Nov 2019--Grace DeLallo

1.  Tell us about yourself, your family, your occupation, hobbies/interests.
I moved to Kansas from Syracuse, NY in 2015. I am married my wonderful husband Dave, and we have three children. A girl and two boys. I am a stay at home mom. I enjoy baking, crafting of all sorts, being outdoors, and spending time with my family.

2. When did you start CrossFitting? Why did you start? Why do you continue now?
I started CrossFit in May 2017. I started because my husband was already in CrossFit and I wanted to see what it was all about for myself haha. I wanted to do some sort of athletic class because I was having a hard time motivating myself to consistently workout.
I started May 2017, 20 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child and was so glad I did! The coaches were amazing at scaling for me and I had a much healthier pregnancy compared to my first. I did CrossFit for my entire 3rd pregnancy as well. I continue now because I enjoy it. I love feeling healthy and strong and knowing I can continue to exercise and be properly coached no matter what season of life I am in.

3. Do you remember your first WOD? What were your thoughts after your first WOD?
I don’t remember my first WOD but I do remember being very sore, and also the satisfying feeling that comes after a great workout.

4. What do you enjoy most about CrossFit?
I love the small classes and coaches at CrossFit. I enjoy being able to show up, drop my cares at the door and work hard. I enjoy the challenge of trying to do better than I did before. I like the mental reset that comes with a good workout. I enjoy seeing the other athletes as they progress and inspire me. I really like the burst of energy I have when I get home from a workout to knock out some chores too. haha but seriously, I get so much more done on CrossFit days.

5. What is your proudest CrossFit moment?
Honestly, I am pretty proud of myself every time I finish a WOD. I took the time and dedication to get myself to the Box and worked hard to have a great workout. A lot of my time at the box has  been while I was pregnant or coming back after a taking a postpartum break, so I have smaller goals than most athletes.

6. What is your favorite movement or lift? What is your least favorite?
My favorite movement is the deadlift. My least favorite is probably overhead squats. Or burpees…I really hate burpees.

7. Have you had one or two challenging CrossFit goals that you've achieved recently? What are your current goals and how close are you to reaching them?
My main CrossFit goal is to show up and get a good workout. Depending on the season I am in, I like to have small achievable goals to keep me encouraged. That being said, I recently did a back squat 1RM of 105 which was pretty good for me. I’d love to be able to do toes to bar and handstand holds in a WOD. I am working on building my shoulder strength so hopefully I’ll be able to do these things in the upcoming months.


8. What makes CrossFit different from other fitness programs that you might have tried in the past? I used to have a gym membership and would go regularly and try out different things. But there was no one to show me  how to use any of the equipment, and no one there to tell me if I was doing things properly. Even in the classes I took there, the instructor was busy trying to just keep the class of 30 going to get everything done in the allotted time. I’ve also done online programs/apps to workout at home… but more often than not, an app isn’t going to really motivate me to make time in the day to actually work out. And no one can tell me if I’m even doing movements correctly.  CrossFit is awesome in that the classes are scheduled so you need to show up and make the time to do the workout. The classes are small and there is always a coach ready to give you direction or cues to help you do a movement properly or improve mechanics. There is also a strong emphasis on doing things properly to avoid injury.


9. What impact has CrossFit Benedictus had on your life, in and out of the gym?
I have learned I am much stronger than I ever thought I was. It has given me a confidence in myself knowing that I have stuck with the program, and continue to improve my fitness (even if it is at a very slow pace). This confidence also encourages me to try harder in other areas of my life. I remember one WOD doing burpees and thinking how much I hated them and that I just wanted to stay on the floor, and I remember thinking something that I actually find myself thinking often in all parts of my life. Sometimes life gives you burpees -you’re going to find yourself down, flat on your face but you just got to get yourself back up so you can move on to better things. It will make you stronger if you just keep going. (I’ll have you know this is probably the only memorable mid WOD thought I’ve ever had lol)


10. Tell us about your nutrition and how it has changed, if any, since starting CrossFit?  
I have learned so much about eating since I joined CrossFit! I took the Zone diet class that they offered at the box a few years ago, and it really got me into looking at how to properly fuel my body. Weighing everything you eat for a week is VERY eye opening!. I don’t follow Zone exactly but I have majorly cut sugar and really upped the veggies in my diet. I’ve found I feel so much better and have more energy when I eat well.


If you could write a WOD for the classes to do, what would it look like?
Hmm… I know a lot of CrossFitters don’t like running but I rather enjoy some running mixed in a WOD… so Probably something like
3 Rounds for Time
Run 800 m
15 Strict press
10 Deadlifts


12. What advice do you have for others about the importance of the dedication of taking care of yourself, of investing in yourself?
Put away the excuses. Now is the time to start. Now is the time to continue and push through the urge to stop making an effort. It doesn’t matter if your gains will be large or small.  You will never regret trying to be your best.


13. What advice would you give to someone new to CrossFit or who is thinking about giving it a try?   Give it a try! CrossFit is so scalable. You’ll never know what your missing until you give it a shot! Stick with it, let yourself be coached and you will be impressed with what you can accomplish.


14. Open Forum:
I want to thank my husband Dave for all his encouragement and support with my CrossFit journey. I certainly never would have started without it. I also want to thank all the coaches for their time and dedication. Also a thank you to all those who put in a lot of time and effort behind the scenes to keep the box going.