5 Year CrossFit Anniversary: A Reflection

It’s official…CrossFit is the most consistent type of fitness activity that I’ve committed to date! As a kid, I didn’t even participate in anything consistently for that amount of time. Five years ago, I did my first official CF workout, which was the hero wod Murph. If you’ve ever done Murph, you know that a hell of a first workout to start off with!

Murph:

1 mile run

100 pull-ups

200 push-ups

300 squats

1 mile run

*It should be noted that I used a band for my pull-ups and definitely went to my knees after getting some RX push-ups in because my arms were DEAD! My upper body strength was not developed like it is today lol.

CrossFit season is in full swing right now! Regionals wraps up this weekend and the Games are in August. (It’s pretty much the only sport I keep up with, LOL). These men and women are AMAZING athletes and their capabilities are incredible!

As a woman, it was so inspiring and MOTIVATING to see these strong, fit ladies work so hard. Just seeing the dedication that they put in to get to where they are is awesome. Hello strength!

I’m not the same women I was 5 years ago. So much has changed physically, mentally, and emotionally…I’m so grateful for it all! I have put in over 1500hrs+ of training over the past years…wow!! That’s how you make progress at something and how I’ve become so consistent in my lifestyle.

Like with anything, there are ebbs and flows and your fitness journey will have them too!

I wanted to share (an abbreviated) reflection of my 5-year CrossFit journey and how it’s changed for me:

YEAR 1

• Took CrossFit group class 5-6 days a week
• Came to class early or stayed after to work on skills I wanted to learn (i.e. butterfly pull-ups, double unders, toes to bar, etc.). Would be at the gym from 1.5-2hrs.
• Started taking Barbell Class to improve my Olympic lifts.
• Competed at some in-house competitions in the scaled division (and podiumed!)
• I bought/wore every crossfit item I could find lol. High socks, Reebok nanos, tanks with clever CF phrases, etc.
• Participated in my first Open RX…whew!
• Learned how to do butterfly pull-ups, link toes to bar, kip hspu
• Met one of my best friends, Rose!
• Goal: being able to RX the workouts

YEAR 2

• I was able to RX the majority of the workouts
• Still came in early before class and do my own strength and skill programming to help me progress faster. Would be at the gym from 1.5-3hrs.
• Trained 5-6 days a week
• Felt like an athlete
• Hello new muscles! Started feeling so much stronger.
• Continued to compete in-house, but also branched out to competitions at other gyms. It was good for me to be around other athletes, because it allowed me to be around better athletes and push myself.
• Strength PRs!!
• The Pretty Little Lifters was launched! Loved sharing my new CF/lifting passion.
• Participated in my 2^nd Open RX and made so much more progress
• Goal: To get stronger and more skilled

YEAR 3

• Stepped away from regular CF class workouts to do competition training with a group. Definitely out of my comfort zone since I was training with a lot of guys who were amazing athletes.
• Trained 5-6 days a week. Would be at the gym from 2-3hrs.
• Made it to the podium for the first time in a challenging team RX competition!
• Participated in my 3^rd Open RX and was able to do the bar muscle ups which felt awesome
• Strongest I’ve ever been
• Goals: Get stronger, double RX class workouts, and compete more at larger competitions

YEAR 4

• Got burnt out from competitive training and went back to taking CF class. Would be at the gym from 1-1.5hrs.
• Started branching out and incorporating other types of fitness to compliment my training and that were fun (i.e. power yoga, running and free weights, mega-reformer Pilates, boxing, hip-hop)
• Attended a lot more fitness events and jobs so training volume was down and body weight went up a bit (not muscle gainz lol)
• Didn’t compete as much…only in-house charity competitions
• Participated in my 4^th Open RX and was happy to keep some of my strength even though my training volume was down
• Met my bestie boo Harrison at the gym
• Started dating an amazing guy from the gym (Marco!)
• Goal: To share my love of CrossFit and lifting with non-Crossfitters and lifters

YEAR 5

• Training 4-5 days a week. Would be at the gym from 1-1.5hrs.
• Mixing up my training with CrossFit (still my number 1!), HIIT training, lifting, skill work, yoga, boxing, mega-reformer pilates, and running
• Listening to my body MORE. I take rest days if my body needs them and don’t feel bad about it.
• No new strength PRs when it comes to lifting BUT some really cool strength yoga PRs! (crow, headstand, forearm stand, chin stand, scorpion)
• Not competitive and focused on overall general fitness and consistency
• Got my CrossFit Level 1 cert
• Participated in my 5^th Open and SCALED some of the workouts due to a shoulder issue (I told you I got smart and started respecting/listening to my body!). Didn’t put any pressure for myself….lol I’m not going to the Games!
• Got engaged to my Marco (from the gym!)
• Started coaching again
• Goal: Lifelong health and fitness

____________________________________________

Priorities change. Goals change. Guess what? That’s life! I don’t feel bad that I’m not as strong as I was year 3, or that I don’t want to commit to as much time to working on my fitness levels as I used to. Sure, sometimes I miss it, but I don’t harp on it. It’s okay if I need an extra rest day or need yoga instead of a lifting heavy that day. That’s the beauty of CrossFit…I still have strength, skills, and technique which I use every week (even if some of them, lol like muscle ups get a lil rusty).

I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and I’ll take it! Putting more effort this year into my relationship, my career, The Pretty Little Lifters, connecting with other women, working with amazing brands…have become a bigger part of my day to day and I need to make time for them. Knowing that these ebbs and flows are natural helps instead of dwelling on what used to be. Maintaining a healthy and balanced life will always be my priority and I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it!

Happy 5 year lifting anniversary to me!