Buckle up! Anyone who knows Cristy knows that she is incapable of being short and to the point, and her story is no exception. Cristy is one of those people I rely on each morning, she is kind of like my shot of espresso. She pops in for the “6:30” class ;)…. and brings a great energy to the gym. If you come in the evenings and are wondering “who is Crisy?”… she is the one they call ‘Claw’, and it is her times on the board you have been chasing each day.
Where do I even begin?! Those who know me well, will know this isn’t going to be brief – so get yourself a cup of coffee (decaf, or a tea, if Brendan has you trying to cut back on your coffee consumption…) and settle in. If I wanted to be brief, I could just say Sublime (and everything that happens within its walls) is HOME, and leave it at that. But of course I can’t. So here’s my story…
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Where was I before Sublime? I was eagerly waiting Sublime to open. I kinda knew it was in the works, and was actually there to help lay the floor…and move the weights…and then move the weights again. I had started Crossfit before Sublime had opened (probably a few years at that time?), and just prior to moving in (some people may say I literally have moved in), I was working out at Sportex, and had Brendan programming for me. It’s amazing the crazy amount of gains you can make with a program individualized for you…especially from a guy that seriously knows his sh*t (and we’re fortunate enough to have more than just one of those in our gym!) I will forever be indebted to Brendan for how much I improved and gained in such a short period of time. Even when doing workouts on my own, I looked forward to them every day (even though some scared the crap outta me!) I DID have a solid group of girls there with me to help fend off the stares of the other members who were wondering what we were doing…peddling like madwomen on the spin bikes for 10s sprint intervals…doing oly lifts…and treating the TRX set up like our own pull up rig. Then, we all moved over to Sublime when the doors opened…and the people of Sportex had their space back…
My time since has been nothing short of AH-MAZING. The guys…and Mel ;)… WANT YOU TO SUCCEED. In fact, they STRIVE to make sure you do – and get even more fired up then you when you make improvements & progress. I think I get more enjoyment from watching THEIR face light up when I nail a lift, or hit a PR. And it’s the whole package – they aren’t just there to give you a workout to do. You get the programming, you get the coaching, and you get the nutrition advice. All 3 are key to performance and making progress – and I have no doubt it has all contributed to my success. They are also there for some good laughs, sidebar discussions, and some heart to heart chats…an added, but super awesome, side bonus of being part of the gym. People call it a community…I call it my home away from home… And to top it off too, you even get your very own gym dad (aka Coach Kyle). He’s the voice of reason…offers the “what are you up to now?!” head shake, and does the double take when you’re doing something silly. His recommendations as to when to do/not to do something, and the “in the end, it’s up to you…BUUUUUT…” is the dad equivalent of “I’m not mad, just disappointed…”
I could go on forever – but the progress I have made speaks volumes for itself (and this isn’t meant for me to brag about myself – just for anyone reading this to see how much progress can be made…especially for someone who isn’t “brand new”). Before Sublime, I wouldn’t even consider competing in the Opens. The weights, the movements…would have been a struggle for me to put up a good fight and get a good workout in. I’ve now done the Opens 2 years in a row, and can Rx the workouts (although I still have a hatred for chest to bar pull ups). I got my first 100# snatch in my first opens at Sublime (just barely…and it wasn’t pretty, but I got it) – and now a year and a half later, that’s up to 120#. My back squat and front squat weren’t much to write home about (relatively speaking…when all I do is hang out with beasts all morning that CRUSH weights…were at 185 and 145/150) – and I’m now I’m over 210# and 175# (I say over, as these were PRs I just hit – one I hit 3 times, and the other for a single…and I know I have more in me!!!) I added serious weight to my deadlift – going from 245 to 285#. Even with a hatred for high volume pull ups – the fact that I can do them consistently now just blows my mind. It took me over 20 min before to do 50 chin ups when I was at Sportex…and I just did those, 200 double unders and over 40 box jumps in 10 min! Progress?! And don’t get me started on double unders…those were few and far between when Sublime opened… My conditioning has improved on all fronts as well. Row times are dropping, airdyne cals are rising…but the airdyne is still the devil…don’t get me wrong. I’ve now “Rx’d” girl workouts that I had to modify before (and CRUSHED previous times by MINUTES). I get a kick out of looking back to a couple years to see what workouts and weights I struggled with. STRONGER, FASTER & MORE POWERFUL?! Check, check & check!
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And – how have I got here?! Sublime has an incredible approach to programming and coaching (and just their overall general philosophy and vibe). The progressions we use, the coaching cues, the hammering home of technique before weight… Consistency and good form are encouraged (and celebrated!) Don’t get me wrong…so is lifting big weight and recording incredibly fast times…but that comes with the foundation that is built first. There is one big PR board for us to celebrate eachothers’ successes – and I kinda like that. It’s one of my favourite things to do in the morning (besides annoy Kyle with my chatter and giggles) – check out the board and see the new names/weights/times on it. The crazy amount of progress people have made in such a short period of time is incredible. Weights that I was stuck at on lifts for multiple years…newbies have dominated and surpassed with ease. I am in awe of how well EVERYONE in our gym progresses and succeeds – really goes to show there is something special going on inside the walls.
So why do I love Sublime so much?! The coaches all know my strengths, and they know my weaknesses. They celebrate in my successes, and help me continuously improve to get me beyond something holding me back. They make sure to let me know when to step back and work on technique and skill, and know when to push me when I need it. The beauty of the size of the gym/classes, and the coaches’ passion to help people improve and genuine interest in each athlete, is that they KNOW me, and KNOW what I can do and what I’m capable of…even more then I do. And the crew inside working out along side me…they can’t be beat… I can honestly be having the sh*tiest, most stressful week of my life…and I can put that aside, lift some weights, drops some barbells, and get in a good laugh for an hour (or 2…) while I’m there. Sublime is definitely a magical place…