This mom shares her passion for weightlifting, Crossfit and what she wants most for her kids! Love these inspirational moms from Stayfitmom.com

Mom Crush

Mom Crush Kelly Love

This week’s Mom Crush radiates beauty inside and out. I met Kelly at CrossFit Apollo where she coached just about 5 days a week, and when she steps up to the barbell to give instruction you can hear a pin drop. Why? Because her CrossFitter’s are trying to soak up every word. Not only can she deadlift over 400 pounds, but her passion and enthusiasm for weight lifting is nothing short of inspiring. Kelly Love is wise, kind-hearted, and literally the strongest woman I know.

This past week I interviewed Kelly. Let’s soak up some of her wisdom together.

SFM: What’s your athletic background and how did you find CrossFit?

Kelly: I started playing organized sports from a very young age and I always made a point to keep up with (or beat) the boys both at recess and in gym class. I started playing competitive traveling soccer around 11 years old. My love for soccer continued through high school and I earned a scholarship to play NCAA Division I Soccer at Radford University. It was during the long hours of strength and conditioning in high school and college where I developed a love for lifting heavy things. My husband Aaron was the one who told me about CrossFit. After I had my kiddos I dabbled in a Hiit/CrossFit hybrid class whilst living overseas. It wasn’t until I walked into CrossFit Apollo that I actually did a for real work out in a CrossFit gym.

SFM: Why did you become a coach and what do you love most about coaching?

Kelly: Two pretty awesome guys …Chad Cole and Aaron Love.

One day after a workout Chad asked if I was interested in pursuing my Level 1 Cert and if I would like to start the coach’s training program at Apollo. I went home and talked with Aaron about the idea. Their support and confidence and in my abilities gave me the push I needed to go for it.

To me Coaching is about the athletes. Helping them to find the strength they didn’t know they had or the confidence to try things they would never do. Nothing can beat the feeling of knowing that you helped someone become a better version of themselves.

SFM: CrossFit highlights members of the Armed Forces that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country through what we know as Hero WODS. These Hero WODS have always given me such an appreciation for military families and I have had the privilege of meeting so many amazing military families through my experience with CrossFit. In our short time together in Las Vegas, your husband went on several deployments while you coached day in and day out at CrossFit Apollo. Has CrossFit impacted your life as a military family? If so, in what way?

Kelly: CrossFit is only a brand. The PEOPLE… from the members to the affiliate owners are the ones who make it special. Apollo was my family and my everyday support when my husband deployed. There is nothing that can replace the love and friendship of the individual people that went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of. Most CrossFit gyms are filled with heroes. Police officers, fire fighters, doctors, nurses, mothers, and fathers; they are the people who put others before themselves. To know wherever the Military sends my family I will be able to find such a group of people brings me comfort.

SFM: I knew I loved you Kelly, the moment you beat my husband by 10 pounds on CrossFit total. I’ve never been more inspired to lift heavy and give it my all. What advice do you have for women who are intimidated by the barbell and scared to lift heavy?

Kelly: Lifting heavy is more than expression of strength. It is trusting your body to push limits and boundaries. It’s an outlet of power and emotion. Lifting is simply a task that our bodies are designed to do naturally. It can be cathartic, it can be empowering and it can challenge you. Never be afraid to step up to something that seems heavy. You are stronger than you know and made of more than you could ever possibly imagine.

SFM: I know that both of your kiddos have participated in CrossFit Kids and have grown up watching their mama kill it in the gym. What do you hope your children take away most from these experiences?

Kelly: I hope that my children embrace fitness as part of life. The ability to use your body to experience life is an important aspect of being human. I want them to put their health first and learn that the challenges that they meet in life can be can be overcome with hard work, a good attitude and the support of like-minded individuals.

We can’t thank Kelly enough for sharing a little bit of her story with us. Kelly now coaches CrossFit at Desert Forge CrossFit in New Mexico where she continues to inspire women to get comfortable with a barbell and lift HEAVY.

Did you catch last week’s Mom Crush Shannon Farias?