A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Suzy at CrossFit Mt. Lebanon. Actually it was more like I was in awe of her. She climbed ropes to ceiling, she did pullups with ease, she lifted weights I had never seen a girl lift before. After a while I realized that not only was Suzy a gifted athlete but also a talented coach who could transfer her knowledge to her pupils. Pretty soon Suzy coached me into doing things I never thought I could do including toes to bar, a pull-up and lifting weights I never dreamed of lifting. Through the past year I've felt very fortunate to have Suzy as my coach and as my friend. Because I admire her hard work and passion for teaching others I decided to ask her a few fitness related questions. 1. Did you play any sports in high school? Sure did! Standing almost 6’ tall, most of my life was spent playing basketball, and volleyball. To fill my time in the spring I did a couple different track events: throwing disc and shot put, hurdles, high-jump and triple jump.
2. When did you start CrossFit? I began CrossFit about 5 years ago in Texas. 3. What are your favorite workout shoes? Hands down, the Inov8 F-Lite 235 is the best shoe I’ve found so far. However, for long distance runs I switch over to my Brooks running shoes. 4. What is your favorite CrossFit movement? Overhead squats are my favorite movement, by far - the heavier the better! Clean would be a close second and butterfly pull ups would be my third favorite. 5. What is your least favorite CrossFit movement? Number one, all time least favorite is burpees. I'm also not a fan of chest to bar pull ups because I'm horrible at them. 6. What kind of music do you like to listen to when you work out? Depends on the day! Sometimes Pandora is on Wiz Khalifa, sometimes its on The Used or Rancid… But I can never pass up the Country Cool Down :) 7. What made you decided to become a CrossFit coach? Initially I got my L1 certification because the box I belong to in Texas was like my adopted family and there was no where else I wanted to spend my time. Then it just became a passion of mine. At the time I had no idea how much CrossFit would change my life and open new doors. It definitely came into my life for a reason. 8. What is your favorite post workout meal? I love my recovery shakes! SFH Chocolate and Progenex Peanut Butter Smash and Mocha are the best flavors ever created! 9. Do you think CrossFit is introducing more women to weightlifting? 100% yes! CrossFit has been great for that! The world we live in traditionally has not promoted the strong female athlete we are starting to see more of now. That history is why Olympic lifting hasn’t received the attention it deserves. However that mentality has dwindled since CrossFit has gained so much popularity and women are now embracing their strength instead of hiding it. It’s amazing and inspiring! It makes me love helping women get stronger every day. 10. What are your future fitness goals? My #1 goal is always to stay healthy and injury-free. The injury-free part seems to be getting tougher and tougher as I get older. Regular mobility, maintenance and mandatory rest days help manage that. I also love team competitions. Tackling 2 or 3 of those in the next year is my list too. 11. What advice would you give to someone who wants to try CrossFit for the first time? JUST GO! Everyone is scared when they first start CrossFitting. Anyone that says they weren’t is either lying or is just insane. I so vividly remember being terrified to workout with the class and try new movements because I was embarrassed. I was SO BAD! Another piece of advice is to shop around and pick a box you are totally comfortable with. Every box runs a little different than another. So try a couple different ones out before settling on one. Being comfortable with your surroundings, your coaches, your workouts, and your COMMUNITY will make the transition into the sport much easier.
2 Comments
Bobby
4/18/2015 06:04:11 am
Great article. Suzy is awesome
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8/3/2015 09:05:50 pm
nice article, very, very nice
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Author: Sarah WarmanI like to run, take pictures and write. I've combined all three in this blog. Archives
June 2019
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