Julia Seder

The hits keep coming. Success Update after 1 year with CFR7: When you came you had a goal of doing 1 strict pull up and to no longer use a band or ring rows. Now you have multiple strict pull ups and yesterday you did all the pull up in Fran (45 reps) and just 10# under RX. Great job girl. Keep up the great work!

I never did any weight training prior to starting CrossFit in January 2014. I always thought “CrossFit is for strong women, who are tough and not afraid of anything”and convinced myself I couldn’t do it. For years I watched my husband’s love for the sport grow and his hard work pay off in and out of the gym. I eventually grew tired of being afraid and tired of being, well…tired.

At first I was intimidated and hesitant, but told myself I’d stick it out for 3 months. During those first few months I couldn’t even lift the training bar overhead for more than a few reps. Doing a single push-up on my knees was almost impossible  and just hanging from the rig was a struggle. I quickly realized how weak I’d let myself become and “cardio” wasn’t going to help me be as strong as I wanted to be. Watching and learning from the other women in the gym was such an inspiration to me; I was blown away by their strength and confidence. This helped me commit and dedicate myself to creating a mentally and physically stronger me.

Support from the CrossFit community has also kept me going. The coaches and other athletes made me feel welcome and have been supportive since day one. I’ve completed many tough workouts that wouldn’t have been possible without the cheering from my fellow classmates and coaches. They believed in me and I eventually started believing in myself. Now, after a little over 2 years, I can get #95 over my head, do strict and kipping pull-ups, rope climbs and more easily do knee push-ups with a few strict ones mixed in. I just recently learned how to kick up into a handstand and can even do modified handstand push-ups. I’ve also gained 17 pounds and never felt better and more confident!

I’ve significantly improved my overall fitness with help from the Route 7 coaches,  members and programming. The coaches prioritize form before intensity and  provide a fun and safe training environment. I’m incredibly thankful to have started CrossFit and it makes me so happy to feel like one of the strong women!