Ashley Weber is a certified B.A. She saves lives as a paramedic and firefighter, raises two beautiful kids, and kicks serious butt at the gym in her spare time. She came to Blackbird 6 months ago with a solid CrossFit and weightlifting background. She was a little scared to try our approach to programming since it differed from her old box, but came in with an open mind and got to work. Under the barbell is definitely where she shines, especially in the Olympic lifts. This petite woman is STRONG! So, she set immediately set her sights on improving her body weight and gymnastics movements instead. She was so open to coaching and advice and quickly started stringing pull ups and toes-to-bar together more fluidly. She also worked hard to build and refine her handstand push ups. But what she didn’t expect was such an improvement in her lifts at the same time. Ashley’s consistency and impeccable form, coupled with a change in her lifting routine, has garnered her new PRs across the board. She now Cleans 160lbs, Split Jerks 160lbs, Overhead Squats 155lbs, Benches 140lbs, and is 5lbs away from her 300lb deadlift goal!
Her strength is such an inspiration to the ladies in our community. But her positive attitude and commitment to her training and to her fellow athletes is what makes her extra special. Ashley instantly clicked with the 9:30am “Mom Crew” and within weeks of joining it felt like she had always been a part of our Blackbird Family. She pushes each of them to be better. She is everyone’s biggest cheerleader and a great leader and support system. We feel fortunate to have Ashley and her 2 littles as part of our Blackbird Family! MEET ASHLEY…
1.TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.
My name is Ashley Weber, I am 31 years old. I have been a Firefighter/Paramedic in Howard County for the past 13 years. I live in Eldersburg with my husband Jay, our two kids Emily (3) and Conner (1), and our dog, Pal. I am incredibly passionate about my career, I enjoy helping others, raising my family, and of course, CrossFit.
2. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START CROSSFIT? WHY DO YOU DO IT NOW?
I started CrossFit after many years of doing Marathons and Triathlons. I was doing 10+ hours of cardio endurance training a week and the more I trained the more I had to train to maintain my body weight, I wasn’t happy with my body image so I decided to give something else a try!
3. WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER YOUR 1st WOD?
My first CrossFit workout was “Baseline” which consists of a 400m row, 40 air squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups and 10 pull ups, my first through was ” that’s easy” I was quickly proved wrong, but I couldn’t wait to go back for more!
4. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT CROSSFIT?
The Community, that’s a simple answer for me. I have been training at BBCF for 6 months and in that short amount of time I have made many life long friendships. I enjoy catching up with the 930 crew and seeing so many inspirational Moms show up daily and give 100%, but more importantly I’m so humbled every time I see everyone come together both inside and outside the box to help each other out. Our CrossFit Family is much like my Fire Department family, there is so much comradely and team work that make us stronger as one.
5. WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST CROSSFIT MOMENT?
My proudest CrossFit moment was the first day I did a pull up, I’ll never forget that day!
6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVEMENT/LIFT? LEAST FAVORITE?
Favorite: CLEAN
Least favorite: DIPS
7. WHAT ARE YOUR CROSSFIT GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?
My CrossFit goals are to Deadlift 300 pounds, BackSquat 225, and run a sub 7 minute mile.
8. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, WHAT MAKES CROSSFIT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FITNESS PROGRAMS THAT YOU’VE TRIED IN THE PAST?
CrossFit is different because you can show up, put in an hour of work and reap the results. You aren’t walking around the gym wondering what you should do next, asking yourself how far you should run or bike or throwing endless punches in kickboxing class and getting minimal to no results. You just show up 3-5 times a week, follow the programming, and reap the benefits!
9. WHAT IMPACT HAS BLACKBIRD CROSSFIT HAD ON YOUR LIFE, IN AND OUT OF THE GYM?
Since I started at BBCF in January 2016 I have PR’ed every single lift and all of my skill work has drastically improved. I couldn’t be happier with the programming, the coaches, and most importantly the athletes. We all push each other to be stronger and faster everyday. BBCF has given me a lot of confidence outside of the gym as well, especially as my job as a Firefighter/Paramedic. I know that no matter what the challenge is, I’m just as capable as my male counterparts.
10. WHAT IS YOUR DIET LIKE? HOW HAS IT CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED CROSSFIT?
My diet has changed drastically since I started CrossFit just over 4 years ago. I used to be heavily addicted to Diet Coke and I haven’t had a soda in over 3 years. I also used to eat a “low fat diet”. Today predominately eat Paleo, I follow the 80/20 rule and eat Paleo about 80% of the time. I have dabbled into counting my macros, I enjoy learning about nutrition and changing my diet to meet my goals.
11. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MAINSTREAM ATTITUDE THAT BELIEVES WOMEN SHOULDN’T LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS? OR IF SHE DOES, SHE WILL GET BULKY?
I think that this is changing, or at least I hope it is! I hope that people walk into CrossFit gyms around the nation and see that this isn’t the case. People don’t realize that the average women will never get “bulky” without following an incredibly intense workout regime.
12. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE NEW TO CROSSFIT OR THINKING OF GIVING IT A TRY?
One tip that I would give to someone new to CrossFit is our famous Blackbird quote, “Don’t be intimidated, be inspired!” It’s hard when you first start CrossFit, but it doesn’t take long until you are putting up heavy weights, RX’ing WOD’s and setting new PR’s everyday!
FREEWRITE:
I’m incredibly blessed to be a part of the BBCF family, Matt and Rebekah have established an incredible facility with a ton of equipment, they work so hard to meet the needs of all of the members and athletes. The coaches at BBCF are second to none, each coach offers something unique and different, they all truly believe in us even when we don’t believe in ourselves. Blackbird Kids Club is second to none, I couldn’t be more thankful for the way the staff treats my kids, just as if they were their own! I’m looking forward to achieving my goals in the year to come as I continue my CrossFit journey at Blackbird CrossFift!