Fran Mason

fran@crossfitseattle.com
206-612-8464

- CrossFit Trainer Certified: Level I
- National Strength and Conditioning Association - Certified Personal Trainer
  (NSCA-CPT)
- Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Certified
Interests: biking, hiking and gardening

Interview with Fran:

Q: Fran, how did you find out about CrossFit Seattle (formerly CrossFit North)? And what made you decide to check us out?

A: I found CrossFit North on the Internet while searching for unusual workouts. My husband had been doing Brazilian jiujitsu so he was interested in unusual workouts as well, especially ones that would be safer for his knees, and we ended up finding this gym. I looked at the pictures of all the cool equipment that CFN had, and as soon as I saw the rings hanging from the ceiling, and the pommel horse, and the pull-up bars, I knew I had to see it for myself. My husband read about the workouts and they appealed to him because they seemed so challenging.

Q: What kind of sports and fitness background do you have?

A: I never played sports at all in school. Probably the only time I ever played a sport was sand volleyball occasionally during the past five years. I always felt klutzy and sports disadvantaged and I never knew the rules, even to softball. I was kind of a disaster that way but I was always into bike riding and running home from school and climbing trees. I have always been into bicycle commuting and recreational riding. I also love yard projects, including ones that require heavy lifting. Since I can remember, I've been really active and into being strong, but I never had a system for staying that way. As I got older, I realized that wasn't an adequate way to maintain my fitness.

Q: What did you learn about yourself, fitness wise, that you didn't know before you started working out at CrossFit Seattle?

I didn't know that there was a way to work things like flexibility while you were still getting a really good workout. It seemed that if you wanted to work on flexibility you had to do yoga. Instead I found that I can learn to squat on my heels like a toddler without spending hours doing nothing but stretches. I also learned that despite the fact that I was fairly fit from other activities I had been doing, I was able to gain a lot of upper body strength pretty fast. That's especially nice for females since we tend to have a disadvantage regarding upper body strength.

Q: What are some of your fitness goals right now?

A: I'm trying to improve my squat. Not necessarily in the sense of lifting a lot of weight, but just being able to keep my weight on my heels and keep my back straight. It takes a long time to perfect a squat. In fact I don't remember ever being able to do that even as a kid. I always squatted on my toes. So it's strangely compelling to me to be able to squat on my heels – but now I also know how important squatting is to the athletic movements that build strength. A better squat is an ongoing goal.

I also would like to run better.

Q: What in your words does CrossFit mean?

A: CrossFit is short, hard workouts that leave me flat on my back even though it didn't take more than maybe ten or fifteen minutes to do it. It's also camaraderie, personal attention and encouragement. And it's adventure because I never know what I am going to be doing until I get there.

Q: What's one thing you would tell someone who is considering trying out CrossFit?

A: Just do it, man, just do it! It can be a little intimidating when you see the workout written on the board you are about to do but there is always a way to do it. All the exercises can be modified for you and there is always a way you can get through it. Even though it's challenging and demanding, the atmosphere is very supportive and there is never any sense of someone cracking the whip and trying to make you do something you can't do. As hard as it might be to believe, when you look at some of the workouts, that this is the fitness program for you, it really is a friendly place to be and you really CAN do it!