Congratulations to Mikaela for becoming or newest Member of the Month! Mikaela is a regular in the morning coming to the 6 and 7 am classes. She has been a great addition to our gym. She comes in and always crushes the workouts, especially the ones with running.
Since coming to Croga she has steadily been lifting heavier and heavier weight and at the same time dialing in her technique. It has been so much fun to see her progress week by week and always give her 100%. A very well-deserved Member of the Month!
When did you join Croga?
Late September 2023 (aka about 4.5 months ago)
What were you doing before for fitness?
I grew up as a very active person, and when I was a kid I did gymnastics, played soccer, biked to get everywhere, and overall just liked to always be moving. While I did have to take a break from it all for a while, as an adult I used to do a lot of classes at my university’s gym in undergrad and after losing access to that would try to keep active by going on runs, biking, roller skating, hiking, going on long walks, and doing home workouts.
What was your first workout? First reaction to your first workout?
My first workout was 6 rounds of 200 m run, 15 hang power cleans, and 10 ring dips. While I did do some weightlifting in college, it was more focused on endurance than strength, and we didn’t do all of the Olympic lifts. So I remember being a bit intimidated by the cleans and taking it super easy on the weight because I didn’t know what I was capable of. Also, it was really early in the morning for me so I was just proud of myself for making it there in the first place.
What improvements have you seen in the way you look, feel and perform?
I have trouble keeping track of how much weight I typically use for certain movements, and since every workout is different it’s hard for me to compare the number of reps of exercises, but Cody says I’ve gotten stronger, so I’m going to just trust that he’s right! And beyond that, I definitely feel more comfortable in a lot of the weightlifting movements and require a *lot* fewer corrections from coaches on my form.
What days and times do you come to Croga?
My usual days are M/F at 6 am and Wed at 7 am. Sometimes my schedule will make it so that I’ll go to a 6 am class on Tue or Thu, but I’m way too tired by the afternoon to push myself to go to the gym after work.
What’s your favorite WOD? What’s your least favorite WOD?
I’m going to answer these questions together because it’s more about what’s in the workout than a specific workout. I’m short, so any workout that involves one of the machines (bike or row) is going to leave me a bit frustrated because I feel like I have to work twice as hard to keep up. But if there’s running involved, or non-machine endurance workouts, I know it’s gonna be a good day. The best workouts leave me feeling like I need to lay down afterward to catch my breath.
What’s your favorite post-workout routine?
I’m usually going to the 6 am or 7 am workouts (after going to bed somewhere around midnight) and will start work anywhere between 9 am and 11 am. So after showering, if I don’t have anything else I need to be doing before work, I’ll usually try to get an extra hour of sleep in, just to give me a better chance of actually functioning that day.
What’s your biggest fitness goal for this year?
It would be really cool if I was able to get my kips down this year. Or if by the end of the year I’m able to do at least a few workouts at the Rx weight.
What do you love about this type of fitness?
My favorite things about Croga and gyms like it are:
1) The community: I love having people to cheer me on (or if you’re CJ give me crap so I don’t use the lighter medicine ball out of spite) and in some cases to compete against.
2) The classes: I hate coming up with my own workouts or having to think at all while I’m working out. I’ve always been more motivated to exercise in a class setting.
3) The coaching: When you’re working out on your own, it can be hard to know if you’re doing the movements right. Having coaches to give you feedback is really valuable to me. Especially when the coaches are as inviting and encouraging as the ones at Croga.
What words of advice do you have for new members or people considering joining Croga?
It can be really scary to start going somewhere where you don’t know anyone or where you might not be the strongest or most knowledgeable person in the room when it comes to working out. But the environment at Croga is really inviting and uplifting. You’ll have total strangers cheering you on, and coaches who can help guide you if you’re unsure about what weights you should be using or if you need to scale for a movement that maybe you aren’t able to do yet. There’s no judgement, because we all had to start from somewhere and work our way to where we are. We all know that the most important part is just showing up and deciding to do what you can to get stronger and take care of your body. And you don’t need to go all out during the first week or two. It’s important to find your boundaries and figure out what’s sustainable for your body, and then little by little you can work on testing them and challenging yourself to push past what’s comfortable.
Anything to add that we didn’t touch on yet?
One of my hobbies, which keeps me up late at night and that I apparently have zero pictures of me doing, is dance. I mostly do partner dances (salsa, bachata, west coast swing, kizomba, and just now starting zouk). Right now I’m on a bachata performance team called Knockout that’s based here in San Jose. Since finding dance in college, I’ve been able to feel more comfortable in my body and make a ton of what I hope will be life-long friends. I couldn’t imagine my life without it.
