18 Mar Testimonial Q&A – Christie
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your background. What were you doing before joining CrossFit 121? How did you hear about Crossfit 121?
I’ve always been sporty. I did gymnastics and little athletics in primary school. In secondary school I was diagnosed with a disease in my back, and was advised to stop doing sport until I stopped growing. When I was finally allowed to do sport again I had lost touch with my childhood sports so, inspired by the winter Olympics, I decided to take up figure skating. I skated for nearly 10 years, and also took Irish dancing classes. I stopped skating when I got pregnant, although I danced for the first half of my pregnancy.
After pregnancy I was afraid to do any sort of intense exercise, as I worried it would interfere with my ability to breast feed. But as soon as I weaned my son I started dieting and exercising (determined to get my pre-baby body back). I used Beach body DVD programs (P90X, Insanity etc) which was great for that season of my life, as I could train at home during my son’s nap time, and saw good results in terms of weight loss. But after doing a few different programs I got a little bored with the same workouts over and over. I experimented with “fun runs” and even did a sprint triathlon, but my knees did not enjoy long running efforts.
About this time I had a health scare (thyroid cancer) which encouraged me to focus on nutrition for health rather than appearance. I moved towards a paleo lifestyle, and since Crossfit is popular in the paleo world this is the point where it came on my radar. So when I saw a flyer advertising an open day at Crossfit 121, and realised it was 5 minutes from my house, I had to check it out. As soon as I walked into the gym and saw climbing ropes, gymnastics rings and a massive set of monkey bars, I felt like I’d walked into an adult play ground! It made me feel like a kid again and I knew I had to give it a go.
As I was recovering from thyroid removal surgery, I initially had to start with one session a week. It took 6 months for me to be able to manage twice-weekly sessions, and another 3 months before I could cope with 3 classes a week. Now I am in the gym about 5 days a week on average, and it has become a critical part of my daily routine. I rely on it not only for exercise, but also for mental wellbeing and as a social outlet.
What do you like about Crossfit 121? What have been your results? How are you feeling? What has changed since joining?
There’s so many things that I love about Crossfit 121. I love the quality of the coaching. I have learned so many new skills, but more importantly I have learned how to move well – and I’m still learning! Chris and Maria have been involved in Crossfit since its infancy in Australia, have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and yet are committed to a process of continual professional growth and development.
I love the community that Chris and Maria have managed to build. They have deliberately decided to do things differently to some other Crossfit gyms in order to create a more encouraging and less overly competitive atmosphere (e.g. not having a separate “competition” class, and only rarely asking us to write our scores/times on the whiteboard). Visitors often comment on how friendly and welcoming the members are at Crossfit 121, and I have made many great friends.
I love the results I have achieved at Crossfit 121. I am fitter and stronger in my late 30s than I was in my 20s, and it is functional fitness. I can lift a heavy suitcase, throw my 9 year old son over my shoulder, or carry all my supermarket shopping into the house in one load! I can be confident in attempting any new physical activity, from Tough Mudder to mountain biking, knowing that my base level of strength, fitness and coordination will stand me in good stead.
Finally I love the philosophy of Crossfit. I love that the focus is on what my body can do, rather than what it looks like (although a fit and toned body is an awesome side-effect). I also love that it is constantly varied, includes a wide range of movements, and I never know what I’m going to be doing each day until I arrive at the gym. This means I never get bored, and if I’m feeling particularly sore in one area or carrying an injury there is always a movement I can substitute so I don’t miss out on my workout.
Did you have any concerns / thoughts before starting training with us? If so, do you have any advice for others about to start?
I had the same concerns as most people before starting at Crossfit 121. I was worried that I wouldn’t be fit enough, or that it would be too extreme. I was also worried about how they would handle my health limitations (would there be pressure to do more than my body could handle at the time?). I also have to admit that I was, like most women, a little worried that I would get “bulky” from lifting heavy weights.
However, I found that all my fears were unfounded. I was able to scale every workout to my fitness level, so that it was always challenging but manageable. I was never put under pressure to do more than my body could handle, although once my health improved I discovered for myself that training at least 3 times a week made me much less sore than training less frequently (and I improved much faster). Finally, despite putting on some muscle at the start, I did not continue to bulk up and turn into Arnold Schwartznegger – I developed an athletic physique that has remained pretty much unchanged for the last 4-5 years.
What would you say to someone that is looking at Crossfit and not sure if they should come and try Crossfit 121? Would you recommend Crossfit 121 to a friend?
I would recommend Crossfit 121 to anyone interested in improving their health and fitness! I’ve often had people say to me that they couldn’t do Crossfit because they are not fit enough (or crazy enough). I always tell them that every movement is scaleable to any level of fitness or ability. My 64-year-old mum trains with me, and she has absolutely no fitness background. She started with push-ups against the wall, lifted a broomstick or a kids’ barbell, and walked instead of running. After a year of training she is now much stronger and can enjoy physical activities she hasn’t been able to do for years, like kayaking. She even took part in her first Crossfit competition! Chris and Maria are happy to tailor the daily workouts to her specific needs (or write her a completely different set of exercises).
Crossfit 121 really does cater to all ages, backgrounds, and levels of fitness and ability. If someone comes in with a pre-existing injury or limitation, Chris and Maria have the willingness and knowledge to program a workout that not only works around the problem, but is actually designed to help mitigate it as much as possible.
We’re also a really fun, friendly gym, and love to welcome new faces. Come and give us a try!
