This member spotlight, in my personal opinion, is WAY overdue. This past May, Maria Mojica accomplished a major feat hitting 3 BLUES on her back squat. Three blues on each side weighing 45 pounds each, which when you add in the barbell’s weight puts her 1RM at an impressive three-hundred and five pounds!
For many, the idea of hitting 300 in enough of a goal in and of itself. But for Maria it was never about merely joining the 300 club or hitting that next milestone.. It was actually about something more.
“While the perception of women in lifting is changing, there is still often the stigma that women are meant to focus their attention on other areas of athleticism. There’s this opinion that the big plates are meant for the men, and that raw strength isn’t feminine. I wanted to personally and internally challenge that perception for myself”
It was also a goal that developed by accident (Yes, you can accidentally want a 300 pound squat) and as a result of pursuing another goal. The goal of being consistent. Week’s prior, yours truly had talked Maria into giving Smolov a try. Smolov, for those unfamiliar, is arguably one of the most difficult squat routines around, as the full program demands 13 weeks of 3 to 4 days of high volume squats at heavy weight & high percentages. Percentages so high that it becomes just as much of a mental grind, as a physical one.
This program reminded us that being mentally exhausted isn’t the same as being physically exhausted. It’s also a program that In order to make it through, each athlete need to come up with a goal, other than just making it to the end; something to focus their attention on and to work towards …And thus the idea of 3 blue plates was born.
“This might not seem like a legitimate goal. But it was a visual one”
It was also one that fell in the range of potential gains that online research promised. For 13 week’s Maria and I cut back on metcons, and ramped up our lifting. We had a routine, and made sure to regularly coordinate a time to meet up. We held each other accountable and acted as each other’s cheerleaders. She kept me sane.
“An accountabil-a-buddy is someone who reminds you:
1.You need to do it .2. You have to do it. & 3.Oh by the way, you can do it! “
Being held accountable, following a plan, having a routine… this all trickles back to Maria’s original goal. The goal of being consistent. When we are consistent in our training, we can find confidence in failure.
“The week before my de-load week, I had to hit 10 sets of 3 at 279, but I rounded up to 280. In my 7th set, I failed and I was ok with it. Looking back at my notebook, I realized over the course of the entire cycle that was the first time I had failed a rep. It was a moment of clarity and a moment of reassurance. I knew then that I was going to hit 305.”
When we are consistent, we push ourselves to go to the gym even when we don’t want to. It’s when we are consistent, that we earn a spot in the monthly committed club… which is exactly what Maria’s next goal is, and it’s also a goal that after reading this blog post, we can ALL hold her accountable to! 
“My next goal is to work on the little engine that could, my cardio and focus more on metcons. I want to be in the committed club for October and November, and follow Geo’s programming. I don’t want to let the 4th quarter and work get in the way and result in me sacrificing my fitness…And then in January, I’ll do another lifting cycle. I want a 155 Bench and a 330 Deadlift”
Feel like you don’t know enough about Maria?
To schedule another interview with Maria, she kindly asks you contact her manager Winston Churchill the Westie. He can be contacted via direct messages on insta…. or just walk up and say hi, that works too.
Congratulations again girl on your 305 Back Squat! Proud of you! – Nicole
Hi! I’m Brittany!!! I am a corporate employee gone rogue pursing my passion of fitness and nutrition. I have been CrossFitting for 8 years, coaching for 3 years, nutrition coach for the last 2 years and a mother since June to a sweet baby girl, Mia Elizabeth. I have a wonderful boyfriend who is an incredible father and my number one supporter. Our family is rounded out with our small but mighty Yorkshire Terrier, Egan.
Classes will take place in a safe and supportive environment where athletes are welcome to bring their little one (ages newborn – 2years). During class, moms will be executing a full body workout where they will get their heart rate up, while simultaneously toning their muscles. 
