Michael Aaron

CrossFit Midtown is very excited to announce our September 2022 Member of the Month, Rachel Labgold! She has been a member since September 2021 and has hit huge PRs, made incredible friends, and is an avid open gym goer! Read on to learn more about Rachel and her CrossFit journey. Thank you for being such an outstanding member of the CFM community!

Name: Rachel Labgold
Age: 25
Hometown: Leesburg, VA

How did you get exposed to CrossFit?
I first was exposed to Olympic Weightlifting and thought it was really cool. When I moved to Atlanta, I wanted to do something to meet new people. I looked for Olympic Weightlifting gyms but there weren’t that many options and CrossFit gyms kept coming up. I’d seen CrossFit on social media but wasn’t sure if I’d be good enough at it and it seemed pretty intimidating. I ended up watching some of the crossfitters on instagram and thought the women looked badass! I decided to put my fears aside and try to be like them!

What brought you to CrossFit Midtown?
I moved to Midtown a little over a year ago and really wanted to find a gym close by. I live by the park so my google search led me to CFM, and I’m so lucky it did!

What was your very first day at CrossFit Midtown like?
My first foundations was at 6am with Mike! I was very nervous and probably nervously talked at Mike for the entire hour. Before CrossFit, I couldn’t squat below parallel and I was nervous that the coach would ignore my mobility issues. However, from the start, Mike made mobility a priority for me and I left that day feeling really excited to come back. By the end of foundations, I was squatting with the bar!

What kind of changes have you you experienced since starting CrossFit that were completely unexpected (ie. new friends, “family”, the community, more self confidence, etc)?
All of the above? Seriously, so much has changed since I started CrossFit a year ago. I’ve done things I never thought I’d be able to do and have gained so much confidence in myself. I’ve worked on getting rid of the word “can’t” because I’ve already proven to myself that I can do way more than I ever thought. I try to remember what Coach Hailey told me once when I told her the bar felt heavy. She said “Yeah it is heavy, and you can lift heavy shit!” That mindset has changed so much for me. All of my achievements have been exciting but none of them even compare to the friends and family I’ve gained from joining CFM! I moved to Atlanta on a whim and was terrified of living in a new city. Joining this community has made ATL feel like home and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. 

Tell us some of your recent accomplishments. What goals do you have for 2022!?
My most recent accomplishment was getting a strict pull-up for the first time in my life. I felt like I’ve been chasing that forever but I wouldn’t have gotten that without pull-up program! I have to say though, being able to do a full depth squat is one of my biggest accomplishments, if not the biggest. This was a big struggle for me at the start of CrossFit, and I still have a long way to go, but it’s been very rewarding to improve my mobility. I have seen it cross over into almost everything we do. For the rest of 2022, I want to keep improving my mobility and keep improving on my pull-ups, toes to bar and hopefully chest to bar!

What does your frequently used emoji tab look like? (screen shot and send it!)

What is your favorite workout and if you could make up your own workout what would it be?
I love dumbbell movements, rowing and double unders. I also love partner wods because it gives me a chance to meet new people. I’d probably make something like a partner wod, rounds for time with devils press, cal row and dubs. 

What is your favorite dessert or “treat yourself” meal

Grabbing a costco hot dog and then going to Crumbl for some cookies

Favorite CrossFit Midtown moment (doesn’t have to be during a class, just any favorite moment at CFM)?
This is hard because there are so many great moments. I think I’d have to go with the Open. I didn’t grow up playing sports so to be in an atmosphere where you’re working alongside people and people are cheering for you is really cool. I think specifically though, the last open workout was really special to me. I didn’t have kipping pull-ups yet so I was trying to figure out any way I could get my chin over the bar. I ended up doing kipping chin-ups. Every single one I did, the people around me cheered for me. I don’t think I could’ve kept going if it weren’t for all of them! It was one of those moments where I felt ridiculous but my friends were genuinely excited. It really just showed me how great this community is.

Hobbies, Talents and or Interests? What does a day in the life of you look like outside of being a Crossfitter?
I love being creative! I’m a graphic designer but even outside of work I like to create things. Recently I’ve been learning Blender which is 3d modeling software. If you’re ever on my team at the gym, just know I will be making us shirts!

I also like playing my flute and piccolo! I was in the college marching band at West Virginia University for 4 years. I can’t really do marching band anymore but I still like to play sometimes.

Advice for new CrossFitters
My biggest piece of advice is to just show up. If there’s an event, show up even if you don’t know anyone or think you can’t do it. Chances are there’s someone that feels the same way or someone that’s felt that way before. I’ve learned that everyone genuinely wants you to be there and wants to cheer you on. Other than that my advice is stick to pull-up program even when you get discouraged and take rest days even when you really don’t want to 🙂