Is working out for me?

The Old Town Athletic Club in Fort Collins has been a place for many people to go and feel confident in their bodies and have support when working out. However, it is known mostly for CrossFit. which as some may know can be a very male-dominated sport. I had the opportunity to go and talk to Stephanie Saxe who is a CrossFit coach there and hear her opinion on what it is like being a coach

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: I am a mental health therapist and talk to other people and help them find a good fit for working out.

Q: How long have you been a CrossFit coach and how did you get into it?

A: Have been coaching in Fort Collins for about 3 years, doing cross-fit since 2010. I played college softball (for a private school in Minneapolis) and started coaching people there. Found cross-fit after being an athlete and really loved it.

Q: Have you seen a small percentage of women in the gym In Northern Colorado or have you seen other gyms with a small percentage too?

A: It is defiantly increasing. They (women) say they really enjoy their yoga, CrossFit, mountain biking, and hiking there is a strong presence of women here at OTAC.

Q: What is it like to be a coach in such a male-dominated area? How has that impacted how you coach?

A: I love coaching general. I love coaching women, they have better body movement, and they have mobility and flexibility. Women can come to that more quickly than men. It’s so cool to see how they catch on so quickly. It’s so cool getting to see women do their first pull-ups and the surprise women get when they see their results.

Q: How would you say women are performing in Crossfit?

A: Women are surely dominating men in CrossFit.

Q: Anything else you’d like to say?

A: It’s really cool to watch the sport, women can get intimidated in men-dominated sports. But men get intimidated watching women in cross-fit, at least in my gym.

Saxe seems to have a really good feel for where CrossFit is going even though traditionally this was a male-dominated sport. It seems to be that it’s slowly changing, especially at OTAC.

I got the feeling after the interview that no matter how big or strong, whether you are a male or female, young or old. If you are white, or of color, OTAC has an environment that promotes positivity and a higher level of fitness at any stage of life that you may be at. It’s a place that you may go to strengthen yourself and feel good about what you accomplished.