The Member Spotlight goes to someone who demonstrates the characteristics necessary for success, both in and out of the gym. Kristin is one of our long-time members and is a consistent member of 5:30am early birds! She also regularly comes back to work out additional skills after class. We asked her some questions about her fitness journey and her experiences here at the gym so far:
I’ve never been athletic, but before I had kids, I was pretty fit. I ran 5+ miles every day and did the weight machines at my company gym. I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant with both of my kids (maybe because I was packing away a pint of Ben and Jerry’s every day?!) so at my heaviest I weighed over 200lbs (that’s hard for me to even type). My husband started CrossFit right after our second child was born. He kept telling me I’d love it if I just gave it a chance. I was really reluctant to drag my overweight and out of shape body into a gym full of super fit people. But one day I got sick of looking at myself in the mirror and went to the OnRamp course. The first workout was wall balls, burpees and air squats for time. It was simultaneously the best and worst thing that ever happened to me. I absolutely loved it and I’ve been doing CrossFit ever since.
Well, I no longer weigh 200 lbs. But I also like myself way more than I ever have. I used to be really hard on my body (even when I was thin and running all the time). Now I look in the mirror and see a badass. I have a lot more confidence than I did pre-CrossFit and I can climb a rope, do pull-ups and lift more weight than I could when I was younger (I guess my high school PE teacher was right, I DID need those skills later in life!).
I HATE thrusters… I’d rather do a ton of burpees than one thruster. They are the absolute worst. I love snatching, kettlebell swings, cleans, pull ups and I’m making my peace with box jumps. If I had a dream workout it would be a chipper that involves kb swings, wall balls, running and box jumps.
I’m a pretty open book, but most people probably don’t know that I have a long-time obsession with cults. Not like I want to join them all, I’m just fascinated by people who do. How did they get roped in? How long does it take to be brainwashed? When someone breaks free, what drove them to that point? I spend a lot of time reading books by former Scientologists, watching Leah Remini’s show, and driving by Gold Base in Hemet whenever I’m on my way to San Diego (you never know when you’ll run into David Miscavige or help a sea org member escape!). I’m totally a SP/PTS!
I’d like to be able to do strict pushups. And be better at kipping pull ups, finally master toes to bar, and still be snatching when I’m 80. A few times a week or more I’ll come back to the gym after dropping my kids off at school. There’s strength and accessory work you can do that lines up with the metcon for that day, you just need to know where to find it (on the iPad near the TV’s). It only takes ½ hour and it’s helped me get better at some of my deficiencies.
