Athlete from Lisle gym places 11th at CrossFit regionals

LISLE – Most people hit the gym to lose weight, but Kristin Miller, 27, is hoping to gain a little weight to help her reach her goal of competing in the national CrossFit Games.

“I want to gain some so I can lift more weight,” she said. “That’s the CrossFit mentality; it’s not about losing weight, it’s about what you can achieve in the gym and how strong you can get.”

Miller, who trains five days a week at CrossFit Amplify in Lisle, competed in the CrossFit Central Regional from May 29 to 31 in Minneapolis. The Aurora resident, who is an indoor skydiving instructor in Naperville, finished 11th overall among 40 female competitors, whose ages ranged from 17 to mid-30s.

“I didn’t qualify for the national CrossFit Games in California because only the top five in each region qualify for that,” she said. “You always hope to qualify for nationals, but it’s a learning experience. [Last weekend] was the best I’ve done at regionals.”

Miller has competed at three regional competitions. In her first year, she placed 14th, and last year she placed 16th. This year, she competed in workouts where she had to do various combinations of weight lifting, rope climbing, squats, sit-ups, running and jumping. She explained athletes don’t qualify for certain events but instead have to excel throughout an entire workout.

“The workouts are tough for everybody, but everyone makes it through,” Miller said. “Whoever makes it the fastest, wins. That’s why I train so much.”

CrossFit is a cross-training fitness program that features high-intensity, functional movements combined with strength training, said Scott Todnem, owner of CrossFit Amplify.

“The idea is to keep it constantly varied, and it’s about being good at everything from barbells to running and jumping, and just being as fit as you can be in your body,” Todnem said.

Miller began CrossFit in 2011 because her brother, Erik, began doing it. She fell in love with the sport and entered her first competition just a few months after she started training. She’s done about 20 competitions since then.

She said her brother is her best friend and training partner, and they “have a little competition” with each other when they’re in the gym.

Miller explained that anyone can sign up to compete in CrossFit. The first step is to participate in the CrossFit open, where an athlete completes workouts in his or her home gym, and the scores are posted online.

Only about the top 1 percent of participants in the open competition make it to regionals, she said. The CrossFit Central Regional consists of athletes from several Midwest states.

Todnem described Miller as a “workhorse” and one of the top CrossFit athletes.

“She’s the top individual at our gym. We haven’t had anyone else qualify for regionals, so she’s our best CrossFitter,” he said. “She puts in the work in the gym every day. She’s good at body weight movements like handstands and push-ups.”

Not everyone who works out at a CrossFit gym has to compete in the sport. Miller said she is one of a group of about 15 people at Amplify who participate in the competitive program, which consists of longer, more intense workouts. She said that anyone can do the program because it can be tailored to the participant’s fitness level.

Miller plans to keep training at CrossFit Amplify, which she called “one of the best CrossFit gyms in the area.” She said she loves CrossFit because it changed her life.

“It’s a great way to work out, and it creates really good friendships,” Miller explained. “You can set goals and feel like you’ve accomplished something. It allows you to push past what you thought were limits and get better and better.”