Member Spotlight: Cat Bradshaw & Jaime Jankolovits

Matt: When did you start at Paradiso CrossFit and why?

Cat: I started CrossFit in October of 2014 because I had booked a trip to Maui and had two weeks to get “bikini ready.” Ridiculous, I know.

Jaime: I had been training at Golds with Jess Piraro, and during that time she introduced me to a lot of Crossfit elements. I was fascinated with the pace and the intensity of the workouts, as well as the precision and form of Olympic lifting. In the summer of 2015, I started popping in for class at PCF, and then signed up for a monthly membership along with my husband, Mike, in September. Since last summer/fall when I started, I’ve wanted to learn every movement, every skill so when the opportunity to train with Cat appeared, I knew it was just what I needed!

Matt: Why am I seeing you 3x per day? What sparked your current dedication & routine?

Jaime: Haha, you shouldn’t be seeing us 3x per day! We’re learning that while getting our workouts in is important, it is more important to take your rest days to recover and grow. What sparked this routine? I think that Cat and I knew it was just time. We wanted to start working on specific movements and getting specific programming to reach our goals.

Cat: Today was an unusual day where I did a third workout with my Lululemon team. With our new training schedule you’ll typically see Jamie and I at the Venice location twice a day, 4-5 times a week.  We’ve got big gains to make so we’ve got to put in the time and hard work!

Matt: How did you two link up and start training together?

Jamie and I would see each other sporadically at class and get along very well. We’re also closely matched in our fitness abilities. I serendipitously saw her at a Sunday class a couple of weeks ago and shared with her that I was just about to meet with LG about “taking my fitness to the next level.” Jamie got so excited and without hesitating said that she wanted in! I, in turn, got super excited about the prospect of a training partner, and here we are.

Jaime: I think Cat answered this perfectly! Even the day that we talked about the potential of training together, she used the word serendipitous… and the rest is history! I will say, Cat is such a motivating and overall phenomenal training partner. I think we are such a great fit.

Matt: What has LG had you doing to reach your goals and prepare you for competition?

Cat: We’re still in the early stages of our programming, but LG has us working on our core and upper body strength for weight lifting and gymnastics. LG is also helping us strengthen our mental game, which I feel is the most important.  Jamie and I are getting out of our comfort zone to see the results we want to achieve.  LG is teaching us to go for it!

Jaime: Cat nailed this one too! The mental game is very real and LG knows how to bring it out!

Matt: I know you both have taken a few PCF University classes, how have they helped you?

Jaime: I am in the middle of my first PCFU class now, P2P with Steve and Lindsay. So far, it has been great and really eye opening – I need to work on balance… a lot!  I look forward to taking more PCFU classes in the future!

Cat: Your’s and Diso’s Nutrition course was really focused on sports nutrition which was exactly what I needed. I ended up setting a goal of losing 10 pounds of fat and achieved my goal shortly after the course had finished! I also gained four pounds of muscle. It inspired me to be really mindful of what I eat and how much I eat. It also got me excited to track my results through MyFitnessPal, VO2max tests, blood tests, and Dexa body scans. Being able to quantify my results is key.

After taking Steve’s Pre-hab to Perform course I am much more aware of my body’s strengths and weaknesses and how I can improve those weaknesses (e.g., my ankles and shoulders are tight and need extra care). It also taught me a lot about how to execute weight lifting movements properly without compensating in some way, so that I not only lift more efficiently but I stay injury-free.

Chelsea’s Handstands course really humbled me as I learned very quickly that a proper, solid handstand requires a lot of core and upper body strength, balance, and like anything else, practice, practice, practice! I learned a lot of upper body strengthening exercises, which muscles to engage when in a handstand, and most importantly being aware of what my body should be doing when it’s upside down.

Matt: What are your goals right now and in the long term?

Cat: My goals right now are to be consistent with my workouts and training schedule.  During every workout I aim to push myself one percent harder than the last time and even say to myself in my head, “One percent” and I find that that gives me a little extra juice. Right now I’m working towards a handstand hold in free space for at least 10 seconds, walking across PCF Venice on my hands, and doing a muscle-up on the rings. It’s scary to share that with so many people because now I have to do it!

Long term goals are to become a certified personal trainer and have a career in the fitness industry. Perhaps I may work towards becoming a CrossFit coach. I am really that obsessed!

Jaime: My short term goals are to get in there, and put in the work. When you do that, when you don’t skip workouts, when you don’t make excuses – that’s when you see results. Specifically, I’m working on my handstand in free space, strict pull-ups (I just got my first one!!!!) as well as handstand walking and I’d like 2016 to be the year of the muscle up. I have a long road ahead to get there, but I know I will with Cat and LG on my side!

Matt: Tell me about upcoming competitions, especially doing your first Open!

Jaime: We’re stoked about the Open. It’s so important to test yourself and to be able see your gains come to life. We’re also really curious about local competitions, too… we’ll see what’s in store for 2016!

Cat: I’m competing in my first Spartan race on January 31st. I’m starting with the Sprint and then competing in the Super on March 19th. I want to earn a Trifecta medal so I will do the Beast this year as well.  Jamie and I are also starting to talk about local weight lifting competitions.  What?!?!  Crazy, I know.  We’ve both decided recently to just go for it and do our first CrossFit Open! It’s a fun event to train for, we’ve got a TON of support from our PCF community and it’s a great way to track our progress from year to year.

Matt: Anything else you ladies would like to add?

Jaime: What we’re doing, it’s not just about being an athlete, training or competing. It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves that we can be, and we’ve found a program (and coach) that encourages that.

Crossfit has impacted so many aspects of my life in such a positive way (and I’m sure Cat would say the same). While I work in a really fun industry (baseball), it can get pretty stressful. I am so focused now – my mental game has grown and I am able to effectively handle whatever is thrown my way. I feel like I am finally finding that work/life balance. I really credit this to my nutrition and training.

I started Whole30 on January 4^th and am thrilled with the results so far. I’ve eaten pretty clean for the last year, but this has opened my eyes to what really fuels my body and how it impacts my training. What you put in your body really matters, who knew?! J After these 30 days are over, I plan to continue to eat clean and eat to perform.