Lenora talks about her passion for Strongman, and it’s universal appeal: 

As the “hypochondriac” of the gym, nothing is comfortable – except my complaining of sore this and that. From day one, my doing CrossFit has been a dubious venture into the world of “What am I doing?”. Mobility issues made squats and deadlifts ridiculously hard, and I still wrestle with mental blocks on both. The only things I felt comfortable with were chin-ups and ring dips, and there aren’t too many of those lately, now that I’m working around a bone spur in my shoulder. What am I doing in Strongman class? Oh, right; I almost forgot. We are supposed to leave our “comfort zones.” 90 Day Challenge, it’s your fault!

Despite my chronic complaints on knees, hips, back, and shoulders, I am actually strong. I’m as goofy as can be, but, strong nonetheless. Strongman allows me to be goofy and still make the lifts, while I’m getting the form down. Cat got me a 30 pound keg so I could come in and practice the form, and do the 57 pound one in class. The 70 pound log press cut up and bruised my arms on the first day, but, my form is better, and I have minimal bruises. Remember, I’m out of the “comfort zone”; this qualifies. Hardcore determination gets me through the yoke carries, both bar on the back, and “Zercher”, with the bar in the crux of the arm. I do special strength training, which has gotten me nearly credible on farm-handle carry, and I still suck at prowler, but, I seem to like it.

What am I learning from Strongman? Anything is possible with patience, practice and small steps forward. I’ve found a community within our CrossFit community that shares this type of challenge. Strongman really is for everyone. Many thanks to Catherine Toniatti, Cean Olsen, and Jay Ackerman, for their constant encouragement.