Lynnea

Check out our February CFD Athlete Spotlight:  Lynnea!

What was your fitness/athletic background prior to Crossfit?

I played volleyball and softball up until being a Sophomore in high school but really wasn’t very good.  I went to practice and spent a little time in the weight room.  My fitness was always mainly from working at home doing farm chores, going to the globo gym and then later riding horses competitively.  At the globo gym, I was a cardio queen and used the weight machines as most of my weightlifting until I learned what CrossFit was.

How long have you been CrossFitting and what made you get started?

I was really tired of boring hours on the treadmill and standing in front of a mirror pumping out some weight (or what I thought was weight)  and started doing my own conservative “CrossFit” at the globo gym about 4 years ago and self-directed following what I could on the CrossFit main page.  Had some success but was really limited to what I could do there with the space they had and to the best of my knowledge without getting hurt.  About 6 months after finding CrossFit, I broke my collar bone and needed surgery.  I took about a year off.  It was after coming back from that and getting a blood panel back from the doctor that was not leading me down the right road, that I decided that it was best for me to just join CFD, get back at it and be serious about it.    It’s been two years since I started at CFD.  I originally started 3 days a week and after 6 months or so increased my membership to unlimited and I try to get 5-6 workouts a week in at CFD.

What do you do Professionally and what do you do for fun outside of the gym?

I’ve worked for a livestock feed company located in Madison, WI for the past 11 years as a livestock nutritionist.  For fun outside of the gym, I ride horses competing in the sport of Dressage or trail riding with my older mare, Bird.  I also spend time training my dog, Stella, new tricks.  Bruce, my boyfriend of 10 years, and I also have a love for cars, so you’ll find us at some of the area car shows during the summer months.

How has CrossFit helped you in your daily life?

CrossFit has helped me in my daily life by being a stronger person both mentally and physically.  It’s helped me gain the strength, mobility, and confidence that I lost when I broke my collar bone.  I never knew that I would grow to love kicking my own butt and keep coming back for more.

What are your goals? (short or long term?)

Short term, there are some movements that I still need to get and/or be proficient at.  Long term, my goal is to just move a ton of weight.  Someday I’d like to think that I could be strong and  proficient enough in the Olympic lifts to compete in a weightlifting competition.

Any advice you are willing to share for CFD newcomers?

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. The first 3-4 months are tough. You’re doing movements that most of us don’t do on a regular basis or haven’t done in years.  Listen to your body and take care of yourself.  Sticking with it reaps a TON of rewards.