Karen Cohen
Q: How did you find out about Ballston CrossFit and what about it convinced you to join?
Growing up I’ve always been an athlete. I played soccer, tennis, and ran cross country and track in high school and at the Division I level. Once I graduated college, I lost that routine and wasn’t as active anymore. Flash forward a couple of years and I saw a friend having success at a CrossFit gym, which motivated me because I wanted to find something to challenge me again. So I googled the closest gym to me which happened to be Ballston CrossFit. I signed up for Foundations and the rest is history.
Q:When did you start at BCF and what were your goals going into it?
I started at BCF in August 2019. My main goal at the time was to get back into a fitness routine and improve my fitness in other ways than running. I didn’t have any specific goals, but that changed over time and as I worked out more, whether to gain a skill like my first pull up or to improve lifting technique.
Q: What has helped you achieve success at BCF?
Listening to the coaches and showing up to classes regularly. In the beginning, I got frustrated since I couldn’t do many of the movements as prescribed when I first joined and it took me a while to get them (it took me over a year to get my first pull up). But as I swallowed my pride, showed up more, and listened intentionally to all the coaches’ cues, I started to gain skills, get PR’s and quickly build confidence!
Q:What advice can you give to others that are new to CrossFit?
Trust the process! It can be intimidating at first and I definitely felt that when I first joined, but all workouts can be modified for what you can do and what works for you. The coaches are here to help you no matter what your fitness level is. Also, make sure to listen to your body and take rest days, it’ll help you get better and avoid injuries in the long run.
Q: Besides working out, what other lifestyle changes did you make outside of the gym to achieve your goals?
I’ve focused more on eating better by working with nutritionists. They’ve helped me tremendously with how I should be eating (which was not enough at first) and other things like stress management and getting enough sleep, which had a major impact on my performance. Outside of the gym, I also have learned to not beat myself up when I’m struggling with a new skill, and realizing that I’ve just started it and will get better as I do it more.
Q: What has been your favorite thing about Ballston CrossFit?
The fact that every workout is different and challenges me. After 3.5 years of CrossFit there are still workouts that make me collapse on the floor when I’m done. I also love seeing how much progress I’ve made. It’s really cool to see a one rep max lift end up being something I can do multiple times during a workout, it goes to show how far I’ve come. All in all, I feel so lucky to be a part of an incredible gym with amazing people who motivate and push me to be a better athlete than I thought possible.