Girls Gone WOD Podcast

The 2014 CrossFit Games Season officially starts TODAY! We know that a lot of you are either on the fence about signing up, or are signed up and are more than a little nervous about what’s going to happen. But don’t worry! It’s just the Open, and you are going to kick ass! In this episode, Claire & Joy also revisit a few past conversations, like that one time we spent an entire episode judging the Biggest Loser winner, then spent the next episode talking about how you shouldn’t judge people. Last but not least, we give some updates about our life goals, especially about that whole having kids thing, and realize that sometimes you need to talk about really personal stuff, even if it gives you a little anxiety. Who, us? Get anxiety? Never!

It’s time for another therapy sesh. Joy is stressing about her next life “phase” and Claire is considering Law School… but on the bright side, we both PR’d our front squats this week! In this episode, we talk about a listener who’s been told she should stop lifting weights because she looks “too masculine,” and about how if any of our friends ever told us that, we would politely smack them in the face. We also talk about how to know when you’re ready to take the next step in your life, and realize there is no such thing as being 100% prepared for anything, ever. Last but not least, Rich Froning posts a picture of his new puppy in the middle of the episode, and let’s just say that Joy’s reaction is exactly what you’d expect.

Claire has been out of the gym for 10 days because of a chest cold, which is lame. But she did learn that while Tylenol PM knocks her out, Nyquil makes her realize she knows all the words to the entire Spice World CD. Other important revelations are made in this episode as well, like the fact that Claire is still apathetic about the Open, Joy is still trying to process the Biggest Loser finale scandal with the contestant who may or may not have an eating disorder (but is that really our business?), and we also talk about Joy’s woes with starting a new Wellness Committee at work. But the most important revelation is that Joy finds out that butt implants are a thing. Who knew (Hint: not Joy)!

One of GGW’s biggest fans, Chris G., comes on the show to ask the follow-up questions every fan has been wondering: How’s being an omnivore going for Joy? How does Claire actually eat all those organ meats? Where do we see ourselves in our CrossFit career in 7 years? What do we eat on our cheat days? And, once and for all, why Lulu? Answers to these questions and many more, plus a discussion about the balance between when to push it and be challenged, and when to play it safe in a WOD. It’s an interview, within an interview. Like Inception. Whoa.

The Open is coming, The Open is coming! The CrossFit Games season means something different for everyone, and in this episode Joy & Claire answer listener questions about how to approach the Open, from tackling your first ever Open WOD to reconciling unreasonable goals. The moral of the story? Let the 2014 Games season be whatever you need it to be, and just let it flow. We also talk about how to WOD with a partner with a different ability level and how to get out of the January/February diet slump. Hint: Entire bags of Paleo People Snacks are involved.

Want to know a secret? Even though Joy and Claire always talk about how CrossFit helps us appreciate our big shoulders and CrossFit booties, we still have days where we try to squeeze into our old skinny jeans and fail miserably… and we think, for just a second, “Maybe I should stop weightlifting.” Body insecurities don’t go away overnight, and in this episode we talk how to cope with those moments. We also start the episode out talking a LOT about leggings, so if you are the type of person who zones out when we talk about clothes, you should prob just fast forward to about Minute 19.

Have you ever tried knee sleeves? What about Natural Grips? Do you swear by oly shoes or do you lift in Chucks? This episode is all about the CrossFit accessories we love to WOD with. We also discuss the fact that apparently 50% of female Marines can’t do 3 pull-ups, which is silly. Oh yeah, and registration for the Open just started, and we think you should sign up. Yep it’s true, this episode is actually mostly about CrossFit! We know, it’s been a while. And ok, we also talk about manicures and lip liner, but only a little bit.

You guys! Claire got married! It’s been a pretty crazy couple of weeks over in her world, and if you were waiting for the play-by-play of the wedding, you’ve come to the right place. We also talk about the Wedding WOD that Claire and Brandon submitted their families to, which was pretty great. Oh yeah, Christmas and New Year’s just happened too, so we chat a little about New Year’s Resolutions, and Joy gives some therapist-worthy advice (oh right, Joy is actually a therapist!) on how to not overthink your life.

Merry Christmas from Joy and Claire! In this episode, we chat about weightlifting, including why sparkly weightlifting shoes are clearly more helpful than normal ones and why power shoulders are seriously underrated. We get serious for a little bit, talking about Joy’s work with the students at Arapahoe High School following the recent shooting, and why CrossFit is so great for turning off your mind at the end of a hard week. Claire also admits that she has a new girl crush… but don’t worry, she’ll never replace Christmas Abbott. It is Christmas, after all.

Lindsey Marcelli is smart, ambitious, and has a CrossFit booty that Joy and Claire are both jealous of… so obviously, we wanted to have her on the podcast! A former member of the Army, Lindsey dove headfirst into CrossFit as a coach on her Army base, and now co-owns CrossFit Eminence in north Denver with her husband, Kris. She loves planning competitions and holding seminars at her gym, and gets to travel around the region as a sales rep for Kill Cliff. We wanted to know what it was like to be a woman in not just a male-dominated sport, but a male-dominated industry, as well. Her answer? I guess you’ll have to listen to find out!

What do you say when your uncle asks why you aren’t eating any stuffing at Christmas dinner? What do you do if it’s too cold to get out of bed, let alone go WOD? How do you get better at box jumps if your shins can’t heal between falls? And most importantly, where’s your drink? One drink when Claire says “Yaay!” One drink when Joy has “a moment.” One drink when JT interrupts the podcast. I hope you didn’t have any plans tomorrow.

Extra special bonus episode! We had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Evans, Captain in the USAF. While on a deployment in Kabul Afghanistan in 2011/2012, she was diagnosed with Stage III Spindle Cell Osteosarcoma (bone cancer originating in left hip) and was medivac’d to Brooke Army Medical Center for treatment. Sarah underwent aggressive chemotherapy and radiation and eventually the amputation of her left leg at the hip in order for the best chance of survival. She has now been “cancer free” for 18 months, with a fairly good prognosis, but will continue being monitored for a few more years. Sarah has been crossfitting at Alamo Crossfit for four months now thanks to the non-profit Transition Possible which pays for wounded warrior scholarships to crossfit gyms in San Antonio.  

It finally happened. We made a podcast about periods, and we are not sorry. Ok, we only actually talk about them for a few minutes, but still. In this episode, Claire also recaps her CrossFit Level 1 Trainer seminar, and talks about the most important points that she took away from the weekend, and Joy admits that she fell asleep at 8pm on Thanksgiving. We also have a very important discussion about the ideal substance to fill a piñata with, because obviously the answer is NOT just boring candy.

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s time for a goal check-in with Joy and Claire! We realize that making goals can be a funny thing, and that sometimes not accomplishing a goal can actually clarify what you really want. And, you know, if that doesn’t work, you can always just fake it ’til you make it… which, as Claire is learning on her 26th birthday this week, is apparently the secret to being an adult. Who knew?

It’s almost Thanksgiving! Do you stick to healthy eating or do you throw caution to the wind and eat pie for breakfast for a week (What? Who does that?)? In this episode, Joy and Claire discuss the possibility of an upcoming weightlifting competition, and talk about what goes through our minds when we have to scale or modify a WOD. And we might also talk about strippers again. It’s fine.