“It’s the Most Progress I Have Ever Seen:” Brittany Stepnioski’s Kea Athletics Journey So Far

“It’s the Most Progress I Have Ever Seen:” Brittany Stepnioski’s Kea Athletics Journey So Far

Fifteen years ago, Brittany Stepnioski decided to try CrossFit to get into better shape for rugby.

A decade-and-a-half later, the former college rugby player is no longer playing rugby, but CrossFit, and Kea Athletics, has become a foundational aspect in her life. 

• “I fell in love with the barbell and the challenging workouts that were like nothing I had ever done,” said Brittany, a mother of two who has been a member of Kea Athletics since the day Jo and Eric opened the doors two-and-a-half years ago. 

The Kea Difference

Like most things in life, Brittany’s CrossFit journey hasn’t been a linear one.

She has been a member of five different CrossFit gyms through the years, depending on where she was living, and she wasn’t always consistent, especially during her first pregnancy. 

Needless to say, her performance ebbed and flowed through the years, but since joining Kea, Brittany said she has seen the biggest and most consistent gains she ever has. 

• “It’s the most progress I have ever seen. I have been hitting PRs and postpartum PRs that I have no business hitting,” she said.

Her back squat was “stuck” at 210 pounds “forever,” Brittany explained. Now, she can squat 235 pounds. 

Further, Brittany recently deadlifted 300 pounds for the first time—up 15 pounds since she started at Kea—and she can now bench press 175 pounds, up from 160 pounds pre-Kea.

What makes this especially noteworthy is that, in the last five years, not only did Brittany have two children, but she also battled colon cancer, which required her undergoing surgery.

• “So hitting any PRs no matter the size is such a huge win for me,” she said. 
  Brittany attributes her significant progress, even 15 years into her CrossFit journey, to the thoughtful programming at Kea, saying, “You don’t realize the difference in programming until you experience something better.”

• “The programming is well thought out, beyond just the week. It’s built in cycles and they think ahead,” Brittany said, adding that the percentage-based lifting has also been a game changer for her progress. 

Brittany also credits Jo for helping her with her nutrition, as well.

• “It was hard and uncomfortable at first to track my food, but Jo is so knowledgeable, helpful and realistic. And she never said BMI to me, which I love,” Brittany said. 

Even more important to her than her fitness progress, however, is how she is able to 

bring her children to the gym.

• “When I was on mat leave with my youngest, I would bring her to the gym with me. For the whole year, she would hang out in her stroller unbothered. Most days, once the barbell and music started going, she would even nap. So even my kids are comfortable at Kea,” Brittany explained. 

Brittany’s Message: Find Yourself a Community Like Kea

For those who think going to the gym is hard, Brittany is adamant that if you find the right gym, it’s not.

This is why she is able to wake up at 4:30 am to hit the 5 am class during the week: Because she loves being there as the community and camaraderie is unmatched, she said. 

• “I’m also grateful Kea is my neighbour. Walking over just 400 meters to get there is the cherry on top,” she said. “I always feel safe, supported, and encouraged. And they know what they’re talking about.”

Brittany added: “When I talk to people about Kea, I try to temper my excitement because I enjoy it so much, I stumble over my words with excitement.”

written by: Emily Beers