This August marked my 6th year anniversary of doing Crossfit. But instead of reflecting on my own experiences, I wanted to share some insights from another Crossfitter…my mom. She is 66 years old, lives the primal lifestyle, and is vibrant, beautiful, and an inspiration to me. It’s been so cool to share Crossfit with her the past couple of years. I asked her 10 questions about Crossfit.
1. How did you find CF?
I first came to CF after my trainer of many years retired to have a baby. After working out on my own for a few months, I wanted something more fun and challenging. I knew about CF from my daughter, so, with her encouragement I gave it a try. I was 64 at the time.
2. Do you remember your first WOD?
One memory I have of getting started was believing that I could only dead lift a max of 45 lbs. With the coach’s support, I discovered I could actually lift much more than that. That was the beginning of pushing through supposed limitations – an ongoing experience with this sport
3. Where do you workout? What is the environment like there?
Two and a half years later, I’m still at my first gym – CrossFit Roots in Boulder CO. The coaches are very supportive but never make me feel different because I’m more than a decade older than the next oldest athletes (so far as I know). They all believe in my ability to continue learning and gaining strength and skills. Roots has a very lively, friendly atmosphere with lots of attention to safety, even though Boulder athletes tend to be pretty competitive
4. What were you doing before CF to stay in shape?
I was privileged to be able to work with personal trainers in the weight room for more than 20 years before starting CF, so I had a good familiarity with lifting and liked the rhythm of it.
5. What is your favorite movement?
My favorite movement is probably the shoulder press in its various forms, since my shoulders give me the least trouble and I can enjoy pushing myself.
6. What is your motivation for continuing CF?
Although I go through periods of thinking I’ll be forced to quit CF because of a setback, I find that I keep coming and keep re-finding my abilities and strength. I am motivated by a desire to stay strong as I get older and I love how much fun I have with the classes and great people I meet.
7. How often do you workout and how do you take care of your body outside the gym?
I plan to do 2 WOD’s and one strength class per week. If I’m tireder than usual or too creaky, I will skip the 2nd WOD. I find this keeps me progressing but not too exhausted to want to hike and dance and garden too. I do a lot of mobility work with foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and yoga style stretching. I’ve learned a lot about how to relieve or lessen aches and pains that are a regular part of my life, and I find that keeping moving is essential. I alternate CF with hiking, biking, dancing, and gardening, depending on how I feel and what my body needs in a given week. I travel regularly, mostly to swim and snorkel in the ocean, so I take a complete rest from CF every few months.
8. I know you PR’d your backsquat this week. How does that make you feel?
I was very surprised to get a PR in the back squat this week since I had been having a period of weakness and irritation with my hips recently. I think the whole atmosphere of the class contributed to a state of mind that was “can-do.” I used lifting shoes for the first time and could tell that helped. I felt excited but calm and confident and then happy that everything came together for the PR. It then carried over into doing beginning handstand pushups for the first time, something I thought I would never be able to do
9. CF modifies workouts for Master athletes. Do you find certain limitations in how your body performs as you get older? What has changed?
One of the main things I notice is it takes me longer to warm up. A 400 m jog is not a great start, so I scale to 200m and go slower, for example. I appreciate the role of scaling in CF, for everyone, not just for for masters. There’s always a way to get started with a movement and to progress. My main consideration is to not overdo and hurt or exhaust myself, while still keeping up with the pace of the class. There’s a real learning curve with CF to judge how to scale a workout so I finish with the class but don’t go too easy. When I get it right, it feels great. I know I’ll always be near the bottom of the class, and that’s appropriate. I just love being on the board with everyone else.
10. What do you eat before working out?
Before a morning WOD, I’ll eat scrambled eggs, sometimes bacon and/or veggies, with tea. Salad with protein before a early afternoon WOD, and either nothing or a handful of nuts before a late afternoon one.
