Posy has been a member at CrossFit Queen Street since 2016. She started doing strength training workouts with Gage and transitioned to taking classes in April 2016. Initially, Posy started strength training because she was sick of running, not seeing progress, and wanted to be able to do more with her body. After starting classes her motivations changed. Posy finds the social aspect of training in a group one of her favorite parts of the gym and uses training as a way to stay fit, and learn more about herself. Currently, Posy trains at 5:30am and takes class 5x/week. In addition to class she does 1-2 hours of extra training.

Posy exemplifies the traits we look for in athletes. She understands the process, is consistent, hardworking, positive, and coachable. Since starting CrossFit Posy has made progress in all areas. On top of her general training, Posy is currently focusing on developing her bodyweight strength and rowing with the goals of a strict muscle-up and reaching 1 million meters before her 25th birthday.

What do you eat on a typical day?

 A lot. 

Today, for example:
4:30am Black coffee. Scrambled eggs (2 eggs, 2 egg whites), two pieces of bacon, 1 cup of sautéed kale, a banana, strawberries
7:00am post-workout rice pudding (arborio rice and vanilla protein powder with creatine) 
9:00am Lunch #1- sugar peas, pepper, gnocchi, and chicken with pesto
12:00pm Lunch #2- salmon and quinoa salad (with broccoli, cucumber, peppers, raisins). A banana and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Another black coffee ;)
6:00pm Dinner- Salmon and rice with bok choy and kimchi
and then I taste-tested the bread I made for the motionball bake sale.

Have you changed the way you eat since you began CrossFit, If so, how?

It is night and day.

Before I started working out, my diet was a lot of vegetables, rice, lentils, and oats. While ate very few refined or processed carbohydrates and mostly whole foods, my macronutrient balance was definitely not good for me. I sometimes joke that my daily calories were probably 50% peanut butter. I had low iron (barely ate meat) and was tired all the time. 

After integrating more protein and carbs into my diet I am like a whole new woman! 

I am lucky that I genuinely like cooking and have always enjoyed eating vegetables and a wide variety of foods. Recently, I am trying to be more experimental in my cooking and getting my food from better quality sources.

How do you like to rest and recover? 

I am all about naps and baths. I go through epsom salts at an alarming rate. My all-time favourite thing is having a nap followed by a bath with a coffee- it is relaxing and energizing and just the best. 

I also make sure to get outside for a walk every day.

What improvements have you made in the past 6 months that you are most proud of? 

I honestly think the improvement that matters the most to me is working to change my back squat technique. I struggle quite a bit with squatting, and after taking some time trying to put more weight on it (and being unsuccessful), I realized I needed to take a step back and fix my movement. It still isn't perfect, and I haven't PRed my squat (yet), but it feels so much better, and I feel much more confident in all squatting movements (there are a lot of those in CrossFit). It also helps to have Callum call me out on my squat depth every time they come up in class.

Do you currently have a main focus or goals with your training? 

After injuring my shoulder last year, I decide to focus on getting better at rowing. Something that is awesome about CrossFit is that there is always something you can work on, even if you have certain movement limitations. In September, I set a goal to row 1,000,000m on the erg before my 25th birthday (June 10). I am getting close! I have 78,810m to go. If anyone is interested in getting help with their rowing- I recommend you ask Coach Lauren when she gets back! Her cues made a big difference for me. Also a great idea to check out the Athlete Resources page: http://www.crossfitqueenstreet.com/rowing

Another current focus has been my upper body strength. At the beginning of this year I asked Callum to help me with my gymnastics, with the goal of getting a strict muscle-up and making my shoulders stronger in all planes. This has been very rewarding, and I have felt huge benefit in all other areas of my training and even day-to-day life.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as an athlete?

I think my two greatest strengths as an athlete are that I am compliant and curious. When I trust a coach, I will try to do basically anything they say. I am very good at sticking with a pace/rep range/workout strategy if a coach tells me I can do it. On the flip side, I am also a very curious person. I think that this curiosity helps me in my training, in that I am often looking to understand more about what I am doing and how things work. I think this helps me get more out of my training.

What is one thing that you do every day that you feel is essential in contributing to your success in the gym?

My mornings are almost comically routine, which I feel they have to be when you wake up at 4:15am. Every morning, I practice my French for 10 minutes. While I am pretty good at doing things that other people tell me to do, sometimes I struggle with the things that I am only accountable to myself for. Even though practicing French is more relevant to my school goals than training goals (I study French art), the consistency of that habit makes me feel productive and capable.

If you could give yourself one piece of advice when you started CrossFit, what would it be? 

There is no rush! Really, no rush. When I started CrossFit, I would get anxious if I took time off to travel or because I was sick. I feared that I everything I had improved upon or had gained would vanish immediately (like a fitness Cinderella). Now, I have the confidence to know that I have the rest of my life to do wall-balls and burpees and power snatches. I have faith in the long game, and faith in myself that I won't stop training. When I take time off to travel, I work-out for fun, not because I am worried about losing fitness or habits.

Do you have a favourite quotation or mantra related to training?  

My first mantra when I started CrossFit and WODs were just brutal to the point where I didn't think I would finish, I would tell myself: "This is fun and you like doing it." I always kept in mind that I this was something I chose to do, and that I honestly be thankful that I have the ability to do it. I also enjoyed the dark humour of telling myself to have fun when I felt like dying. 

Now, when things get tough, especially if I am doing some long endurance workout, I tell myself either: "This is where it counts," "This is the test," "This is where you make the money," or something along those lines. Instead of distracting myself from the pain, I try to savour it, if that makes sense. It might sound crazy, but I feel like there are few opportunities in my very comfortable life to fully experience true challenge or effort like that.