Congrats to Dale and Denae our January Firebreathers!!! Both of these athletes participated in the fall Paleo Challenge and it really paid off in their training and overall health. Read below to learn more about these dedicated members of the En Fuego Family.
AFTER!!!
BEFORE!!!
When did you first start doing CrossFit? – September 1,2012 What fitness activities were you doing before? – Since elementary school I was an athlete; soccer, swim team, track and field, cheerleading, dance and tennis. After high school I attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) and was a member of the Track and Field team. My specialty was shot-put and hammer throwing. I dabbled with javelin and discus whenever coach made me! College athletics is a huge commitment, of daily practice lasting as long as 4 hours. My first year I was terrible!! As a walk on to the team I hadn’t practice over the summer nor conditioned myself for the whopping that was about to happen. Not to mention, in case you’ve never seen a “really good” college women’s thrower, they are not 5’4 145lbs LOL more like 6’ 235lbs. Needless to say I spent the first year learning all new throwing technique and Olympic weight lifting…I had a lot of ground to make up with the competition. Luckily Coach believed in me and kept me on the team for the following 3 years. My senior year of College (2004) I placed 3rd in our conference in the women’s hammer throw. It was awesome! I earned myself the title “lil’ powerhouse”. Upon graduation it was terrible finding somewhere to workout. Really who walks into a “globo-gym” and Olympic weight lifts? So I did my best at YMCA’s and local gyms. Trying to find what it was that motivated me to stay fit. I trained for a half-marathon and full-marathon and completed them (pretty crazy for a college hammer thrower to turn marathon runner…ruined my college motto of “I’d rather throw and eat, then run and puke”. Finally in 2010 I decided to take the certification test to become a personal trainer. So I did and I used that certification for my job in NC. But, nothing ever came close to the real workouts from college, something I pretty much hung-up as “those were the days”. List three words to describe your very first CrossFit workout. – I GOT THIS ! What results have you seen since you joined the En Fuego Family? – My top five examples:
- I started with how to grip the rope, to being able to 15ft rope climb.
- I had to use mats and bands to do hand-stand push-ups and pull-ups, to being able to do deficit HSPU and butterfly pull-ups.
- I went from wellness level to competition level
- I have lost 15lbs and almost 6% body fat, thanks to the Paleo challenge.
- Overall my back bothers me less and I am able to lift heavier weight over longer periods of time.
AFTER!!!
BEFORE!!!
When did you first start doing CrossFit? – August 2012 / 40th birthday present What fitness activities were you doing before? Prior to crossfit I did spin, road biking and mild weight lifting. Was medically required to reduce activity in Dec 2010 due to postoperative pericarditis. So almost 20 months of inactivity. List three words to describe your very first CrossFit workout. I…..PASSED….OUT! Seriously…midway through my first ignition WOD I vacated Jim’s presence to spend some alone time in the bathroom to run cold water over my head. And that was only pushups and sit-ups! Hard to believe that was only 5 months ago. What results have you seen since you joined the En Fuego Family? 5 months ago I was 200 pounds and way over 33% body fat. Suffering the worse heartburn you can imagine. Over 20 pounds gone, and down to less than 17% body fat at the moment. Staying with strict Paleo has eliminated the heartburn. Pretty incredible in a short amount of time. What do you like most about CF? The fact that it pushes me to my limits every WOD, it’s always changing and challenging. I don’t think I’ve repeated a workout since starting. What is your favorite CF exercise? No specific exercise. I actually like them all. Not sure why but the “300” workout I love! It was the first WOD where I felt like: “hey, I can actually do this!” Your least favorite? Still trying to conquer those Double Unders!!! What CF accomplishment are you currently most proud of?
The fact that my family is involved. I love to see that we’ve found an environment where although our goals may be different, we are still learning a healthy lifestyle together. Oh, and strict handstand pushups! What CF goal are you working towards? – Just to get better everyday. That’s all I can ask. I found myself today reading the competition workout with a little thought of: “I wonder if?” Time will tell.
