Dawn: from nerves to weightloss, a member’s story

• Name: Dawn Brotherton
• Age: 39
• How long have you been doing CF for: 2 years with approx 1 year Olympic lifting prior to this.

Why did you make the decision to join CrossFit: I firstly joined an Olympic lifting group at my old gym as I was having issues with my back & tried the lifting to see if, as I built muscle, this would help with my back issue. I then went on to have personal training sessions for approx 6 months & also did Circuit training classes.  The CF WODS would be done during the PT sessions, as my fitness & confidence grew I decided to join CrossFit Leyland.

How did you feel when you first walked through the door: When I first walked through the door at Leyland, I was very nervous as I was used to my old box which is a lot smaller with less people & also, because my technique wasn’t the best I was worried what other members would think of me. It takes me a while to settle in to places & get to know people but once I get to know everyone, you’re a friend for life.

Dawn pre-CrossFit

How do you feel when you walk through the door now: I love coming to the gym now, I’ve made some good friends here & hopefully they feel the same. The classes are always well structured & explained & the warm ups/cool downs/stretches really help. No one is pushed too far beyond their limits (unless they’re tortured on THE BIKE). The focus is all on you; even when you think the coaches aren’t watching, they are & make sure that everything is done safely so that no one injures themselves.

What were your goals when you first started: To get fit & get a little stronger. Plus, to get a CF bum & thighs!

What are your goals now: Pull ups, toes to bar & string double unders together. Also when my knee is sorted 100kg back squat & 40kg squat snatch. When I’m more confident with Clean technique work on getting a heavy squat clean. CF thighs & bum too!

What do you enjoy most about CF:  The camaraderie, we all help each other & push each other; no one is left on their own. The friendships, I love meeting people & I like the ethos behind CF, in that it is a community & we are all there to support each other, no matter what level each person is at there is a movement suitable for that person. I have made a lot of good friends & met some lovely people through CF.

Dawn’s journey…

I initially started CF for fitness only and because I enjoy Olympic lifting so much; I never entertained the thought of competing because I never thought that I would get to a level good enough to compete. I was always happy to go to competitions to support my friends & still am. I have competed in 2 competitions to date and finished in the top 20 at my first competition, something I never thought possible.

I also completed Born Survivor, obstacle course with 10k run, in 2016; this also is something that I never thought that I would be able to do because, before CF I couldn’t run effectively but PT sessions at my old gym helped with this & I had a good running coach in the form of another member at the box, Denis, who would run with me during WOD’s and talk me through my breathing during each run.

I have had time out recently, from competition, due to a displaced patella stemming from issues with my back but I am working on this & the coaches at CF Leyland have been brilliant by adapting WOD’s for me so that I can still train and have also offered rehab advice to help my knee recover.

I suffer with depression & anxiety, in part due to burning myself out in my teens/early 20’s from partying too hard. Because of this I don’t sleep very well & had quite a long bout of insomnia over a period of around 2 years following the death of my great grandmother. As I have a place to come to burn off my excess energy & lose myself in a workout, this relaxes me & helps me to sleep.

When I think back to where I started, when I was massively overweight at 14 stone & not moving a lot, this makes me happy and glad that I started on my fitness journey.