Bench Press 5-5-5-3-3-3
5 Rounds:
5 Clean and Jerk @ 75%
80 Yard Prowler 90/50
I want to preface this post by stating that Kate W is one of my favorite clients of all time. I worked with her years ago when I used to run bootcamps, she dissappeared for a while and had a baby, then a couple years later, she came back to us via word of mouth from Kira O. Kate has always been the type of person who does whatever she is asked to do, does it the best she can, always has a good attitude, and is just plain commited to achieving goals. There is never a complaint out of her mouth, only questions about how she can imporve herself.
I was excited when she came to train with us, 1 year ago, and she sent us this email on Tuesdsay that I wanted to share with the rest of you.
Hi guys,
Emily S and I were chatting this morning and
both realized it was a year ago today that we started On-Ramp. Since I am
also turning 40 this weekend, it's clearly a momentous week for me and I
just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you coaches for your help,
training, and encouragement over the last year and tell you what a
difference it has made to me. At 40 (today!) I am in the best
shape of my entire life. Even though I still have so very far to go, I
am lifting weights and doing movements that I would not have thought
possible a year ago, much less 10 years ago. I was looking over what I
could do when I started last year, and all my max lifts have at least
doubled (some more), I've gone from jumping pull-ups to using a skinny
red band, and all kinds of other improvements. Let's just say I have
never been a natural athlete (that's an understatement) and all of these
developments are kind of amazing to me. I really wanted to get to
unassisted pull-ups–but that is a goal I will hit this year, and I'm
psyched to set new goals for the coming year and beyond (rx pushups?
handstand walks some day? who knows?).
On a more vanity-driven
note–and as a mild rebuttal to the critique that CrossFit makes women
big–over the past year I've also taken 5 inches off my waist
measurement, lost 25 pounds (probably more than that of body fat, as
I've gained muscle), and dropped 3 dress sizes. This is a really big
deal for me, as I have a history of being very overweight in my 20s,
when I was in grad school and very sedentary (and also pretty
depressed). At age 29 I decided to change that, took up running (I could
not run a full city block when I started!) and yoga. I lost 60 pounds,
and then I started having kids and have had to lose the baby weight
twice. Now I'm 10 pounds below my pre-first-baby weight and way fitter
and stronger than I ever was before.
Lots of friends ask what
I've been doing, and when they ask what I like about CrossFit I tell
them that I like the measurable results, being pushed to improve, and
the intensity and constant change (it's never boring!), but most of all
that all of you take me–as an out-of-shape 39-year-old mom, not exactly
a CrossFit Games prospect–and my modest goals seriously, and coach me
to do things I never thought I would be able to do. Best of all, I have
been totally injury-free for the entire year–before this, I was
constantly having nagging back or knee issues that would keep me from
workouts, but getting detailed instruction on proper form has
transformed that.
When I got home this morning, my
three-year-old said, "Mama, what did you do at CrossFit today?" (She
asks me most mornings.) I told her I lifted a bar off the ground that is
as heavy as one of my (smaller) friends. She asked, "With your strong
muscles?" I said yes and thought how happy I am to be able to say that
and to be a model of strength and health for my two girls as they grow
up. (Plus, I like being the mom who can do cartwheels and try to kick
into handstands with them.) Thanks to all of you for helping me get
there and keep going!
Best,
Kate
