I played soccer year round and recreational softball in the summers from the age of 5 until I graduated high school. As a college student, I would make it to the gym usually once a week, eat like shit, drink and pull all nighters studying for exams. I somehow was lucky enough not to gain 30+ pounds (as most college students do) throughout those long 5 1/2 years. But looking back, I was the definition of "skinny fat". When I moved back home and got a "real job" the first thing I did after I got my first paycheck was sign up at a gym. I joined a small gym with my sister where they had kettlebell, boxing and boot camp classes. That was the time I became obsessed with weights and group fitness classes. I was there for about a year then I moved to Woodbury and was looking for a new gym to join. My best friend Nicole did CrossFit at CrossFit 1080 and she thought I would really like the idea of CrossFit and the intense workouts. I signed up for the 4 week intro to CrossFit class in December 2015 and became an official member of CrossFit 1080 (now Torque Strength and Conditioning) January 2016.
It has now been 3 years since I have started doing CrossFit and I can't imagine doing any other kind of workout at this point in my life. As much as I bitch and moan on a daily basis (sorry to my 9:30AM workout buddies and my husband), I am obsessed. There is nothing better than lifting heavy weights and literally feel like you are about to die after every.single.workout.
This past summer, I started to become frustrated with my numbers not going up, slowing down in metcons, and I started experiencing pain in my right knee. I think Tyler finally got annoyed of my complaining and told me I should get the full body assessment done, multiple times. I was hesitant at first, only because I was nervous of what the results were going to be. I finally caved and got my assessment done by Tyler on July 31st of this year. Aaaaaaaand we were VERY surprised. We started doing the assessment and the first thing Tyler said was..."Has anyone ever told you that you have scoliosis?" To say the least, I freaked out. Tyler completed the assessment and encouraged me to see Lars.
I saw Lars a few days later and I showed him pictures from my assessment, he confirmed that I have adult onset scoliosis. My first reaction was I wouldn't be able to continue working out, I'm not going to be able to walk normal and I am going to have all these back problems. The weird part is, I didn't have any back pain, which was reassuring. Lars instructed me to keep doing what I am doing, try to even out my left side and be concerned when and if I have back pain. Tyler gave me my assessment results with specific programming, including A LOT of accessory work...YAY my favorite...
It has now been 4.5 months since my assessment. The first 2.5 months I was very consistent and was completing my accessory work after CrossFit classes about 3-4 times a week, with the help of Tyler's nagging and me being freaked out with the thought of having scoliosis. These past 2 months....not so much and I don't have any excuses for it. My numbers have FINALLY been increasing this fall/winter and I have been doing better in the metcons, doing most of them prescribed. Last week, I was curious if I had made any progress since this summer. Again...I was very surprised with the results. After seeing the improvement on my back, all of the accessory work has finally paid off. As you can see in the pictures, my right side was way over developed compared to my left side. Also, the curvature in my lower spine was way more significant.
To sum up my ramblings, I strongly encourage each person at Torque Strength and Conditioning to get a full body assessment completed by Tyler. I understand how people would think "how can we possibly do more accessory work?", but TRUST ME - it works! You will be shocked about how much your body is out of wack. With the specific programming from Tyler, we were able to get my entire left side just as strong as my right side. Before the assessment I wasn't able to fire my left glute, which was making my left hip pop with any squatting. Now, my hips are even with squats and my numbers have increased significantly. I now use more of my lats and pecs instead of my traps when it comes to all CrossFit movements.
My worst fear is getting hurt and not being able to continue to do CrossFit. Now that I have been working on my weaknesses and evening my body out through accessory work, I am more confident in CrossFit movements and everyday feel like a badass. I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I am getting there! I hope to continue doing CrossFit for the sake of my sanity oh AND my scoliosis :)
Results pictures below!
