Members of the Month: Jenna Lamy & Mike Brown

We are very excited to announce our newest members of the month: Jenna Lamy and Mike “Brownie” Brown (aka, everybody’s favorite bugs)! Jenna and Mike joined CrossFit Southie in March of 2013. They dove head-first into CrossFit and haven’t looked back. They both have made tremendous progress in just one year as athletes, and they have both become a huge part of our community. You can frequently find them in here before or after class working on their weaknesses, mobilizing, socializing, and cheering on others. When they’re not in here hitting their own workout, you can find them at every CrossFit event out there. We can always count on them to show up and support the Southie team whenever there is a competition, and they are the first to lend a helping hand when needed. We are very proud of how far they have come in a year, and look forward to watching their continued growth as athletes. Keep up the good work, Jenna & Mike! We love having you as part of the Southie squad! Read below to learn a little bit more about the Bugs, and make sure you give them a high-five the next time you see them around the box.

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Jenna & Mike

How did you get involved in CrossFit? What was your first WOD/experience?
Mike: CrossFit was introduced to me by Jenna’s sister, Shelly. We were at the local globo gym where I was crushing dumbbell curls and skull crushers, when I noticed some monkey-esque pull-ups going on in my rearview. I said, “Shelly, what are you doing!? Those aren’t pull-ups.” She said, “They’re kipping pull-ups”. I was puzzled. She said, “Do you even CrossFit bro!?” She didn’t actually say that, but she might as well have, because from that point, the rest is history. I began by researching kipping pull-ups, which led me to CrossFit, and then watching tons of videos. I learned where the closest box was [Southie] and I had to join ASAP. My first time walking into Southie the only thing I could think was damn, this is BAD ASS. From the jack-deezed bro-heegans I saw working out, whom I’ve come to know over the year as TJ, Steve Bowler, Rhino, among many other Toasties, to the plethora of females in Lululemon : ), I knew I had found my new home. The music was blasting, weights were dropping, people were doing crazy $h*t on rings and ropes, and all I wanted to do was join. To anyone else this may have been extremely intimidating (like Jenna), but for me it was a mecca of fit individuals and I was chomping at the bit.

Jenna: Once Mike became addicted to the idea of CrossFit, watching videos almost every night, I really had no choice but to give it a try. I remember walking into the Intro class on a Thursday night – TJ was beasting some WOD per usual, loud music blaring. I looked at Bug like “what did you bring me to!?” After the intro class with Tina Mo, I was quite surprised how tired I was from such a short WOD. Since Bug was already sold before walking in, I figured I would jump on and signed up the next day. My first WOD was 13.5 – thrusters and chest to bar pull-ups. I remember feeling like I was going to die but loving it at the same time. It was the hardest workout I had done in a while and it was only 4 minutes long. I was excited for what was next.

When did you start coming to CrossFit Southie?
Mike: My first WOD [after I crushed the intro, of course] was 13.5 in March 2013. I remember “athletes” filling out sheets of paper after the workout and didn’t quite understand why. Athletes was the word that stuck in my head that night. Coach Chuck kept referring to everyone as athletes. Hearing the word athlete was very foreign to me. I remember watching bros, like Tom Bavin, flying through kipping pull-ups, a completely new concept to my bro-swell back at the globo. I was dead-hanging my way to victory.

Jenna: Joined in March 2013 – same day as 13.5. We initially signed up for a 2-day a week membership, which we planned to supplement with workouts at our apartment gym. After the first week we increased to 3 days, but we still weren’t getting our fix. Being the financially responsible person in the relationship, Mike and I argued about switching to unlimited. After switching though there was no turning back. Now CrossFit is part of the budget and there is no changing that. I’d rather eat ramen noodles every night than stop coming to CrossFit Southie – the paleo version, of course.

Is this the first CrossFit you’ve worked out at / how long have you been CrossFitting for?
Bugs: Crossfit Southie is our first box – been CrossFitting for a year.

When did you realize that CrossFit was right for you?
Mike: From day one I knew CrossFit was my jam. Being a competitive athlete in high school and college, going to the gym was always a part of my daily routine. Naturally, when I started CrossFit I assumed that I would crush WODs. I was seriously mistaken. What I loved, and still love, about CrossFit is the ego-check one receives. Even the best of athletes can be humbled by any particular WOD. There are so many different movements and lifts that there is always something to get better at. I love it.

Mike & Jenna reppin' Southie at the 2013 CrossFit Games
Mike & Jenna reppin’ Southie at the 2013 CrossFit Games

Jenna: Because of my competitive nature, I quickly took to the atmosphere at CrossFit. From the beginning I was always pushing myself that much harder when I would see the person next to me a few reps ahead. Being someone who simply used the elliptical or treadmill at the gym (even that was forced), CrossFit was such a dramatic change. I found it hard to motivate myself to workout, but now I get mad when I’m too sore to CrossFit. Sometimes I’m still mind blown that a year ago health and fitness was not part of my vocabulary, and now, CrossFit Southie is like a second home. The CrossFit community is also something that continues to amaze me. While everyone is pushing themselves to get better, and in some instances are competing with others, they still revel in other people’s PRs and progress.

What are you short-term and long-term CrossFit goals?
Mike: Short Term: Getting better each and everyday. I would like to be able to crush MUP’s like my boy Dan Bostwick. Long Term: Beating Quigs & Mooch on each and every WOD during next year’s OPEN.

Jenna: Short term: Building my upper-body strength, pistols, and repping out pull-ups. Long term: I would like to get a MUP within a year and work towards completing more WODs as Rx.

What is your biggest accomplishment?
Mike: Hitting the 1000lb club (total weight of bench, squat, and deadlift). I have had huge gains in my lower body since joining CrossFit. Going from the typical beach muscle workouts and happily skipping leg day to CrossFit has allowed me to PR my squat of all types on the regular. You can feel my GLUTES if you don’t believe me. “It’s NBD really. Not sure if you heard me counting, I did over a thousand.” (Ron Burgundy, Anchorman)

Jenna: Getting chest to bar pull-ups. When I started CrossFit, I never thought I could do a pull-up, let alone chest to bar. When it came up in the Open this year I figured I would just get to that point and be done. With the help of some fellow CrossFitters, I did 4 in a row! I honestly felt like a little kid on Christmas morning kicking my feet in the air when I got to the top of the bar.

Bugs n' Tinis
The Bugs

What is your favorite / least favorite WOD/movement?
Mike: Favorite would be the lovely darling Linda…even though I’ve never done her: a descending latter of bench, deadlift, and clean based on your bodyweight. Very pro-bro. Least favorite: 14.5 easy, and the tedious spectacle of running.

Jenna: My favorite movement is squatting and my favorite type of WOD would include 200m runs, pull-ups, and shoulder-to-overhead. My least favorite movements are thrusters and pistols – definitely two goats I need to improve on. Fran and I have a love hate – hell of a workout but my lungs hurt for a week.

What do you do for a profession outside of CrossFit?
Mike: I am a Tax Accountant at a public accounting firm in Braintree, MA.
Jenna: I am an Auditor with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What are your hobbies outside of CrossFit?
Mike: Texas Hold’em Poker (buddies dad placed 8th @ the WSOP main event in 2009), Fantasy Football, 18-holes, and Hockey.
Jenna: Traveling to warm places.

Do you eat Paleo or Zone? What is your favorite paleo/non-paleo meal?
Mike: I eat everything, really. My faves include Italian and Mexican food. I eat Chipotle at least once a week. Unreal. In fact, I spent $600 there last year.
Jenna: I try to eat Paleo, but definitely have a hardcore sweet tooth. My favorite paleo meal is crockpot barbacoa, and non-paleo is potato skins – such a sucker for anything with cheese and bacon.

Fun fact?
Mike: I’m 50% Cuban, raised in Sunny South Florida. [Pembroke Pines, FL]
Jenna: Mike started calling me love bug when we first started dating almost 5 years ago. It’s been shortened to bug and has kind of just stuck. Now all of our friends refer to us as “The Bugs.”

 

Benchmark 1
Work up to a 1RM Clean and Jerk

Rest 10 minutes

Benchmark 2
Run 1 mile for time

*If the athlete wants to complete the 1 mile for time another day because they want more time on the clean and jerk, that’s okay.