Interview with CrossFit Games Teen 16-17 Champion, Allison Weiss.

Allison Weiss is a retired competitive gymnast and 18 year old CrossFit competitor from NC. She competed in the CrossFit Games in 2015 and 2016, but won it last year in the 16-17 division! She competed in the Atlantic Regional this year on her gym's team, College Hill CrossFit and I got her to answer a few questions for me before she competed this weekend. Her whole family is involved in Crossfit and it's so awesome to see their bond in the gym and just as a family unit in general. This girl's passion for CrossFit and everything she does is so inspiring. Hopefully you can see that throughout the interview!

What is your background like? (Hometown, hobbies, sports, etc)
I was born and raised in Greensboro, NC. I competitively competed in gymnastics for 12 years.

How did you get started in CrossFit?

When I retired from the sport of Gymnastics, my coach and my mom introduced me to it, as they were already involved with it.

When was your first CrossFit competition?
War Of the WODs 2014

What does a day in the life of Allison Weiss look like?
As I am now graduated from high school, I don't have too much on the agenda. I'm pretty much just training, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying all the little things in life before I get super busy balancing college and training again in the Fall.. and recovering for the next day haha.

I know you're about to compete this weekend at the Atlantic Regional on a team for College Hill CrossFit. What have you been doing in preparation for that, physically and mentally? How has your training changed in the past couple of months in preparation for competing on a team?

A lot of my training has changed leading up to Regionals and competing on a team. I did very little individual work, and a lot more team based workouts.

What are some things you do in between events at competitions to recover?
In between events my favorites are Puori Protein recovery, and some quick digesting carbs, usually something like some fruit.​

Do you think your training on a team has affected your fitness negatively as an individual or do you think the intensity of training with a team has enhanced it? 
I feel less volume on my body lately, but still focusing big on recovering as my volume will soon increase as I return my focus to Indy based.

What’s one thing you do every single day other than crossfit that you couldn’t live without? 

I don't do much other than crossfit, although I wish I did have another hobby. I can't seem to ever get myself out of the gym. I do enjoy taking my dog on walks to the park daily.

What’s your favorite workout/movement?
I love C2B Pullups and hang power cleans!

Least favorite workout/movement?
I despise thrusters :(

What's your favorite food? ;)
Any type of seafood all the way!

What are some of your future goals?
Live healthy, stay fit, and continue to enjoy training and see where it takes me.

How do you balance training, school, and a social life? 
Prioritizing is key!

Who inspires you the most in your life?
The list could go on. Genuine, kind hearted, hard working people are always the ones I look up to. I believe life is too short to be anything but the above, and I'll always strive to better myself in each of those areas.

What's one piece of advice you'd want to give to someone interested in doing CrossFit for the first time?

No, you don't have to get fit before you do crossfit. We all start somewhere, the time is NOW! :)