TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF THE GYM?

I work at a consulting firm during the day. I garden at the Bowmanville community garden and emcee two live variety shows, one for CHIRP Radio –  so a quiet hobby and a loud one.

WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTO TRAINING AND WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?

I was tricked, basically. I approached a neighbor wearing a “coach” T-shirt and said I was weak after lockdown and interested in working out, and he said to come and check out a “strength and conditioning” class. I was like “yeah, I could benefit from more strength and conditioning.” I had no idea I was doing “CrossFit” until halfway thought the class, where I said “wait, this is  CrossFit  ? I thought you aren’t supposed to do  CrossFit?” I had no idea what cross-training was, and the negative stereotype that it was for only for hyper-fit crypto-bros who brag about rhabdo. It turns out it’s full of nice people who don’t push volatile investment strategies, which is why I keep coming back.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR FITNESS GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?

My fitness goals are ever changing and will thus never be reached. Sometimes it’s just “make it through class,” but right now I’m working on ten unbroken double-unders. My PR is a very sloppy 8. I keep hearing it’s going to “click” so any day now haha.

 

WHAT’S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT OR GOAL YOU’VE REACHED AT HARDWARE THAT MADE YOU THE MOST PROUD?

I was very proud to finish a modified Murph (50 banded pull ups, 50 ring rows, 200 elevated push ups, 300 squats, and two one-mile runs) in under an hour. Running even a mile unbroken seemed impossible a year before.

 

FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?­­

They’re all pretty good.

 

LEAST FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?

I like the mental challenge of the Olympic lifts, but sometimes I feel like the confused math lady meme, and the coaches can see my thousand-yard stare and steam coming off of my head.

I have yet to not be sore after lunges or curtsey squats, but I like to think the tingle lets you know it’s working.  I’ve come to accept DOMS as part of life.

 

ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT HARDWARE?

Just come and keep coming. That’s mostly all I did and continue to do. They do all the planning.

And don’t be afraid to scale the workout to your ability. As I’ve learned from the wise coaches, my ego will always be there, and health is a long-term strategy.
 

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF THE GYM?

In my career I recently transitioned from human rights and environmental justice research and advocacy to tech – I’m now a product manager at an educational technology nonprofit. Part of why I transitioned was in an effort to live more around my work, instead of letting work take center stage. I’m usually finding ways to avoid work  – by reading, writing, doing DIY projects, making music, babying my plants and cat, spending time outdoors, and taking random classes to nurture hobbies I keep accumulating.

WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTO TRAINING AND WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?

Being active has always been a part of my life – I swam and did Taekwondo growing up, cycled in college, and did long distance running for a bit. I’ve never been an exceptional athlete, and often faced injuries and illness that set me back – but movement brings so many benefits to my life; I love it. I really lucked out with Hardware – I had just moved to Chicago and the neighborhood and was in a rut with my routine. I decided to give it a try, not even knowing it was CrossFit. I was hooked pretty quickly!

It has been gratifying to redefine my relationship with movement as I’ve gotten older. Hardware has become a critical component in supporting my mental health and managing a chronic illness. I’ve also met some wonderful people here that definitely help keep me coming back.

WHAT ARE YOUR FITNESS GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?

In general, I want to support my health as much as possible and avoid more injuries (I’ve always been injury prone, but so far I’ve had no CrossFit-induced injuries ). Anything else is icing on the cake! I do want to get a muscle up and handstand walks…one day. And I’d like to improve technique and form on a lot of my lifts. So many goals, so little time!

WHAT’S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT OR GOAL YOU’VE REACHED AT HARDWARE THAT MADE YOU THE MOST PROUD?

I got my first ever pull up earlier this year, and that felt awesome!

There are so many things I’ve learned to do at Hardware that I never thought I’d be able to do. I remember first starting and seeing other folks do pull ups and toes-to-bar and thinking, “that’ll never be me”. And now here I am!  It’s incredibly empowering.

FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?­­

Toes to ring, hands down the most fun movement. Deadlifting too, and I also really appreciated the Wendler cycle earlier this year – seeing strength progress so quickly felt great.

LEAST FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?

Burpees, because there is no way to do them and look dignified. Especially when you’re tired.

ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT HARDWARE?

Definitely do it! You won’t regret it. It’s the perfect environment to tackle intimidating movements and workouts, grow your skills, and feel strong as hell. The community and coaches are incredibly welcoming, supportive, and inclusive. And don’t sleep on gymnastics class – you’ll see your skills improve soooo quickly you wouldn’t believe it!

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF THE GYM?

I am a lecturer at Northwestern University where I teach experimental performance in their Radio/TV/Film and Performance Studies departments. I also work for a food bank in Ravenswood and have an artistic practice of very questionable taste and success.

WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTO TRAINING AND WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?

During the pandemic I started to dislike the whole gym/fitness experience. I felt bored. Team sports weren’t an option at that point, but I needed something different. It was a really effective change-up for me. I’ve stayed around because I genuinely enjoy the people here and the challenge of CrossFit overall.

WHAT ARE YOUR FITNESS GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?

I would like to be an overall stronger/faster athlete in CrossFit. But I do like my progress!

WHAT’S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT OR GOAL YOU’VE REACHED AT HARDWARE THAT MADE YOU THE MOST PROUD?

Probably muscle-ups.

FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?­­

I actually like wall-walks.

LEAST FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?
Double-unders. Because I can’t do double-unders.

ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT HARDWARE?

I think my overall reservation with joining CrossFit was because it’s very intimidating. Hardware is great because even though the CrossFit aspect is still intimidating and difficult, the environment isn’t. It felt really accepting and welcoming which made a difference in my experience.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF THE GYM?

I’m a recovering attorney. After years of litigation I recently shifted my career focus and am loving the improved work-life balance (and so does my husband). For fun, I like traveling, and enjoy all things sci-fi. During the winter months I like to binge a really good open world video game on x-box (Assassin’s Creed and Star Wars). I’m also a dog co-parent to two rescue dogs (a shiba-inu and beagle mix) who are both crazy in their own ways.

 

WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTO TRAINING AND WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?

My background in fitness prior joining Hardware was full distance triathlons (Ironman) and marathon running. I moved to Andersonville in 2021 and was looking to continue my adventures in functional fitness (which I had recently discovered during COVID when the lakefront was shut down in 2020 – which meant no running). After our move to Andersonville I did some googling and I found Hardware. At first, I was a bit unsure about coming and trying out a class because a lot of the movements were entirely new to me (I don’t think I’d ever touched a barbell in my life, or if I had, it had been decades; and don’t even get me started about rope climbs!). I was hooked almost immediately after my first few classes. I love learning new things and testing out what my body is capable of doing/learning. Overall, the things that keep me coming back to Hardware are the community (lets face it, no one would ever decide to do 50 box jumps at 6:00 am if there weren’t other people doing it alongside you); and the coaches (seriously, all of them are great).

 

 

 

WHAT ARE YOUR FITNESS GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?

My fitness goals for this year are (and continue to be); getting better at doing double unders and handstand pushups. If my body is cooperating, sometimes I can string together a few double-unders. Handstand pushups, for me, is less of a strength issue and more of a coordination/confidence issue. Maybe sometime in the far distant future I’d like to consider working towards doing a muscle-up.

 

WHAT’S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT OR GOAL YOU’VE REACHED AT HARDWARE THAT MADE YOU THE MOST PROUD?

I remember when I first started at Hardware it was hard for me to get into a squat (having a desk job isn’t the best for overall flexibility; and flexibility is something I completely neglected). After lots of practice with back and front squats, they are much easier; and movements I (sometimes) look forward to doing. Besides the squats, I’m amazed that I was able to do a rope climb (and still am, to be honest).

 

 

 

FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?­­

This is a tough question to answer because I truly think it changes from week to week (or day to day). Right now, my favorite movement would probably be either box jump-overs, alternating dumbbell snatches or really anything with a kettle bell (russian/american swings). Sometimes I even enjoy a good thruster (I can’t believe I actually said that, but its true).

 

LEAST FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?

Overhead squats. I can do them (now, sort-of), but I always question my life choices when I’m in a squat with a barbell raised over my head.

 

ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT HARDWARE?

Just do it. The community is great, the coaches are great, and you’ll learn so much about yourself and get some exercise in the process. And more importantly, don’t feel afraid about not being able to do some type of movement, there are scales of everything, and I can’t think of one person in the gym who has mastered every single “crazy” movement that we do.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF THE GYM?

I’m a recovering attorney. After years of litigation I recently shifted my career focus and am loving the improved work-life balance (and so does my husband). For fun, I like traveling, and enjoy all things sci-fi. During the winter months I like to binge a really good open world video game on x-box (Assassin’s Creed and Star Wars). I’m also a dog co-parent to two rescue dogs (a shiba-inu and beagle mix) who are both crazy in their own ways.

 

WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTO TRAINING AND WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?

My background in fitness prior joining Hardware was full distance triathlons (Ironman) and marathon running. I moved to Andersonville in 2021 and was looking to continue my adventures in functional fitness (which I had recently discovered during COVID when the lakefront was shut down in 2020 – which meant no running). After our move to Andersonville I did some googling and I found Hardware. At first, I was a bit unsure about coming and trying out a class because a lot of the movements were entirely new to me (I don’t think I’d ever touched a barbell in my life, or if I had, it had been decades; and don’t even get me started about rope climbs!). I was hooked almost immediately after my first few classes. I love learning new things and testing out what my body is capable of doing/learning. Overall, the things that keep me coming back to Hardware are the community (lets face it, no one would ever decide to do 50 box jumps at 6:00 am if there weren’t other people doing it alongside you); and the coaches (seriously, all of them are great).

 

 

WHAT ARE YOUR FITNESS GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?

My fitness goals for this year are (and continue to be); getting better at doing double unders and handstand pushups. If my body is cooperating, sometimes I can string together a few double-unders. Handstand pushups, for me, is less of a strength issue and more of a coordination/confidence issue. Maybe sometime in the far distant future I’d like to consider working towards doing a muscle-up.

 

WHAT’S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT OR GOAL YOU’VE REACHED AT HARDWARE THAT MADE YOU THE MOST PROUD?

I remember when I first started at Hardware it was hard for me to get into a squat (having a desk job isn’t the best for overall flexibility; and flexibility is something I completely neglected). After lots of practice with back and front squats, they are much easier; and movements I (sometimes) look forward to doing. Besides the squats, I’m amazed that I was able to do a rope climb (and still am, to be honest).

 

 

FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?­­

This is a tough question to answer because I truly think it changes from week to week (or day to day). Right now, my favorite movement would probably be either box jump-overs, alternating dumbbell snatches or really anything with a kettle bell (russian/american swings). Sometimes I even enjoy a good thruster (I can’t believe I actually said that, but its true).

 

LEAST FAVORITE WOD/MOVEMENT?

Overhead squats. I can do them (now, sort-of), but I always question my life choices when I’m in a squat with a barbell raised over my head.

 

ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT HARDWARE?

Just do it. The community is great, the coaches are great, and you’ll learn so much about yourself and get some exercise in the process. And more importantly, don’t feel afraid about not being able to do some type of movement, there are scales of everything, and I can’t think of one person in the gym who has mastered every single “crazy” movement that we do.