TUESDAY
Here’s another athlete profile featuring Kristin Abbate…
What brought you to Thor Fitness?
Before I found Thor Fitness I was very loyal to a trainer at a local gym. For about five years I took a “small group training” class there five days a week. I had a really good trainer that helped me lose all the baby weight from my three kids and also gain tons of strength and confidence in a gym. However, I hit a complete plateau. I loved the people I trained with but I was so bored with the workouts. I felt like my trainer was just throwing more and more weight at me instead of teaching me new things. I felt like I had no room to grow and no one to challenge me or inspire me. I started to get so sick of seeing everyone staring at themselves in the mirror and talking about the extra inch on their skinny waist. Everyone was just so vein to me and I needed a change bad.
I started to watch youtube video’s to learn CrossFit moves…I taught myself to overhead squat and pistol squat—I wouldn’t dare to try to swatch snatch lol.
People used to look at me like I was nuts trying to overhead squat or hit a back squat PR—I’m still not sure if it’s because I was doing it totally wrong or because they didn’t know what I was doing…or because they thought I was nuts… haha
Like I said I am a very loyal person so the idea of leaving my trainer was very hard for me. Finally, in July 2016, she announced that she was leaving the gym to open her own gym, and that was my chance to leave.
Mike McCord had been telling me about his CrossFit gym and this lady “Patty” and how great she was for months….I emailed Patty as soon as I found out that my trainer was leaving and scheduled a time to come in. What is really funny is that when I walked into Thor Fitness I realized that I knew Patty all along! Around 2002-2004 we used to do kickboxing together at a center in St. James. She was this super jacked cool mom and I was right out of college. Then she got me a serving job at a restaurant she worked at—and we worked together for a while. Lost touch until I walked into Thor Fitness that night.
What I loved the most about CrossFit my first month was this: I loved how I was the slowest, the weakest, the clumsiest and the most awkward looking. I HAD SO MUCH TO LEARN and it was a beautiful thing!! That is what I love, hands down, the most about my CrossFit journey and how there is always so much to learn.
What were your goals? Have you achieved them?
I just hit my one year Thor Fitness mark in July 2017.
My goals my first year were to learn double unders and to get kipping pull ups. I always had 3-4 strict pull ups because I used to practice them but this kipping shit I could not get and I stick suck at it lol. I did get double unders!! It took me about 9 months but I did get them. I invested in a really good jump rope (that I hated for the first month or two) and just didn’t care about my score for a few workouts and committed to doing them.
My goals for my second year at Thor Fitness
1. Stop ripping so much and become more efficient at pull ups. I would love to be able to string 10 together.
2. Improve my double unders to be more efficient. I jump way too high and expel way too much energy.
3. 120# squat snatch
4. Improve my running and get more explosive with 400 meters or less. I am anything but explosive.
What do you do when you are not at the gym?
When I am not at CrossFit I am talking about CrossFit. Just kidding.
I am a mom of three beautiful sun shining faces: Donna, Frankie and Vincent. I work also. I am a special ed teacher…and of course my handsome husband, Dom. Which brings me to another favorite about CrossFit. I absolutely love doing CrossFit with my husband. We don’t actually have to be in the same class—but I mean that we both love CrossFit and go to the same gym and can talk about the workouts and our progress. I think CrossFit has made us better friends….and that’s my favorite part.
What CrossFit exercise or lifts are your favorite and least favorite?
My all time favorite lift is a squat snatch because to me it’s the most quintessential CrossFit move. I also love over head squats (although they kill my wrists) and front squats because they are easy for me. I excel at anything with a kettlebell but that’s just cause I have been doing kettlebell work like crazy for years prior to CrossFit.
I hate rowing and double unders but just because I suck at them. I get the CrossFit belly-ache daily but I get it the WORST when there are double unders in a workout. Hands down!
I love running but I am so much better at long distance than sprinting. I would rather jog 7 miles than sprint 400 meters four times.
Any other tid bit info…
I love all the people at Thor Fitness. I came to CrossFit to meet new mental and physical challenges and experience something new…but meeting all these awesome people has been the icing on the cake.
You guys and gals rock! I’m super proud of everyone who came out to tackle the 9/11 wods. Some of you (Steve and Jon) did both!! They were both really tough, so be proud that you didn’t cherry pick and got out of your comfort zone.
STRENGTH:
Back squats
2/2/2/2/2
CrossFit WOD:
5 rds:
10 pull ups
15 push ups w h/r
20 situps
30 air squats