January Female Athlete Spotlight - Kelli Glynn

When did you start CrossFitting? Who/what got you started?I started fundamentals last December and got into my first class last January. It all started because Hannah wanted to change sports from soccer to CrossFit. My husband, Janos, had previously belonged another CrossFit gym so he knew more about it and was tasked with finding a gym that would work for us and allow Hannah to train competitively. At the time, I was at a place where I needed to do something. I had put on quite a bit of weight, fitness was non-existent in my life and I didn’t feel I had time to commit consistently to working out. I was starting to see numbers on the scale that I hadn’t seen since I was 9 months pregnant – ugh! I knew, for it to be successful for me, I needed something in a group setting with a lot of variety and for it to be more challenging as I got more fit (sounds like CrossFit, doesn’t it?). Janos and Hannah did all the research on where to go, they visited and talked to several gyms and then we ended up at 913. If we were going to be taking her there all the time, we might as well do it too, right?What is your favorite/least favorite WOD?I wouldn’t really say I have a favorite though I secretly kind of like longer workouts. I’m more of a slow and steady kind of person and seem to be better built for things that aren’t sprints. Least favorite is easy – I don’t like EMOM’s. When the workout is being explained, it’s often “oh that should take you about 30 seconds and then you’d have 30 seconds of rest before the next thing.” Not for me. Whatever the EMOM is just ends up being constant movement.What is your favorite/least favorite movement?My favorites are probably squats and rowing. I’m more of a bottom-half strength person so that probably makes sense. I was going to say I hate snatches because that seems to be the popular thing to say but, thanks to Nick, Ben and weightlifting class, I’m getting better at that. Honestly, nothing is worse than trying to learn double unders. Voluntarily whipping myself with a wire rope is just not something I want to do.

Tell us a little bit about yourself (family, job, sports, interests, etc.)Everyone probably knows most of my family since they also come here! My husband, Janos, usually goes to the 4:30pm class. Hannah is here all the time and just might know everyone in the gym. Zachary started coming in October but his class time varies. We do have another son, Zander, who is a high school senior and does not do CrossFit because he’s committed to soccer. As for work, I have the best job! I am the Market Leader for U.S. Bank’s Private Wealth Management group in Kansas City. We have the pleasure of making peoples’ lives a little easier. We manage and coordinate the financial lives of wealthy individuals and families by handling their financial planning, banking, investment management and trust administration needs. I have worked in this field my entire career and have had the good fortune to travel to some amazing places and spend time with some incredible people. Also, I love the variety. Financial markets, tax law, estate planning techniques, complex financial situations – something is always changing and it’s just fun to help people get to what they are trying to achieve in the best way possible for them. It’s endlessly fun and fascinating to work with such a talented group of people in an amazing business. There’s time for little else after work and CrossFit but we do enjoy traveling and cheering for the kids for their sports. I love word games and am currently hooked on Word Bubbles. Over the holidays, I was reminded that I’m pretty good at Just Dance on the Wii and PR’d my dance for “Proud Mary.”What was your workout routine before CrossFit?The problem is I didn’t have one. We belonged to Lifetime for many years where I would show up for random classes or do cardio and weights. We even did some personal training sessions for a while. I would get motivated for short periods and then something would derail me and I’d have a hard time getting going again. It was especially frustrating because up until about six or seven years ago, I was good about having a routine and staying active. Life just got so busy, it became lower on the priority list.

What did you think after your first CrossFit workout?Three things come to mind – 1. “Not as bad as I thought.” Janos and Hannah had already prepared me for the near-death experience so I wasn’t surprised when it lived up to expectations. 2. “Oh my God, people are cheering for me.” While I’ve become grateful for the encouragement, as a quiet and more introverted person, I do not like to call attention to myself. This was, and continues to be, a good motivator to get better though I am much more appreciative of the encouragement and less freaked out than I was that first time. 3. “This will work for me.” I knew right away I found something I liked and could be committed to even though I was sore for the next five days.What were your goals when joining CrossFit? Have you achieved any of those goals?The main goal was to create the commitment to work out. I knew if I could get consistent, everything else would come. Overall, I’m down 20 lbs. and two sizes so I’ll call that a win. Funny thing, I’m finding I need larger sized suit jackets for work because little baby muscles have formed on my arms and shoulders where there was once just mush.Has CrossFit affected your life outside the gym?Yes, and it’s a long list – feeling better, eating better, more energy, more focus and generally feeling achy and sore somewhere/everywhere. Do you have any other special memories/ achievements during your time here?So far, I think the best memory was going to the Granite Games. Watching Hannah, the fierce competitor she is, participate in her first major event was so exciting. I’m pretty sure Sam Dancer telling her he is a big fan of hers was her favorite moment! She continues to surprise and amaze me with her abilities. I really enjoyed getting to watch the coaches compete too. It provided an opportunity to see them in a different light. What I didn’t expect was how much fun it was to watch the Masters compete. Stephanie Johnston is my new CrossFit hero (well, besides Hannah). She competed in the 50-54 age group and I’ve never seen someone have so much fun in a serious competition. Whether it was stopping to hug the judges after she got her first handstand walk to dancing around before the start of her event – this lady was having a good time. She looked so unassuming compared to the other ladies in the group and then she’d just go out and crush the workout, slow and steady. She ended up taking 3rd!What advice would you give to a newbie just joining CrossFit 913?The best advice, which someone also told me, is to just keep coming and good things will happen. Nothing could be truer.Something you might not know about me is?Fun fact is that I did a triathlon six weeks after giving birth to Hannah. It was just a sprint (1/3 mile swim, 17 mile bike and a 5k run) and I really hadn’t trained for it. I did finish the race and wasn’t last but, honestly, I don’t even remember why I did it.