Member Of The Month – May 2023
Our April MOTM award goes to the lovely Jess Wong!
Jess is such a kind, friendly lovely person, always smiling in our classes, and has fitted into M Squared perfectly since she joined over 2 years ago. She has made so much progress but recently has been absolutely smashing it – nailing her gymnastics: linking pull ups, and toes to bar, her lifts are getting really strong and her technique is coming on leaps and bounds, and she is always a pleasure to have around. She always gets fully involved with events too and doesn’t take herself too seriously, yet all the while being totally coachable and taking on board everything the coaches tell her. So lets find out a bit more about her and her CrossFit journey so far!
M – How long have you been doing CrossFit?
JW – I tried the beginner’s course in October 2020 and although I’ve always exercised, I was a total beginner at CrossFit. I had always been interested in trying it and at that time during covid I was working from home for the majority of the time, so it was as a good opportunity to try it and reason to get out. I didn’t ever anticipate to love it as much as I do now.
M– What class time do you usually attend and why does that work for you?
JW – Totally depends on work as I am away for half the week. My favourite time is 12pm when I’m working from home as I feel like it gets me away from my desk and always a nice break to see friendly faces. Otherwise 7:15 or 9:30, basically very rarely an evening as I struggle to train later, especially in winter. Not always being here means weekends are very much part of my weekly training especially the 8am class – always a great atmosphere and nice to work in partners.
M– What is your why? Why do you put yourself through it each day? Do you have goals you want to achieve?
JW – For me, CrossFit is as much of a mental release as much as a physical. I love the feeling after (not always during) but it’s the time where I don’t / can’t think of anything other than the workout written on the board. The energy of the class and coaches will always carry you through making you feel good no matter how you felt to begin with.
Physically I keep going because of the strength it has given me which I never realised I had; the small wins of an increment in weight or working on improving a technique even in the dreaded snatch is the reason I keep going. CrossFit feels unique in that there’s always room for improvement which I love and moving the goalpost a little bit more.
My goals for this year are butterfly pull ups and double unders and also to enter a competition, the summer comp will be my first 😬 !
M – What advice would you give anyone wanting to start CrossFit but is either unsure or nervous? We get people all the time saying they need to get fit first or they could never do what we do? Any advice for those people?
JW – Everyone does look and move incredibly so initially I found that intimidating as it was so new to me but now, I find it really inspiring and the coaching is so, so thorough and motivating ! I quickly learnt that everyone goes to MSQD for their own reasons and are all abilities / levels and when you’re in that space together everyone is always your biggest cheerleader!
Secondly, I would say you have to give it time – the changes / improvements aren’t always noticeable straight away but it’s also a reason to keep going.
(And your top will come off at some point no matter what you think when you start 🤣)
M – What is your biggest achievement so far in CrossFit and what are you most proud of?
JW – Learning where your glutes are 🤣 MOTM is a massive achievement because it was totally unexpected, I genuinely look at everyone else with such admiration so this acknowledgment is huge for me. Much love to everyone!! Jess x
M – Love this Jess! So glad to hear you’ve learned where your glutes are too! 😉 Thanks for being such a star and always bringing good vibes! And looking forward to seeing you compete in our July comp this summer! You’re going to smash it.
