For athletes, lifting is a major part of their routine: lifting weights makes an athlete stronger, faster and more capable of performing for longer periods of time. Recently, five students at Yutan have taken their lifting routine to a new level with CrossFit training at Crossfit Kinesis.

Two of the students who have found this passion for CrossFit are junior Gabi Tederman and senior Bella Tederman. Both Tederman sisters started doing CrossFit with their dad since he was always in the gym.

  “My dad was the reason I started going to the gym. He has probably been going there for probably five years, and he has been a real inspiration for me,” Gabi said.

The Tederman sisters have actually been CrossFit training for several years. They started training when COVID first happened and have continued this training over the last few years.

“So I started CrossFit training—my version of it—when I was in eighth grade during lockdown,” Bella said. “My dad actually was the inspiration for Gabi and I to lift during lockdown. He always wants us to be the best of ourselves every day.” 

The Tedermans have been joined recently by senior Maycee Hays, senior Maura Tichota and sophomore Mylee Tichota. The main reason these girls decided to try CrossFit was for a new experience with lifting.

“Lifting at Kinesis has made me love lifting so much more. Every time I go into the gym, I feel like I learned something new, and when I leave, I feel like I accomplished so many different things,” Hays said.

Having friends join them has added to the experience the Tedermans were having.

“Having our dad to lift with was really nice, but it was really special to see all of my friends come and lift with Bella and I for a while,” Gabi said. “They were going through some of the same stuff for lifting with me, so just having each other’s backs and supporting each other meant a lot.”

  According to the athletes, CrossFit and regular weight training have some key differences. For example, CrossFit incorporates cardio in many of the workouts while during regular weight training, athletes have to do cardio outside of lifting.

“Crossfit was really intense when I was training. I wasn’t used to having the cardio part of a workout, so the workouts made me so tired and they were so exhausting,” said Maura.

Another key difference for CrossFit training is that it focuses on multiple muscle groups during the workouts, while most weight training focuses on one specific muscle group for that workout. At the CrossFit gym, the athletes also said they each spent multiple sessions on proper form and how to do different lifts.

“Crossfit is very technical, and all the coaches there at the gym make sure that you’re doing it right before you challenge yourself, and they make sure our form and technique is right before we put any weight on the bar,” said Mylee.

The athletes have noticed an impact from these new workouts, the major difference being how their bodies feel after training.

“I only lifted for two months at Crossfit, but I noticed a major change in the way my body was feeling. I was jumping higher and running faster on the basketball and volleyball court. I was stronger and I was moving so much better than I was,” said Maura.

The way these athletes were training, they also discovered mental benefits.

“It’s definitely made me more mentally tough, and the community part of it is the best. So I’ve also expanded my social circle a lot because there’s a ton of great people at the gym and I’ve gotten to be good friends with lots of them,” said Gabi.

According to the athletes, the CrossFit community is another benefit of their training.

“No matter how hard the workout was, the person next to you will push you through the workout. The CrossFit community is just great. The people are just great, and you want to keep going back and getting better every time you’re there,” said Mylee.

Because of the good experiences these athletes have had, they would encourage other athletes to try adding something new to their workout routine.

“I would say if you don’t feel like you’re getting as much as you can where you’re at, then go and try something new,” said Hays. “Once I tried something new, I gained more knowledge and confidence in lifting.”