Nicolle De Leon Tellado

Nicolle moved to Birmingham from Puerto Rico about six months ago for a fellowship at UAB. An avid CrossFitter already she knew she needed to find a gym-home away from home. We’re so glad she discovered CrossFit Mudtown. She has a fierce work ethic in the gym all while juggling work and life as a mother to Gian Mateo.

Member since: You probably know better than me, but I’m pretty sure it was the end of June 2016.

What do you do for a living? I’m a radiologist born and raised in the beautiful island of PR, and I’m currently doing a one year fellowship (sub-specialty) in abdominal imaging at UAB.

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first workout? I was a gym freak, until Carlos, my boyfriend, who had been doing CrossFit for almost a year convinced me to go and give it a try. Since then, I’ve never gone back to the gym!! My first WOD was:

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? My goal is to go 4 to 5 times a week, including Saturdays. If I’m not there a Saturday, it is because I’m working! I usually go to the 6 pm class.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? I like everything with a barbell, except thrusters, but lately I’ve been developing a special love for overhead squats.

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout? I’m assuming running doesn’t count as a movement/workout, so Double Unders!!! I dislike any WOD with DU’s in them since I have not mastered them yet….and of course any WOD with thrusters. (shhh, and running!!)

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? Going to CFM is my therapy. My life is a pretty boring routine that can be summarized as follows: waking up, getting Gian Mateo ready for school, going to work, picking up my kid from school and going back home to get ready for the next day. Doing CrossFit is the only single hour in the whole day that is just for me, that I don’t have to think about anything else, and what better place to do it that CFM? Here I’ve found my outlet and really good people that make me feel just as good as being home.

Most embarrassing/funniest gym moment? Have you seen me do DUs?!?! There’s nothing funnier, unless you’ve seen me trying to do butterfly pull-ups. Actually, I don’t know which one is funnier.

Favorite thing about Birmingham? Besides getting to know all of you people at CFM, I love the willingness of people to help one another, the good food and the multiple local breweries. Who doesn’t love a good beer!?

What accomplishment are you most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? Inside the gym, I was finally able to RXed a WOD with DUs in it (took me forever but I did it), squatted more than #135 and DL more than #200. Outside the gym, I can say that after many, many years of studying I’m a little over 6 months away of completing my medical training, which will allow me to finally work and be able to provide for my son and family.

What is your favorite meal? A perfectly medium cooked filet mignon!

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? Anything that involves family, specially anything that involves my son, Gian Mateo.

What is one goal that you are currently working on? Mastering those Double Unders, and keep improving my back squat weight.

Do you have a hidden talent? Don’t think so! What you see is what you get!

Tell us a fun/interesting fact not many people know about you:
1. They say I’m a bully, which I’m totally not!! It’s not bullying what I do, it’s character building.
2. I got pregnant while on the pill, so don’t trust it!!

Julie Macon

Julie is the strong silent type. She’s not loud, but brings the intensity when it’s needed and can clean (the barbell kind not the Cinderella kind) like nobody’s business. She found her way to CFM one year ago and we’re so glad she did. This Disney loving woman is a joy to have in our community.

Member since: October 2015

What do you do for a living? I’m the Human Resources Manager for my family’s companies. So mostly payroll, work comp injuries, insurance, etc. for about 100+ employees. But I get to work from home and it’s the best!

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first workout? My mom and I started CF together in Mobile December 2012 just for fun I guess. And the first workout I did had burpees, running, and bear crawls…and the next day was a 5k row!

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? I usually try to get in 4-5 days a week and am normally at the 8:15 class or 5 pm class.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? CLEANS! Hang cleans, squat cleans, power cleans…cleans are my jam.

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout? Wallballs and rowing. And I’m horrible at presses.

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? Everyone is so nice and encouraging and the coaches are very knowledgeable/helpful with everything! And the programming is awesome! I’ve improved so much this year!

Most embarrassing/funniest gym moment? My old gym in Mobile hangs their barbells on the wall horizontally and one time I knocked the whole wall of them down on myself during a warm up.

Favorite thing about Birmingham? It’s the perfect size city! And the food is amazing, there’s a lululemon, and the weather is seasonal (though not so much this year)

What accomplishment are you most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? Inside the gym I finally snatched 100# and deadlifted 200# and I’ve never been so excited! And outside the gym, I’m most proud of my husband for graduating law school and passing the AL bar.

What is your favorite meal? Popcorn is my absolute favorite food in the world and in a perfect life, I would eat it as a meal every single day

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? My dog is my life so anything involving him! And Disney, obviously.

What is one goal that you are currently working on? Butterfly pullups! That would be a total game changer!
Do you have a hidden talent? Haha, not a single one. I even just asked my husband and he agreed…so there’s that.

Tell us a fun/interesting fact not many people know about you. I’ve ran 4 half-marathons and I’m signed up for 2 more in 2017! (PS I don’t love running at all)