member spotlight: maggie and jake baker
Jake’s 5 rules of CrossFit
Always talk about CrossFit
One of the true benefits to CrossFit in general and CrossFit Clintonville specifically is the sense of community. We are (for the most part) all doing the same workouts in the same way, so being able to share my experience with the other members of the gym has provided a nice social outlet (especially throughout COVID). Talking about which workouts and movements I like and don’t like, what my particular aches and pains are for the week, and the general sense of dread I experience for any amount of burpees over 30 helped me realize that the people that I think are super fit have similar experiences. It’s an odd sort of trauma bonding, but opening up and talking about my experience with CrossFit with the community in Clintonville serves as a reminder that we are mostly in it for the same reasons and having similar experiences despite age and fitness level, and the camaraderie makes it more fun to keep coming back.
Always talk about CrossFit
Please see rule #1.
Have fun and try your best
I feel like there was an inflection point for my relationship with CrossFit that happened a few months in, where group classes ceased being something dumb that I was making myself do every day and started being something that I looked forward to doing. Following rules #1 & #2 and getting to know people at the gym certainly helped a bit, but once I got more comfortable with class formats, coaches, and the movements I started to feel like I could be myself at the gym a little bit more. I don’t want to interfere with anyone else’s workout or their motivations for being there, but I know if I am attending 5 group classes a week I am probably devoting 10 hours of my precious free time each week to CrossFit. If I am not having some kind of fun while I’m there I won’t feel like the value of my time investment is being realized. For me, making CrossFit fun usually involves trying an odd movement like a one-handed barbell snatch, trying to start a slow clap, or hassling Brian about something. It’s my time and my investment, and if it isn’t at least some kind of fun it’s not going to feel like it’s worthwhile.
That being said, the investment isn’t going to feel worthwhile if I show up and loaf the whole time. I may not always feel 100% when I am there, and sometimes I am giving my best for “that day,” but like most investments you get out of it what you put in, so no matter how much fun I’m trying to have I always try to lock-in at least while the timer is running and give as much of myself as I can for the duration of the WOD.
You get to keep all your gainz
There are a lot of CrossFit movement standards that I just flat-out cannot do. When I was first starting out, it was pretty discouraging to see a workout get posted and know that I would have to considerably scale each movement just to participate. It took me a while to realize that even if I am scaling bar muscle ups to wall push-ups and ring rows, I am still making progress just by showing up. If I am having a bad day and maybe don’t push myself to my absolute limit during a workout, I am still making progress. If I “let a workout come to me” my effort level is still > 0 and I am still getting fitter and making gainz. And I get to keep them.
Show up and keep showing up
When I started CrossFit I was there to lose weight and burn calories. Pat reached out to me a little bit after joining and asked me about my experience so far, and I shared that most of my goals were related to the number on the scale and I was discouraged about the movements I couldn’t do. His advice was simply “keep showing up.” After three years of showing up, there’s been a weird juxtaposition in my fitness goals. I don’t feel like I am doing CrossFit to be better at losing weight, I feel like I am losing weight so that I can be better at CrossFit. My mentality has shifted and I am learning to look for progress off of the scale. I am finding the balance between pushing myself to achieve more and respecting the fact that I need to be able to show up tomorrow and the next day and the next in order to really see progress. I am having fun on the journey without solely focusing on the destination. The coaches are great and the community is awesome, but they can’t show up and do the work for me. That’s my responsibility, but if I show up and do the work, the coaches and the community will help the rest.
Hey fit fam! I am Maggie Baker and I’ve been coming to CFC since 2018. I went to a community wod because my then-boyfriend (now hunky husband) couldn’t stop talking about CrossFit (see rule #1) so I thought I’d see what the fuss was about. I caught the tail end of the RX class and thought, these people are crazy, this couldn’t be for me. They are all way too fit, I should leave. But coach Hannah was summoning us, so I stayed. Two and a half years and minus 60 lbs later I’m still showing up. Just two weeks ago, I got my first kipping pull-up, something I never imagined I’d be able to do. I’ve proven to myself that hard work pays off and I have CFC to thank for it. Love you guys!