Athlete of the Month for February 2022

For our Athlete of the Month for February 2022, we chose a member who has demonstrated commitment to her goals. When she joined Industrial Athletics in July of 2021, she wanted to improve her squat position and increase her upper body strength. Although she had done CrossFit before, she recognized the benefit of private attention and personalized programming for her goals. So, she joined our hybrid program. She trains once a week with Coach Leslie and hops in the Group CrossFit Class twice a week. In her private sessions, she has shown great progress on her squat, being able to get below parallel with a flat back. She’s also shown a lot of gains in her upper body strength. When she started, she struggled to do a pushup on the 24” box. Today, she does multiple large sets of pushups on the 20” box and will soon be progressing to the ground. The Athlete of the Month for February 2022 is:

Kristen Perry

1. Where are you from originally? I’m from Cranberry Twp., just north of Pittsburgh. 
2. If not from Pittsburgh, what brought you to Pittsburgh? N/A
3. Where do you work? I work for MSA Safety in Corporate Communications. 
4. What is your favorite hobby? I love photography, playing the piano, and learning languages.
5. How did you discover CrossFit? A few years ago a friend invited me to her gym to try it out, and I really enjoyed the style of exercise and community aspect. 
6. When did you start CrossFit? I first tried it in 2017 and stayed with it for about six months before switching to cycling for a few years. 
7. Why did you start CrossFit? I wanted to learn more about lifting weights and challenge myself to push beyond the limits I thought I had. 
8. What is your favorite thing to do in CrossFit? I really enjoy AMRAP-style workouts, and my favorite things to do in class are front squats/lunges, overhead presses, jump rope, and row. 
9. What is your least favorite thing to do in CrossFit? My least favorite thing has always been running… but here it’s usually shorter bursts of it, so it’s tolerable!
10. What is the number 1 thing you want to get better at? I’d love to build strength and confidence hanging from the rig. (holding onto the bar for longer, hanging leg raises, pull ups, etc.)
11. What is your favorite part about coming to CrossFit at Industrial Athletics? I have two answers… from a gym perspective, I appreciate that I feel seen by each coach in each class. If I need a correction or can challenge myself further, the coach will see that and help me or push me to do more. From a community perspective, I enjoy getting to know everyone I see in class and the camaraderie that comes from completing WODs together each week. 
12. What is your favorite CrossFit WOD? So far, Morrison has been my favorite!