Below is the story of Hillary Rizor. She has been training with me since November 2014 on the Mash Mafia Online Weightlifting Team. She also works with Team Eat & Lift What You Want to get her diet in check. We met two weekends ago at Obsessive CrossFit Disorder in Kissimmee, FL.
She has been a hoot to work with. She asks lots of questions, and we have grown super close working together online. She met Rock and Emily Drew last weekend, and we just love her. She wants to be good with all her heart, and I found out last weekend that she has the skills to go with the heart.
Enjoy her story, and get ready to see a lot more of her!
A Lifter Is Born! Hillary Rizor
When I look at myself nearly 6 months ago not only as a lifter, but also as a person, I do not see the same individual. When I first started working with Travis in November 2014 I had exposure to lifting through Crossfit, but I had little technique and was learning based off of trial and error. I was needy, full of questions, had no confidence in my ability.
When I first contacted Travis I was extremely nervous and was full of questions. I had no idea how to read my programming, I didn’t understand most of the terminology, and the thought of sticking to percentages instead of finding a “max” everyday was a new concept. From the get go it has been an extremely humbling experience. I remember days of being alone in my garage trying to figure out how to get my body to move the way it was supposed to and I was so frustrated that I often was on the verge of tears. Every time I would have one of these days I would email Travis and share with him my frustration and each time he would not only reply with a simple cue that I actually understood, but he would find something positive in the movement I was trying to do. Over time these simple cues, fixing one thing at a time, led to me improving my technique and movement. More importantly Travis finding a positive in something I found to be so far off the mark, allowed me to slowly build confidence in myself.
As the weeks and months have passed there is no question that not only has my movement has improved, but my knowledge and confidence has increased. Travis has answered every question I have thrown his way, developed a course of action for me when I developed a tendonitis and above all he has believed in me. As I prepared to compete in my first weightlifting meet the first weekend of April, Travis was there every step of the way. I loved every minute of it. It was such an incredible experience and I am could not have had such a successful day without the help of Travis. Despite the fact that he was hundreds of miles away from the competition he was able to help me feel prepared for my big day which is the next best thing to having him there to help me.
When I first started working with Travis I had my goals set on qualifying for the American Open as a 69kg lifter, but recently I have moved into the 63kg weight class and have my sights set on qualifying for Nationals. I know that this will be no easy feat for me but I know that I have all of the tools necessary and a coach that believes in me.
I have transformed from a needy, awkward and insecure lifter to someone that is armed with more knowledge and confidence. I feel incredibly blessed to have a coach that has worked to understand how I learn and has fostered an environment that encourages my never ending questions and growth as both an athlete and a person. If I ever had any doubt that I would be able to learn from someone miles away, that thought has vanished from my mind. Travis is not only my coach, but my mentor and friend. I cannot wait to see what I can accomplish in the months to come with Travis and the Mash Mafia team.
Remember April 18-19 I am in Whitby, Ontario at CrossFit Whitby! Check out all of the Learn 2 Lift Certs. below:
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