SPORTS PERFORMANCE
be purposeful , functional and durable as I had come to realise over the years , and through a few bad experiences , that I wasn ’ t really able to protect myself against others if required to .
I knew resistance training and physical strength development would play a pivotal role in achieving this so I sought out a personal trainer and began a mix of resistance training and cardio . This led me to try many new fitness stimuli , and ultimately led me into CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting . ML : So it was quite a life-changing decision ? SM : It really was . I found CrossFit when I really needed it most . I was still overweight and very unhappy . As I recall , I was at university still studying towards my Masters and had given up on my sports career riding horses . I was making poor nutritional choices and had recently been through the break up of a rather destructive relationship with a long-term partner .
CrossFit was new to Dundee where I lived and worked and it was originally supposed to just be a means to shedding a few stone , regaining a
PHOTO CREDIT : ROSS COUGHLAN little self confidence and an overall healthier body and mind . ML : What is it about CrossFit that ’ s so special ? SM : CrossFit is referred to as ‘ the sport of fitness ’ and I took to it quickly . So quickly that over the course of a year I became a competitive Crossfit athlete . I now schedule my entire year around specific competitions and fitness trials with the biggest of these being ‘ The Open ’.
This is a 5-week long process where everyone in the world can compete alongside each other submitting scores online each weekend for the duration . It ’ s great fun being involved in such an inclusive competition as no matter what your fitness and skill levels are you can get involved and compare your scores to the elite level athletes from around the world .
The top performing athletes then qualify to attend the next stage known as the ‘ Regionals ’. This is the goal for many of us each year as we prepare our bodies over months and months for The Open events .
ML : How well have you performed in these competitions ? SM : Last year as part of a team made up of my friends and my coach we narrowly missed out on qualifying by just 2 places . Devastated is not the word .
This years attempt as an individual will be a mountainous challenge for me as unfortunately I had to relocate gyms without notice in late December and was left without anywhere to train properly for a few weeks . Following this I was recently involved in a serious road traffic accident in early January 2018 which also meant my training had to stop for a while again whilst I recovered .
Overcoming these obstacles has been a challenge but as Weihenmayer and Stoltz ( 2012 ) wrote : “ adversity alone has the unique power to inspire exceptional clarity , purge any vestiges of lethargy , refocus your priorities , hone your character , and unleash your most potent of forces ”.
I know this now to be the absolute truth and next year I will be that potent force .
Last season ( 2017 ) I worked really hard and qualified to attend the finals for many events including the French Throwdown ( Paris ), Canarias Gone Bad ( Tenerife ), Strength In Depth , The Scottish Functional Fitness Championships and The European Championships .
I ’ m very proud of what I have achieved and learned from each of these competitions . I even managed to come away with a few podium finishes and a couple of wins . Fingers
108 MUSCLE & FITNESS / MARCH 2018