As a CrossFit trainer, we don’t have a continuing education requirement. If you want to do it, go for it. If not, ehh, no big deal – just retake your test in five years and you’ll be fine…

Yeah, I don’t think it should work like that. Continuing education is a big deal for me. I sought to increase my level of responsibility and knowledge with my career, so worked my butt off and earned a master’s degree. Why shouldn’t I apply the same dedication to CrossFit? Yes, its expensive, but its an investment and myself and my future gym. I’m doing it, case closed.

My biggest challenge at first was like OMG, there are like, for sure way too many options! Do I want to be a certified personal trainer? Yes, okay. Wait which accrediting body is the “best?” Same question with kettlebell. Switch my game plan, maybe I’ll take a CrossFit Seminar. Now its, which specialty: defense, endurance, football, goal setting, gymnastics… there’s fifteen choices. Okay, calm down. Take my time. Read more.

USA Weightlifting, boom. Pick up and put down heavy $hit, fast. We have ourselves a winner! I love lifting heavy stuff and think I’m pretty decent at it. But what I am lacking is specific technical tools to understand how to improve my own form and more importantly those that I am instructing. The specific cues and directions I can use with members to help them improve in form and function.

The USAW Level 1 Sport Performance Coach certification is a weekend long course where they scare the pants off of you (or maybe just me) about the test you must pass in order to receive the certification. Time is spent actively practicing the moves, watching videos, listening to lectures and coaching other participants through the moves. Spending both full days with a focus on only two lifts was an excellent structure to the course. Auxiliary movements were covered later on the second day – guess what, we squatted. How totally weird for a CrossFitter… J Overall I learned a lot from the weekend and I am very excited to start putting it into practice.

To add to my USAW immersion experience and taking CrossFit’s advice of “regularly try and learn new sports,” the week prior to my cert I participated in a USAW sanctioned Olympic lifting meet. CrossFitters are all go! go! go! (really more like: 3, 2, 1, GO! but close enough). In an Olympic lifting meet, there’s a lot of sitting. And waiting. And performing six total lifts on a platform. AND HAVING TO LEARN TO CALCULATE KILOGRAMS ON THE FLY (again, maybe just me on that one). Same exact sentiment as the with the cert though, overall a great experience.

Now as athlete and coach, I feel more competent in my ability to perform and instruct these movements. I could have taken the CF Oly cert, but why not expand your horizons? It’s like visiting another box, you get to see their take on things and make an informed decision about what works best for you.

Okay, full circle here. I’m not done learning! The continuing ed continues! I’m already signed up for two more certs, these two are CrossFit specialty seminars and I cannot wait. January 12-13 CrossFit Powerlifting at Coca CrossFit in North Ridgeville, OH and this one I’m super pumped about, December 8-9 CROSSFIT KIDS at CrossFit Chicago. Guess what that means future members… :)

With so much changing or in the works over the last few weeks, it was hard to think about which subject to write a blog post about. Therefore, I fell silent. I didn’t want to go on and be thrilled about one subject, when another was looming in a cloud over my mind. While this sounds full of despair, it should be taken in both a positive and negative light.

Tricia and I have left CrossFit Cleveland to be able to devote more time towards building our own gym. That really is thrilling news that I am ecstatic to be able to share. We have decided that it is time to spread our wings and look to a new direction and are just really, really excited.

With this great news comes the flip side. We are no longer at CrossFit Cleveland. So today, I want to say thank you and see you soon.

In May, 2009 I first walked into CrossFit Cleveland and had little clue how much my life would change because of it. I started in the Free Saturday morning class. Came once and signed up for an Executive Class starting a month later. I was terrified and needed to ease into it. I was out of shape. Had barely been exercising for years and when I tried, it didn’t last long.

I remember the first time I ran 500m without stopping. For a former track athlete, that should have been embarrassing, but I was proud. It led to a Turkey Trot with a fellow CF’er in November and my first half marathon the following spring. I did my first unassisted pullup on December 15, 2009. Flipping out because no one else was on my side of the gym when it happened, I did sixteen more that night showing anyone who would watch. I remember Bill cutting off my deadlift at 225lbs the first time I went for a 1RM. I had a lot of firsts because of CrossFit Cleveland.

None of which would mean half as much were it not for the people. There are too many of you to thank, the list would overwhelm the page. Spending three years at CF Cleveland, it was incredibly hard to leave without saying goodbye.  Just as Tricia and I have exciting things going on, so does CrossFit Cleveland. We wish everyone at CrossFit Cleveland the best of luck in all your future endeavors as we hope you do for Tricia and I.

The point is, thank you and see you soon. It’s not goodbye. Tricia and I are here and we will be. All of the firsts that I experienced for myself and watched all of the members go through at CrossFit Cleveland, I cannot wait to see happen in our future gym.

Jillian

Last note, I started this off with confusion over what to write about. My silence has not been inactivity, in fact I have too many topics to cover. Check back soon for recaps over my first foray in USA Weightlifting, a recent certification I’ve earned, upcoming ones I’m hoping to, some milestones for me in weight loss and of course updates on Tricia & I’s next great adventure, the gym :)