GILROY—Jana Eastus is a lot of things. She’s a mother of two, a trainer at Gilroy’s NetFitness gym, a former gymnast and an emergency room worker at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. Now, Eastus can add a CrossFit title to her resume, too.
Eastus took first place in her age group at the NorCal Interfacility CrossFit Invitational Sept. 20 in Mountain View. She finished third overall.
It was the largest competition Eastus had participated in since taking up the sport two years ago, but she didn’t let her nerves get to her. Instead, she channeled her competitive side—which is just as fierce as in her gymnast days—and relied on her training to get her through the challenge.
“Normally I just try to better my time and focus and try to do uninterrupted repetitions,” Eastus said. “You do have to see where your competitors are, so you kind of look behind you and then just go as fast as you can with correct form and technique. I was just focusing on myself and what I trained for.”
Eastus completed 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a one-mile run in 20:19—almost two minutes ahead of the second place finisher. She said she’s been training hard since taking up CrossFit, but upped the ante after signing up for this event.
“I did a lot of WADs—Workout of the Day—which are these crazy ones,” Eastus said. “I would sometimes do two workouts a day for training—morning and night, different ones. I also run and swim in between.”
Ricardo Espinosa, who owns NetFitness, 7560 Monterey Street, Gilroy, is also Eastus’ workout partner and the one who helped her with strength training for the invitational.
Espinosa met Eastus by coaching her daughter in soccer and then introduced her to CrossFit. Espinosa became a certified CrossFit trainer and began training her which inspired her to become CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, too—though NetFitness isn’t a CrossFit affiliate gym.
And once she got bit by the CrossFit bug, she was hooked.
“I was always involved in sports and so I was always competitive,” Eastus said. “I just like this because CrossFit throws in everything: gymnastics, weight lifting, running. It’s so intense and varied. I wanted to show the community and my kids that being fit is important.”
Eastus was already in shape before taking on CrossFit, but Espinosa said her transformation since has been incredible. Eastus started with a runner’s body—lean and strong, but not much muscle. Now, thanks to CrossFit, Eastus has no shortage of muscles.
“You see her now with her flat tummy and now she’s got these ab muscles everywhere,” Espinosa said. “Her legs went from just straight runner’s legs, to now she’s built like a real CrossFit athlete. It’s pretty cool to have watched that in a year and half.”
Eastus teaches a “HardCore” class at NetFitness. Espinosa said her students have given her rave reviews and her class sizes keep increasing.
But despite everything else going on in her life, Eastus still finds time for her fitness. After working the night shift at the ER, she checks on her kids and then heads to the gym. She works in a workout before teaching her class at NetFitness, then hits the weights with Espinosa and usually follows up with the CrossFit Workout of the Day.
“It’s hard, I don’t sleep all that much” Eastus said. “I don’t make any excuses. I just make time no matter what.”
The do-it-all mom said she plans on trying her hand at the CrossFit Open, a segment of the CrossFit Games open to all competitors, as well as obstacle events like the Warrior Dash and Ninja Warrior.
“I want to try that and see how far I can go and compete in other capacities, too,” Eastus said.
It’s hard, I don’t sleep all that much. I don’t make any excuses. I just make time no matter what.”
