At the beginning of October, welaunched our newest program at CrossFit Ares: Fitness Through Motherhood.Coaching this program has been an incredible experience, and the impact it’salready having is nothing short of amazing. I couldn’t be happier with how it’sturning out and the future it holds for our community.
Rewind a bit—over the past fouryears of running CrossFit Ares, I’ve coached numerous women through pregnancy.Some even trained right up until the day they delivered! It was deeplyrewarding to support them as they continued to do what they love during such aspecial time in their lives. However, it broke my heart that many didn’t returnto a fitness routine once their babies were born. Over time, I began to noticea gap: mothers often come back to the gym later in life, looking to get activeagain now that their kids are grown. This gap struck me as a real need in thecommunity, one that was largely unaddressed.
That realization was the startingpoint for our mom’s class in its early stages.
As I brainstormed and prepared tolaunch this program, I had a conversation with my good friend Trish fromBabylon CrossFit in Long Island, NY. Trish had created her own program rootedin education and her experiences as a new mom wanting to get back into workingout. She pointed out the huge lack of guidance available to new mothers. Manyare simply told, "You’re cleared to go," with little informationbeyond that. Often, this leads to hesitation—thoughts like, “I don’t know whatto do” or “What if I do it wrong?”—or mothers end up in classes that don’toffer the challenge and benefits we know how to provide.
And that’s how Fitness ThroughMotherhood was born: a six-week program designed for new moms to reintroducethemselves to fitness and strength training, complete with education on theirbodies and the symptoms they may experience along the way. All of this takesplace under the attentive eye of a CrossFit coach, focused on movement quality,safety, and pushing them to get stronger—all in an upbeat, supportiveenvironment.
Working with Trish, who was eagerto expand the program, was a natural fit. This collaboration brought FitnessThrough Motherhood to CrossFit Ares, allowing us to fill the gap I’d seen andgive moms the chance to exercise and feel great.
Over the past four weeks, I've hadthe privilege of coaching seven new moms in our Fitness Through Motherhoodclass every Monday and Thursday at 11:30 am. It’s a quieter time in the gym,and each mom brings her baby along. The babies are right there, either instrollers or carriers, watching their moms lift, and if they cry, mom is closeby. This class is for that. And usually, after the first-day jitters, thebabies settle in beautifully.
Each session begins with a briefeducation piece, sharing wins and challenges, and a rundown of the day’sworkout. We follow with a warm-up to get everyone moving and comfortable. Then,we transition to a strength segment, focusing on squats, deadlifts, or pressesthat progress over the six weeks. Many moms are new to these movements, andit’s been incredibly empowering to show them they absolutely can lift!
After the strength portion, wedive into the “workout of the day,” increasing intensity and building a sweat.We start slow to ensure moms are comfortable with the movements and attuned toany symptoms they may feel, gradually building up intensity each week. Ifanyone needs a modification, I’m right there to adjust and provide the bestoption for them.
Coaching this class has been ahumbling and rewarding experience—one I’m extremely proud of. I’ll never forgetthe first day, standing in front of these new moms, feeling as nervous as theywere, and seeing the pure exhaustion in their eyes. In that moment, I knew thisprogram was exactly what they needed: an hour where they didn’t have to think,just move and sweat amidst the challenges of caring for a newborn.
This program has been phenomenal,and I can’t wait to see how it evolves, especially with our next group startingin early December. Breaking down barriers to fitness has always been my missionat CrossFit Ares, and Fitness Through Motherhood lets us do just that on awhole new level!
