05 Nov Congratulations!

Special Congratulations to Coach Mark and CFHE member Danni on their marriage!  We wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness!

01 Nov November Bring a Friend Day!

Thursday, November 15th, is Bring a Friend Day at both Industry Athletic locations. Members are encouraged and invited to bring a friend to class free of charge. There is no limit on the number of friends a member can bring, the more the merrier! This offer covers all class types on Thursday (Drive and Crossfit), as well as all class times (morning, midday, and evening).  All we ask is that you show up a few minutes before the start of class to make sure any and all waivers get signed. So grab that friend that’s always wanted to give Crossfit a try, and have them join you Thursday November 15th for a WOD!

31 Oct Happy Halloween!

Thank you to everyone that came out this past weekend for our annual Halloween Throwdown, and to everyone who helped with judging and set up! Also, Congratulations to Team Average Joes on their victory!

27 Oct Member Spotlight: Kelsea Guckin

As an ex-college athlete, Kelsea had been told by friends and colleagues to try crossfit for years, but it wasn’t until she moved to Baltimore in November 2017 that she finally walked into a box.

“I’m ashamed to say it now, but I fought the crossfit ‘craze’ at first. Luckily, curiosity got the better of me and I found myself trying to do the crossfit.com WODs in an LA fitness. One of the first things I did when I moved to Baltimore was join a box and the obsession was immediate. I’ve never been stronger and the community around this sport made Baltimore feel like home immediately.”

Kelsea’s athletic background set her up for success in crossfit workouts, but focusing on nutrition was a whole new ball game.

“It was a sad, sad day when I realized I was no longer a college athlete who could eat whatever she wanted. But the changes I was seeing in myself from crossfit was the motivation I needed to clean up my nutrition and now I can’t even imagine putting the things into my body that I use to (so many sweets, so many).”

Some of you may have noticed Kelsea helping with the Community of Strength Project at IA’s Fed Hill location on Thursday afternoons.

“Nicole happened to mention that Geo ran a nonprofit that allowed high schoolers from the community to come in and workout, and in a matter of minutes I was emailing Geo to see if I could help with the program. I feel very strongly about the role physical activity plays in the lives of kids. I have volunteered with ‘Girls on the Run’ in other cities I’ve lived in and got involved with a mentoring program called ‘Sisters Circle’ here in Baltimore. Through programs like these and Community of Strength, I’ve seen firsthand how developing kid’s strength translates to confidence, pride, and a healthier sense of self-worth, especially in young girls. That is my ‘why’. My ‘why’ for crossfit, my ‘why’ for keeping a healthy diet, my ‘why’ for how I conduct myself inside and outside of the gym. When I’m coaching and mentoring kids through my volunteer work I want to be the best possible example I can be. I want my mentee with Sister’s Circle, a young elementary school girl, and the young adults in Community of Strength to look at me and think that they can do anything and everything I can do because they are strong.”

Sister’s Circle is an after-school program in Baltimore City public elementary schools. If the girls stay in the program through 6th grade, they can then opt to be matched with a mentor. As a mentor, Kelsea acts as a resource, confidant, and pseudo sister to her mentee. Girls on the Run is also an after-school program that helps elementary school girls train for a 5k while employing lesson plans that teach problem solving, teamwork, and leadership. Kelsea has coached teams in Reading, PA and Arlington, VA.

“Coaching Girls on the Run in Reading was the first time I saw what programs like these do to empower young girls. My lacrosse team was volunteering to run with the girls in the program one day; I was running beside a third grade girl, who suddenly began to open up to me about her home life. She wasn’t in any sort of danger, but my heart still ached for her circumstances and as a young college student I wasn’t sure how to respond. I told her to keep running. I told her to stay in the Girls on the Run program. I knew what sports, weight training in particular, had done for my confidence and sense of self. I had this overwhelming feeling that if she could see what she was capable of, find her strength through this program, she could accomplish anything. I’ve been volunteering for organizations with similar missions ever since. I also just applied to be on the Young Professionals Board for PlayWorks Maryland, so keep your fingers crossed for me! That’s another great organization.”

 Kelsea bounces back and forth between both Industry Athletics locations, so when you see her in the gym give her a high-five (or a hug, she approves hugs) and consider sharing your why with her.

26 Oct 2018 Halloween Throwdown Workouts

WOD #1 –“Broomstick Total” 

23 Oct Halloween Throwdown Teams!

Hey Industry Athletics!

Here are the teams for this weekend’s Halloween Throwdown! Costumes are HIGHLY encouraged, so take the next few days to chat and coordinate! We can’t wait to see what you all come up with! The throwdown will start at 10am on Saturday October 27th at Crossfit Harbor East! If you are not participating, there will be 2 opportunities for you to get a WOD in:

7 Am DRIVE at CFH
8 Am DRIVE at CFHE

Halloween Teams:

Team 1
Adrienne Hojnowski
Alexandra Ledbetter
Brian Scott
Shanyil Wickramasinghe

Team 2
Alexander Khouri
Ashlee Benge
Gabrielle Judd
Imran Shaukat

Team 3
Anny Djahova
Hana Machover
Kent Hansen
Drew Morley

Team 4
James Weathers
James Costigan
Mallory Beck
Rene Esparza

Team 5
Tim Willman
nathan pascal
wendy morton
Laura Diebold

Team 6
Nathan Veliz
Jamie Buxton
Emma Folchman-Wagner
Maria Mojica

Team 7
Jesse Fink
Kellen Riley
Laura Vigliotti
Yevgeniy Mikhaylov

Team 8
Emily Mahoney
Kerry Ahearn
Joel Anderson
Ryan Grantham

Team 9
Chris Mate
Denise Fu
Fez Mabaquiao
Ashley Pham

Team 10
Megan Wall
Carey Taylor
Keith Locklear
Sean Costigan

Team 11
Derek Duvall
Hugh Green
Michele Rack
Sarah Matz

Team 12
Brian Ellis
Mao-Bin Shen
Paige Harrison
Stephanie Sandrino

Team 13
Ryan Rose
Taylor Wilson
Melissa Lambiasi
Jane McNaughten

Team 14
Marissa Martinez
Scott Preston
Scott Paddock
Kate Nolan

Team 15
Anthony Napolitano
Michael Salamon
Miranda Neal
Hilde Li

Team 16

Joy Lipinski
TJ Lipinski
Brittany Ghiroli
John Caine

Team 17
Mike Viggs
Candace Rubenstein
Alex Hall
Austin Clark

22 Oct Member Spotlight – Mom Strength!

You have probably seen super mom Nicole Aiken-Shaban around the gym at Federal Hill. She joined our family in 2017 after moving from Philly and entrenched herself in the gym and community from the start. Nicole’s story is slightly unique because the majority of the time she has been with us has been spent growing a human! She is a role model for us here in the gym as well as the picture of strength, dedication, and commitment to her new son, Zayne.

Nicole started CrossFit in Philly “as a way to get back into fitness after several years of (ineffectively) using apartment building gyms.  By the time I got pregnant, I was doing local CrossFit competitions for fun every couple months and making it to the regular classes 5 times a week.  About half a year before I got a pregnant, I started seeing a gymnastics coach for one-on-one work in an effort to get ring muscle ups, which I accomplished before getting pregnant.  My goals were to increase proficiency at the rings, finally learn kipping ring dips and butterfly pull-ups, and to handstand walk.  So, all the fun stuff!  Generally, I ate pretty well and would swing between counting macros strictly and tracking only protein closely.  I’m a senior associate at a large law firm, so making time for meal prep and the gym can be a challenge at times. ”

After learning she was pregnant she knew that keeping in shape and safely continuing her fitness routine was the best path for her. “I knew I had a limited time to continue to do the same movements and weights that I was used to using.  I began researching working out while pregnant, including reading the CrossFit Trainer’s Guide for pregnancy to understand potential modifications.  As I approached the second trimester, I began implementing those modifications and continued to add new ones as time went on.  My goal became to keep moving at the intensity my body would allow, while doing so in a deliberate fashion to try to reduce the post-partum diastasis as much as I could and to increase the likelihood of having a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth process.  I knew that exercise during pregnancy helped to reduce the risk of several issues, including gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, and it was important to me to continue to have some community and a physical outlet through the pregnancy.”

Now that Zayne is with us she has started the recovery process and is back in the gym regularly with classes and our Diapers and Dumbbells program! “Honestly, the transition from working out while pregnant to post-partum has been more challenging than I expected.  I wanted to start picking up the barbell and getting back into gymnastics movements right away because I had been carefully scaling them for the past 7 months.  But I was humbled to find my body needed more recovery than I expected, and that I would need to relearn some movements and retrain my core to function properly.  I started back at two weeks post-partum with very simple core and pelvic floor rehab work combined with some basic cardio.  It was a challenge, but I made sure to get to the gym when I had help at home in order to stick to that plan and “put in the work.”  Simple can be effective.  About 5 weeks post-partum, I joined a few Drive classes and at 7 to 8 weeks post-partum, I started regular CrossFit classes again.  I’m still scaling where needed, especially with core work, but the little accomplishments (did my first pistols in 8 months the other day!) keep me motivated to keep coming back.”

Finally I asked her if she had any advice for any new moms or anybody considering motherhood out in our community or elsewhere. “If your health and physician allow it, keep coming to the gym.  CrossFit is infinitely scalable.  While your intensity may decrease over the pregnancy, and you will need to scale some movements and weights to maintain better function long-term, exercise is important for your health, your baby’s health, and your ability to stay mentally together post-partum.  Remember that this is a time to be healthy and safe, and not to PR, and think long-term function over short-term gains.  If you have questions about what and when to scale certain movements, especially anything with core crunches (sit ups, T2B, etc.), ask your coaches or someone at the gym who has been down that path before.  And if your schedule allows, try the new Diapers and Dumbbells class at the gym – you’ll meet a great community of mothers and will learn about safe and effective core and pelvic floor exercises you can do while pregnant and afterward to retain function.  If you don’t have time to make the class, there are some other programs out there – I started with Street Parking’s program before the class started – that you should explore.”

If you see her around the gym give her a high five and keep a look out for baby Zanye. There is no doubt he will be in here before we can blink starting to string together butterfly pullups and heavy snatches!

17 Oct Charity Miles

Hey Team,

The Baltimore Running Festival is right around the corner! I thought it would be a perfect time to introduce you to an app on your phone that will donate some cash to charity as you complete your runs!  The app is called “Charity Miles” and works very much like a GPS run tracking app but with the added kick that $.25 cents per mile will be donated to over 40 different charities to choose from. It’s that simple!

Special thanks to IA member Ali Preiss for introducing me to this app! Now download and get to running!!

Love you guys!

David

16 Oct Congratulations Sarah!

Special Congratulations to Industry Athletics member Sarah Matz and her New Husband on their wedding this past weekend! We wish you all the best on this new chapter in your life!

12 Oct Member Spotlight: Fez Mabaquiao

Today we wanted to take a moment and congratulate Fez Mabaquiao on officially becoming a United States Citizen last month!

“ I am officially part of this great country. I can stand tall and proud whenever I see the flag, and I can be part of the longstanding traditions in the US. It feels awesome! It’s one of those feelings where you just say, “I’m finally here”. It’s kind of like finally reaching the top of the mountain.  It’s definitely been a journey but I’m happy that I finally made it. “ 

Fez officially moved to the United States in 2011. He had previously visited in 2005 and knew he wanted to work here, so decided to finish college here. He transferred to and graduated from Loyola University Maryland (Go Hounds!). After which, he managed to landed a job that would keep him in Baltimore and close to family.

Growing up, Fez had watched a lot of moves and shows based on life in the United States. These episodes and moves are what inspired him to look into the process of becoming a citizen.

“I remember watching TV commercials as a kid, and I was always jealous of seeing Fruity Pebbles on TV. We didn’t have that from where I’m from! Something as small as that sparked my goal to live here, and eventually become a citizen. As an adult, I can list so many different reasons but they all boil down to the way of life and the culture here. “

That being said:

“One thing that I love about this great nation is our freedom, and it is for this reason that people flock to this country. I believe freedom can have different definitions depending on the person, but the one common factor is we can exercise it. We must not forget that because of this freedom we have the opportunity to pursuit our goals. Whether you are striving to be the fittest or to be the next managing director of your team, you have the freedom to make these happen. It may not be easy but it can be achieved. “

The process to become a United States citizen is  not a an easy one. It’s a long, hard process to become one, and not something that happens overnight. In Fez’s situation, he had to wait at least five years to apply. During that time Fez spent time studying for the exam and joined crossfit.

“I started Crossfit back in January of 2017. I can still remember foundations, and my first class after that!”

The family he’s made here at Industry Athletics actually played an important role in the entire process.

“A lot of my friends quizzed me for the test, and cheered me on! All of them wished me luck on the day of my interview, and they congratulated me right after I passed!  After my oath taking, we all wod-ed in red, white and blue! It was so cool to see them all support me that day. They felt extremely excited for me to be finally American! We then went out for burgers that night. I definitely felt the love from my Crossfit family.”