BUTLER TWP — With three children, Sherry Adams doesn't spend a whole lot of time in the gym.

But when she's there, she's all business.

Competing in the 40-45 age division, the Butler woman recently finished among the top 200 in that division in the CrossFit Open.

That earned her a spot in the Online Qualifier in a bid to reach the CrossFit Games.

“I'm a busy woman with my three kids (ages 17, 12 and 10),” Adams said. “This is my fun hobby. I'm in the gym four or five days a week for maybe an hour and 15 minutes each night.

“I was curious to see how I would do (in the CrossFit Open), so I decided to give it a try.”

The CrossFit Open workout assignments are presented online. The competitors complete the workouts. whether they're snatches with weights, push-ups, etc. — under the supervision of a coach or trainer who validates the scores that are submitted.

The Online Qualifier works the same way, only the assignments are more plentiful and videos must be submitted.

Adams placed 95th among the 200 CrossFit Open competitors. Only the top 10 in the world — per age division — reach the CrossFit Games, held in Madison, Wisc.

The idea of the Games are to determine the most physically fit people in the world.

“Two years ago, they took the top 20 in each cdivision,” Adams said. “Now it's even tougher to get through.

“This is the first time I've ever made it out of the Open, so I'm pretty happy with that.”

Adams began CrossFit training in 2013. A friend of hers was taking a few classes.

“She was training for an obstacle course race. Our daughters were in preschool together,” Adams said. “Her son was a physical trainer ... We got to talking and I started trying it.”

Adams traveled to a gym in Gibsonia with friends Ryan and Alicia Haller. The Hallers opened their own gym — CrossFit Recreate —in Butler two years ago. Adams has been working out there since.

“She never stops,”: Ryan Haller said of the intensity of her workouts. “We have to try to rein her in sometimes.”

Alicia described Adams as “extremely competitive. She loves the competition, extra work and pushing herself.

“To do what she did in the CrossFit Open with the amount of time she puts in is amazing. But she maximizes the use of that time.”

That has come with a bit of a price.

Adams has had rotator cuff surgery. She develops tendonitis in her biceps and is considering surgery on a shoulder that would sideline her from training for weeks.

“I've torn my meniscus, ruptured a disc in my back ... I've had my share of that stuff,” she said. “CrossFit does beat you up. You're dealing with heavy weights and heavy repetition.”

Adams doesn't want to miss upcoming compettions — which is why the thought of going through surgery isn't favorable in her mind.

“The weight-lifting community does things together,” she said. “We've done team competitiions and those are fun. I get super-hyped to compete.

“My husband knows how much I love it. He knows it's my passion. When I'm in the gym, I focus on the gym. It's my getaway from everything else.

“Get better, finish higher. Those are always the goals. You challenge yourself to improve,” Adams added.