Annie Matney - Why do you Do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
My fitness level before True Spirit was not too good, basically, I didn't exercise so it was just doing bodywork (as a Rolfer) and doing life that was keeping me fit, and it was keeping me less fit that I thought. My husband and I would do some minor grappling :) and I was getting so weak I wasn't able to do it! I was going to turn 40 in a year and I realized that I was no longer going to be "strong" just by standing in the gravitational field. I would have to work for it. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? When I started at True Spirit I had been looking for something for years that I could get into. I did yoga sometimes but... then one day I saw a friend at the grocery store and she was glowing and said she had just finished her CrossFit Level 1 training. She looked great! In fact, she was the third person who looked great that I met who also did CrossFit...and so I said, "I want to do CrossFit." She told me what to do and I did it. I was not afraid of CrossFit per se, I just wanted to try it since it made all these people look amazing. Since then I've become far less interested in looks and more interested in what people can do. What was your first impression? Has that changed? My first impression was that I had, without shopping around or anything, just fallen into the best CrossFit gym around. I mean I could tell from the beginning the amount of passion and dedication and energy issuing forth from Leslie and James and the coaches. They also drew a group of CrossFitters who liked to laugh, pretty much about themselves and everything else. And it was fun, and it was empowering, and I got great coaching and I still do. I love True Spirit. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? I think a funny early moment was the realization that I was allowed to pick up a barbell and move it around. I was surprised and a little nervous. But then I learned how much fun it is and that it makes you stronger and more coordinate, and then afterwards you laugh and you feel great. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? I am working on taking another minute off a 5k I'm going to run in February, I never thought I'd be doing that....much less that I would be motivated and inspired about it (before CrossFit I thought exercise was drudgery). But that's what I've gotten from CrossFit, the confidence and motivation and skills to do different things athletically. But I think CrossFit itself is still my number 1 favorite activity for exercising :). How has you life changed since training with TSCF? I feel more empowered and confident and patient...and less perfectionistic now. The challenge of trying things I'm not good at and working on them gives me humility and I feel really excited when I am kinda good at something. So it's just a win-win. But my favorite thing about True Spirit---if not obvious already--is the community. What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? Any time any coach gets excited about something is a good memory, like when they are helping me or another person with a skill. I guess it was doing the Kittens and Cougars competition with Leslie as my partner and feeling terrified (I'm the kid who used to plead sick during gym class) but I felt so honored to be on her team so I really tried hard. Also during that competition I saw Meg doing burpees and just leaping out of them (shout out to Meg!) so I decided to to 100 burpees a day for 100 days...& I finished that in 108 days. Anyway, it's fun to see what other people can do and feel inspired by that.
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Michelle just finished our 100 Days to Summer program. This program started with 5 private training sessions, then switched to 12 group classes per month, and included weekly nutrition check-ins with our Nutrition Coach, Audy Butler. Michelle has shed 6% body fat, dropped 3 inches of her waist, has clearer skin, and is surprised that eating nutrient dense foods makes her feel better and less hungry. Check out the rest of her 100 Day success story. Michelle Helvey, Why do you do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
I thought that CrossFit was just an overall body workout which it is; but, I totally underestimated the intensity of the workouts and short amount of time for each workout. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? I was gaining weight quickly with my new job and needed motivation of other people working out with me to keep me accountable. Also, I knew James from Simms and he wanted me to start CrossFit for a long time. The combination of the two made me start working out at True Spirit CrossFit. What was your first impression? Has that changed? I was intimidated with the prescribed workouts. At first I felt like I wasn't able to do it since I couldn't do the full prescribed plan. But, now, I'm thankful that its normal to scale and that there is that option for me. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? The encouragement from the rest of the class to get through The Open workouts. Also, I am happy to have visible results. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? I would love to get a pull up and make my wrist strong enough to be able to do push-ups comfortably. Also I would like to get double-unders and hollow hold. So pretty much everything! :) How has you life changed since training with TSCF? I am able to run better without actually running as often as I used to. Also, I am gaining confidence as I progress. It's nice to see and feel results. I also love the community and support of the True Spirit CrossFit group. Thank you all! What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? How sore I was after the first Tabata workout. It hurt at the time but now I just laugh. Now I can do squats and not hurt near as bad! Jessie Gilligan, Why do You do CrossFit? What was your fitness like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit?
I have had no experience with CrossFit before joining the gym. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? My partner joined and really liked it. I was also recovering from a knee surgery and was tired of doing physical therapy alone. What was your first impression? Has that changed? My first impression was that the work outs were complicated. I was like, so we warm up, and then we warm up again and then do the work out, but not really and then we actually do it. I didn't understand the whole, warm up, mobility, practice the movement and then do the movement concept. I have a better grasp now. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? Feeling like me knee was getting stronger and that I wasn't always thinking about it. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? I want to be able to do a pull up, 10 good push ups and a handstand. How has you life changed since training with TSCF? I have more of a community, it's a fun thing to do with my boyfriend and I move my body in ways that I don't normally do in a day. What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? I think just the lighthearted atmosphere and making it to the gym on days I didn't think I would. Katie Duncan, Why do You do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
When I was younger, I played a variety of sports, including field hockey, fastpitch softball, and horseback riding, but since college, I’ve relied mostly on running for exercise. Like so many people do, I had let an old injury, my busy job and hectic home life push my own wellness to the bottom of the priority list. Leisurely jogs a couple of days a week were no longer keeping me in shape to keep up with my kids and pursue the life I really wanted. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? One word: Dover. I had taught with Chris Dover for a number of years and was inspired by the strength and stamina she had, both as a teacher and an athlete. I wanted to try something new, I needed a push, and it was because of her honesty and open invitation that I finally got the courage to walk through the door. I couldn’t be more grateful to her. While I certainly still enjoy the solitude of a long, solo run occasionally, I have realized that I need a team to really sustain my efforts. Looking back, it was easy to see that I am always at my strongest when I have teammates supporting me and encouraging me to try new things. Dover encouraging me to check out True Spirit helped me relearn this important lesson. What was your first impression? Has that changed? My first impression of CrossFit in general was that I would never be in good enough shape to even get started. “I’m a busy, working mother of two who is years past her physical prime,” I thought. “How could I ever keep up with those elite athletes?” I was overwhelmed, honestly. Maybe a little bit terrified. More specifically, though, my first impression of True Spirit was that while I had a heckuva lot to learn, I had found a place where I would be supported throughout that process. My impression of True Spirit hasn’t changed at all; I love this place! And my impression of CrossFit has really expanded to a deeper understanding that there are ways to scale every workout for every athlete. CrossFit is about growth, no matter where you begin. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? One of the first positive experiences I had at True Spirit was realizing just how important technique is when your aim is to lift heavy. I have always enjoyed endurance and I think of myself as a fairly flexible person, but the barbell used to terrify me. I’ve never thought of myself as being strong. The first day I went for a three-rep deadlift max, my coach had me attempt it barefoot. My running shoes were pitching me forward, making it tough to keep my weight in my heels. When I got in the proper position, I was surprised how much weight I could move. I realized I had a lot to learn about how technique and strength go hand-in-hand, but I also felt really eager to learn it. Finding joy in learning a new sport keeps me motivated to stick with CrossFit. As adults, we don’t always take time to learn new things, but embracing this adventure has made me realize just how much I enjoy doing so. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? I could say that my goal is to deadlift more than my bodyweight, to set a new clean and jerk PR, or to perfect my push-up, but honestly, the CrossFit skills I enjoy working on right now are the things we used to do with ease as kids, like handstands, crab walks, leaping, and jumping. It reminds me not to take myself too seriously and often these are the skills that transfer most directly to wrestling my boys after dinner or chasing my dog downhill on a hike. It’s also a good reminder to have fun with fitness. As our coaches tell us, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.” How has you life changed since training with TSCF? Since I began training with TSCF, I’ve been reminded that wellness is more about what your body can do than how it looks. Granted, it’s nice to see muscles resurface that I haven’t seen since field hockey two-a-days in college, but really, the focus at TSCF is on overall wellness--endurance, strength, nutrition, sleep, mindset, etc.--and that helps keep me from getting discouraged when I don’t look like my twenty-year-old self despite the effort. Most of all, though, I would say that I feel happier and I am overwhelmed by a desire to keep coming back for more! What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? There are countless moments I’ll never forget from True Spirit, small victories like a ten-second gain on my flexed arm hang or the relief I feel every time I see running instead of heavy lifting in the WOD lineup, but there is one moment that repeats for me and I’ll mention it here as a shout-out to my fellow early birds. A favorite class of mine is the 6am; I love to get up early. When I’m driving out Main Street in the predawn hours and I get through the light at Highland, there’s only a mile left until the gym. I love looking ahead of me into the dark, down the straight stretch of Frontage Road, because if I’m lucky, I’ll catch a glimpse of a right-turn signal flashing on a vehicle heading into Shawnee Drive and I’ll know I’m not alone. I’m not in this pursuit of wellness alone. And isn’t that what CrossFit’s all about? |
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