It's Not Just Bros and Barbells

My Christmas break was quite... relaxing for lack of a better word. I watched eight seasons of Grey's Anatomy and accomplished about 0.000521% of my goals for winter break. I had all these great plans like getting a gym membership and hiking the Appalachian Trail. Instead, I did what many college students do best: laid around and watched Netflix. To be honest, I was pretty appalled at my behavior. I am a typically high-energy, high-productivity, but occasionally likes to take a walk followed by a nap kind of gal. Basically, I'm a golden retriever puppy.

Once the New Year rolled around, though, I was determined to turn my winter break around. I made resolutions like rewriting my notes after class to make studying easier and hitting the gym six days a week. Well, New Year's resolutions suck and they never work, at least for me. So, after the first week of class, I was back to my typical take notes during class, do homework, and study from a glance or two across the notebook page. I also found myself skipping the gym every chance I got.

However, I decided to make a change. One of my good friends down the hall talked about going to Cross Fit pretty often (as in three or four days of the week) last semester. I asked her about it, and she was super excited to take me along. The thing is, her muscles are huge and my arms are relatable to pretzel sticks. Let's just say I was pretty intimidated.

Casual picture of me thinking about barbells and heavy lifting - picture credit to Apple GIFs

Winter break left me in a cheerful mood, though, so I told myself to toughen up and try it out. 

Cross Fit workouts happen in the Wagner building, which is connected to the ROTC dorms. First of all, I hoped that I wouldn't be doing any military grade workouts. When I got to the door, the music was pounding out some crazy head banging stuff. I had to laugh; this atmosphere was pretty much what I expected. When I got inside, there was a multitude of barbells, racks, ropes, boxes, kettle bells, and tons and tons of barbell plates. I was in for some heavy lifting. 

My first workout consisted of a lot of learning. There were so many new moves and ways to lift a barbell that I never would have imagined. The first thing I learned was deadlifting (AKA was I going to be dead?). Deadlifting went much better than I expected it to, and after four years of high school sports, my legs were up to the challenge. 

After the workout, I was pretty much hooked. I had tried other club sports last semester, and many times the girls had already formed cliques and I didn't feel very welcome. Cross Fit was just the opposite. Everyone was welcoming and began to cheer me on during workouts (once they learned my name). 

I began working out in Wagner about three days a week and for the first few weeks, I was pretty shy. Me? Shy? Who would've guessed? I had made friends with the other athletes that were new, but there weren't many of us, and I looked up to the older girls who could lift heavy and were pretty experienced. 

As I began coming to more workout and going to a couple of events outside of regular workouts (including a THON event called Kettle Bells for Kids), I began to gain the friendship that I was seeking. 

All of the girls in the club are friendly and really excited about the progress I'm making. They're the ones I lean on when I'm struggling through a workout, trying a new skill, or have a question about how to do something or how much weight to use. I have gained a new Penn State family. 

Me and My New Friends

This past week, we had a relatively easy workout and I stayed late to work on some new skills. I sat down on the mat to take my sneakers off and change into snow boots, and I sparked a conversation with one of the older girls who was also a coach. We began talking about the workout, and then the conversation shifted toward what classes I was taking and what my interests were. We talked about what we did over the weekend and just enjoyed each other's company. I was getting ready to leave and she stopped me. 

"Do you want a ride home?"

It was 20 degrees outside and the ground was covered in snow. Heck yeah I would rather be driven back to my dorm than walk half a mile. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! Of course, come on. Let's go!"

I hopped in her car and off we went. She saved me half a mile and ten minutes of walking in the cold. I would say that was a win. 

Her random act of kindness was very touching for me because such a small gesture made me feel welcome and cared for. She may have thought, why not? I'm going that way anyway, but to me, it was a gesture that solidified our friendship and made me feel like a comfortable piece of the Cross Fit family. 

The group of friends I have made through Cross Fit and the workouts themselves have given me so much joy and energy this semester, and we're only a few weeks in. I can already tell my body is making progress, and I'm lifting more weight and feeling more comfortable with the movements. I have a core group of girls that I can lean on and hangout with. Overall, my heart is happy for the people and the opportunities I am surrounded by. 

I know as a freshman, I am the newbie in most situations, but I hope to remember this moment in the future when I am an upperclassman. I hope I remember what this small gesture meant to me and the impact that it made on my experience. I hope that each and everyone of us will reach out and make the newbies feel comfortable because feeling welcome and cared for is one of the most comforting feelings there is.