August 2019 Athlete of the Month – Linda Pagano!!

1. Tell us about yourself in a few sentences.  I’m originally from Upstate NY, and have been in Charlotte for 20 years. I am 100% Italian and love to eat, Mexican and sushi are probably my favorite. Some of my hobbies are Carolina Panthers Football, live music, volunteering and now…. coming to RISE, lol.

2. What do you hope to achieve through RISE?  When I first joined RISE over 2 years ago, I was getting ready to go to Aruba for my 50th B-day and like everyone else…was looking to lose a few pounds. Since then, I have lost close to 20 lbs. and am probably in the best shape I have ever been in. Now it’s all about maintaining the level of fitness that RISE has helped me achieve over these past couple years.

3. What is your favorite RISE exercise?  That is hard to say…..I pretty much like them all, even the dreaded burpees!! DB snatch, wall balls and kettle ball swings are probably my top 3.

4. What RISE exercise do you least like?  If I have to pick a least favorite exercise, I guess it would be the Ski Erg–seems boring to me compared to everything else.

5. What would you tell someone considering trying RISE?  I would tell them to give it a shot. When I started, I figured I would stop coming after my 3 month trial period was over and my Aruba trip was complete. Now, it’s second nature for me to make sure I get a workout in almost every day. The variety of programming is one of the things I like best about RISE. I never get bored, always something different every class. I am not one of those that can do it on my own and the trainers at RISE have been great motivators. They are one of the other things that I like best about RISE. They are always attentive to ensure proper technique, offer good options to modify when needed, and are all around awesome people. A great, friendly atmosphere is an added benefit at CrossFit Pineville/RISE too!!