Upper East Side

This month’s coach spotlight is our very own Honey Badger, Carissa Mueller. Carissa joined EVF as a member in August 2013. A year and a half later, she’s become an athlete our members look to for inspiration. Her passion is contagious: whether she’s training or coaching, Carissa gives her all.

Read on to learn more about why she loves CrossFit, what you can expect from her in the box and what fitness has done for her.

Why CrossFit?
I started my CrossFit journey at EVF a year and a half ago. I was bored one day, so I Googled “CrossFit Upper East Side” and came in for the free intro class. I signed up that day.

My first WOD after On-Ramp was “Fran.” I’ll never forget it. I did thrusters with an empty barbell and subbed ring rows for pull-ups. I finished in 7:47 — decent for Day 1, but all I could think about was learning pull-ups. Seven months later, I did “Fran” at Rx. I finished in 6:44 — decent for having just learned pull-ups, but all I could think about was stringing more pull-ups together.

A few weeks ago, I PR’d “Fran” at 4:22 — decent for where I am, but still now, a year and a half later, all I can think about is how much faster I’ll be once I can butterfly those same pull-ups.

What I love about CrossFit is that the learning never stops. It can be your first day or your 1000th day, and you’re still staring at that barbell in the same way — with that look in your eyes that says, “I’m really not sure if I can move this bar.” And when you do, because you will, you feel the same thrill whether you’re brand new or the fittest person in the box. It’s empowering.

You learn how to control what your body can do. Your perception of limits constantly expands, and you understand that you can create confidence any time you want it with nothing more than hard work and consistency. It’s also equalizing. It helps you see that we’re not really all that different. You start to appreciate the people around you and the journey we are all on, both inside and outside of the box.

What can EVF athletes expect from you as a coach?
I’ve been told I’m kind of intense. I won’t try to deny that. I will say that I try to leave everything out there when I coach the same way I do when I train. Our community has always helped me to learn something about myself every time I’m in the box, so I try to take an approach to coaching that encourages and supports that process for other athletes.

To that end, you can expect more cues about strategy and your mental game than your technical movement (though those are important too). You can also expect me to push you just a little bit harder than you were planning to go. I like to keep the class feeling high energy so that in that moment when you want to stop, there’s something else to carry you through.

What’s your favorite CrossFit workout or exercise? Do you have an arch nemesis?
My favorite workouts are the ones that I misestimate. I’m always trying to game my workouts. I usually have a pretty good idea of what my score will be and how I’ll feel at any given point in the workout. I find that the workouts that force me to adjust my plan mid-course teach me the most about myself and how to approach future training.

I’m not a fan of the “sticker shock” WODs with a million random movements jammed together in a list that reads like a recipe for injury. Other than that, I really don’t have any favorite or least favorite WODs or specific movements. I just do what my program says. Usually if I ever start to dislike something even a little, it shows up in my program a couple of extra times. Then I stop disliking it.

Where can we find you when you’re not at EVF?
Sooo you mean besides sleeping, eating, coaching, and training? Ummm …

Just kidding (about 50%). I don’t usually find myself with a lot of free time, so I try to spend all of the free time that I do have with my closest friends. I enjoy traveling, being active, trying new cuisines, seeing live talent of any kind (theater, music, sports, etc) — but really I could be convinced to do almost anything that a good friend wants to do.

Very important questions: favorite food, movie and band?
Food: Ice cream (No, I don’t have a favorite flavor. I’m an equal opportunity ice cream consumer.)
Movie: “The Sandlot”
Band: Fall Out Boy

Let’s hear three random facts about you.
I was overweight, out of shape, and out of confidence as a girl growing up. I leaned out physically and played a bunch of sports in high school and college, but it wasn’t until I started training at EVF that I started to understand (and love) who I am. I’m grateful for the strange series of circumstances that led me here, and I became a coach to join the team that preserves that experience for others. Oops, that got kind of deep …

I took on the Vermonster once. It wasn’t even a contest … like, think never-ending chipper with a 2-minute time cap. Touché, Ben & Jerry, touché.

I was crowned “Silent Ball Champion” in 4th grade. I beat a boy who I had a really big crush on in the finals. #storyofmylife