Alye & Dan
What were you doing before CrossFit?
We have both been Nordic Skiing and Mountain Biking for most of our lives. In fact, we met and started dating because of skiingJ!
Dan’s parents got him into skiing when he was just a little guy; he loved it so much that he earned a scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He still loves the sport and now still competes and coaches in the Midwest. Alye, too had parents that got her going down the path of endurance sports. She started mountain biking and Nordic ski racing when she was 9. After high school she made the decision to ski instead of bike in college and skied for Gustavus Adolphus. It’s great to be able to share the sports we love together. Right now we are competing in the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series and will continue ski racing in the winter.
Why did you start doing CrossFit?
Dan started because his wife was getting stronger than him!! Haha, no really he started because of a realization that to get better at skiing he needed to “round out” as an athlete. Endurance was no problem but Strength & Mobility was really lacking and both of those can really help in skiing. Alye wanted to get into Crossfit as a way to jump start her fitness. It had been nearly 3 years since she had taken racing or training seriously and decided that now was the time. She has seen many of her endurance athlete friends accelerate in their sports as a direct result of CrossFit.
What apprehensions did you have before starting?
Dan just didn’t want to get beat in a WOD by Alye! (these 2 are not competitive at all) But it happens and he still keeps coming back! Alye has never joined a gym and has always disliked working out indoors so she was apphrensive that it could get boring quickly. There were also a ton of movements that we had heard about that scared us. Like power snatches and stand pushups? What?!
What made you decide to check out CrossFit SISU?
SISU was recommended to Alye by a friend, she heard the coach’s rock and the programming is some of the best! Plus it helps that it’s so close to our home in Plymouth. However, many more things had made us stay at Crossfit Sisu. The coaching IS awesome, offering a great combination of technique and encouragement! We also love the people that we get to work out with during the week! Everybody is super positive and are always there to keep you motivated! It’s a great community!
What’s the greatest benefit you see so far since starting CrossFit and SISU?
Dan has noticed a great improvement in leg power and upper body strength, this help a TON with MTN Bike racing, having better grip strength also helps a ton on the rough courses where last year his hands would give out. He also can’t wait (being only 3 months in) to see how this translates to skiing this winter. Alye’s has seen large gains in both upper and lower body strength, resulting in more MTN Bike race wins and “Placing” in races. CrossFit has created noticeably more power during bike races. One of the coolest parts is being able to do movements that she never thought she would be able to like pull ups and Hand Stand Push Ups.