Maddie: From mum’s love to a CrossFit regular, a member’s story

• Name: Madeline
• Age: 19
• Occupation: Admin & Waitress
• Been doing CrossFit for: 7 months (ish)

Did you have any apprehensions prior to starting CrossFit? After stopping netball, I didn’t participate in much exercise at all. Plus, I put on a lot of weight which made exercise look impossible. I thought it wasn’t going to be for me and I never thought I could come close to being as good as others.

What was your motivation to start? My Mum. She has always been my biggest fan. She would go on diets and sign us up for exercise classes just, so I wouldn’t feel like I had to lose the weight on my own. CrossFit was another effort to help me combat my weight.

Maddie: Now

Has your attitude changed since starting CrossFit? Completely. At the start I only went because my mum was paying for me and if I didn’t go it was a waste. I hated it for the first few weeks because I had no confidence and felt as if I was the worst in the group. However, it didn’t take long before I went from doing 3 a week just to please my mum, to doing 5 a week including PT sessions because I was addicted to how CrossFit made me feel and how my body has changed. I even have the confidence to do classes on my own without my mum, which I thought would never happen.

How would you describe CrossFit Leyland? Amazing. The coaches are so supportive. I can turn up to a class and if I can’t do a movement, the coach knows what’s the best alternative for me. They also celebrate personal goals such as getting a movement right, that may be easier for most people. For instance, squatting I thought just wasn’t in the cards for me, I had bad knees due to my weight, it would hurt just walking upstairs, but now I’m squatting all the way to the ground with weights on a bar. It took a lot for me to gain confidence especially with exercise and the coaches at CFL managed to do that and I’m a lot healthier and fitter. Also, the other members of CFL are so supportive and welcoming. The cheers at the end until everyone’s finished the workout is amazing. The high 5’s at the end is my favourite because no matter your score or time, everyone gets a well done. The encouragement I receive before, during and after a workout is why I become addicted to CrossFit.

What has helped you achieve you goals along the way? First, without my mum I wouldn’t have started at all. Also, the support of all the coaches and members of CFL, without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Have you been doing anything additional to the CrossFit classes to assist in your progress? I have seen Chris from Lowden Coaching for nutrition which has helped with my sleeping and my energy levels. I now don’t need to have naps during the day and I’m able to do more at CrossFit because I have a lot more energy. I also see Chris once a week for PT sessions. These sessions have helped me progress so much in my CrossFit classes. I can now Kip swing which means I can do high knees. He has also helped with my press ups which I can now do on my Knees. I’m a lot stronger now and I can do a lot more movements because of Chris. I was even able to complete my first workout at RX- which I thought would never happen.