but mentally, it was questionable.  I was hot then cold, wanted to sit down but too nervous so had to stand and walk, hungry but pretty confident I was going to throw up.  Convinced myself that I shouldn’t have eaten the pizza last night, I didn’t need the added weight to haul up the rope.  In all of my years of being an athlete, I’ve never experienced such anxiety and personal doubt.  I’ve known that other workouts or events would be tough but knew to some degree I could do it.  I had ZERO confidence and was pretty sure I would fail with this.  When it was time to warm up I didn’t touch the rope, hardly even looked at it.  Pretty sure I gave the stink eye to every other girl who so nimbly and quickly climbed to the top without using her legs and made it look SO DAMN EASY.  Even told Adam I wasn’t about to touch that thing, because at this point I was either going to do it or not, trying 15 minutes before wasn’t going to make a difference.  Hardly touched the deadlift bar because I had to get past four legless ropes climbs before I was “rewarded” with the heavy deadlifts.  

Time for staging…it was about to get real.  At this point, there is no more time to go to the bathroom.  The only option would be to walk out the door and leave…but three other awesome athletes and teammates were counting on me to be there.  This is a good time to add that my teammates had 1,000 times more confidence in me than I did.  Everything they said was positive and supportive and trying to build me up.  I was just too much in my head to listen to what they were saying.  Note: This event was one where each person needed to complete their portion before they could move on, tagging out was not an option.  When it was my turn, it was all on me, if I failed I was stuck there until the end of the event.

I barely remember walking to our lane.  But I remember Greg and Adam basically telling me to shut up and do it, (They said it much nicer, but that’s what I heard).  In the 10 second countdown, I was holding back tears if ever a black hole would appear the next 5 seconds would have been nice.  Jen did awesome as did Adam. I was up, do or die, time to get it done, OMG…they only used 3 minutes out of 12…..this had the potential to be the longest 9 minutes of my life.

I jumped and grabbed the rope (didn’t fall right back off, so I counted that as victory #1), after three pulls I knew I was going to make it up, the doubt went away.  After getting down, I had to push aside the desire to take a victory lap but instead decided to chalk up.  As I bent to get chalk, I realized my entire body was shaking, not sure if it was fatigue or relief but it shocked me, again something I had never experienced. Repeat the process three more times. I did it; I made it to the top 4 times.  A quick hug with the judge and it was time for the 12 deadlifts I had not been prepared for.  

As I ran back to my team I could feel the huge smile on my face; I was so happy.  The entire Crusher crew was cheering.  But the best part, I wasn’t met with high-fives from Adam and Jen (Greg was taking his 60 seconds to do his portion)…..I was met with hugs!!! Such an awesome feeling to know they were celebrating my success.  There is a pretty good chance that they were even more excited than I was.  They had the confidence in me and knew I could do it. They watched me overcome the doubt and do what I needed to do.

After the event, while walking away, Adam looked at me and said, aren’t you glad you committed to this, if you hadn’t you would still be back at the box saying you can’t do legless rope climbs.  So true, so very true.

A few things I was reminded of this weekend.  

·        It’s okay to be afraid….but don’t let it stop you.

·        Continue to put yourself in the uncomfortable and unknown, you will get stronger.

·        Nobody is judging you; they are pushing you to be your best self.

·        Have fun!

·        Nobody cares about your failures.

·        Everybody has their “legless rope climbs” that “thing” they don’t think they can do.  When you commit and work, it will come, and you can smile, cry and celebrate….and you won’t be alone when you do.

·        We have the BEST community. Crusher is awesome.

[googlefont font=”Permanent Marker” size=”30px” margin=”10px 0 20px 0″]Lindsay M.[/googlefont]


Where did she begin? Crusher Bootcamp
Come see what we are all about. Your first class is on us!

Memorial Day Murph

Push Up Prep

Are you ready for Memorial Day Murph? Join us in our annual Push Up Challenge! Perform the amount of push ups shown, on each day. Notice there are options to scale, as well as options to step it up a notch! On your rest days, be sure to go for a jog and practice your running. To continue your practice with pull ups and air squats, we advise you coming to the box 4x a week and getting your workouts in. See you at the Murph!

Click below to check out the Crusher Push up Challenge Calendar and get started!

16_May_Calendar

Keep your Kids Active

DIY Kids Obstacle Course

Want a fun activity for your kids that will help get them moving?

You can create a backyard obstacle course… all with things you already have at your house!

The way kids exercise is by jumping, rolling, running and overall playing. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

  • Cones – Use these to run around, zig zag, or even jump over
  • Hoola Hoops – These can be used to jump through, pick up and hoola hoop, or do an action in them like “Squat” or “5 Jumping Jacks.”
  • Slide – Put a slide mid way through the course – every kid loves a slide!
  • Inter tube – Jump in and out
  • A Towel – Lay this out and when they reach the towel, they do a forward roll on it!
  • Step Stool – Climb it and Jump off (be sure it isn’t too high depending on age)
  • 2×4 – Lay it out and they can work on their balance… think balance beam

As you can see, there are many different items that you probably already have at home! Anything you can think of to jump over, crawl under, roll on, balance etc.. It will work.

Now get your creative juices flowing and go create a fun obstacle course for your kids! {If it is hot – add a sprinkler!}

Next on the agenda? Have your kids rearrange the course you built, and create one on their own.

Teens Who CrossFit – Alec

Up to the Challenge

Alec – Junior at Waconia High School


What brought you to CrossFit in the first place?
I think the biggest thing that brought me to crossfit is the community. Crossfit is a very challenging activity but with the community there supporting you it feels a lot easier and more inviting.

What was your first impression? How has that changed?
At first I was very intimidated of Crossfit as a whole but after working through on-ramp and relearning everything, I felt way more confident and I became way more interested in Crossfit

What was your first “proud moment?”
My proudest moment at Crusher was when I got my first bar muscle up and ring muscle up in the same day

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m trying to get more hip movement in my snatch and clean and jerk.

What is your favorite Crusher Memory?
My favorite Crusher memory so far has to be my first open workout. It’s so fun to see everyone there cheering you on like a sports game.

 

Teens Who CrossFit – Makenna

Teens Who CrossFit

“I Want to Get Better”

Makenna – Junior at Mayer Lutheran High School


What brought you to CrossFit in the first place?
My dad was the reason I first started. He kept telling me to try it and eventually I got so annoyed that I gave in!

What was your first impression? How has that changed?
I was terrified of everyone in the beginning. I wanted to stick with coach Jen because she was the first person I knew. Now I love going and seeing everybody and getting to know them. It makes the workouts more fun!

What was your first “proud moment?”
My first proud moment was when I did my first banded pull up.

What are you working on now?
I am working on everything. I just want to get better.

What is your favorite Crusher Memory?
My favorite Crusher memory was the first partner workout I ever did. Coach Jody was my partner and I was really struggling at the end so Joe G did burpees and box jumps with me until I finished. That was actually the day I decided to stick around.