Month: January 2022

Whether you’ve walked into your first CrossFit box this week or you’re a fellow veteran and full on addicted CrossFitter, we can all agree that watching powerhouse athletes dominate on the floor at Wodapalooza is a mind blowing experience. FitAid has been following the trajectory of up and coming elite athlete, Meg O’Donnell! Prepping for such an intensive four day event can be pretty daunting but O’Donnell breaks it down for us – from how she prepared her workouts to how she felt when she got her invitation to Miami’s Wodapalooza Competition. Check out our interview below: 

FitAid: How have you been preparing for your appearance at Wodapalooza?

O’Donnell: I have some hefty goals. So I’ve been going through Phase 1 of my “Open” prep. Which has heavy lifting, monostructurals and “fun” conditioning pieces. Otherwise, just trying to stay healthy and well fed. I’m pretty excited to compete at WZA. This will be my first time!!

FitAid: Did the cancellation of Wodapalooza last year have an impact on your performance or your experience as an athlete this past year?

O’Donnell: I was sad to see that WZA had to cancel. I had not planned to compete there last year, so the cancellation didn’t affect my training. But I think it was a smart move with everything that was going on. Plus it helps to make this year EVEN more special. Especially with it being the 10th anniversary.

FitAid: How did you feel when you got the invite to this year’s WZA?

O’Donnell: Getting the invite this year was a VERY pleasant surprise! I am beyond excited to get the chance to compete at such an iconic event! Not a terrible thing to get a little vacay into the heat during this time as well.

FitAid: What workouts are you hoping to see at this year’s Wodapalooza?

O’Donnell: I always LOVE a good chipper and ladders. I’ve been looking at all the posts from Instagram. There are a LOT of fun workouts that WZA could bring back! Hopefully it’ll be something heavy and fun at the same time! Rope climbs and sandbags and a heavy barbell sound like “fun”

FitAid: What advice do you have for other up and coming athletes looking to make it to Sanctionals?

O’Donnell: I’ve been competing for about 10 years now. My advice for the up and coming athletes is to believe and Keep training! You CAN do it! I started out just wanting to be a more healthy and fit human. That took a small step up to make Santionals.  It took me a few years, but after making Regionals/Sanctionals/Semi-finals; I set my sights on the Games. Haven’t made it there yet, but I’m still trying and doing well. Been getting better every year! Maybe, THIS year will be the year! Either way, competing has been a very fun time! I have made more than a few friends along the way.

Don’t forget to check out Meg’s socials (@meg_breezy_ox9) for more behind the scenes WZA action! And tag us on Instagram if YOU were at WZA this year! @fitaid 

A big shout out to Tiffany Ammerman for grabbing this content. You can check out more of her articles, along with her photos at the link below: https://www.lifeaidbevco.com/blog/author/tiffany-ammerman/

Prior to Wodapalooza, FITAID held a photoshoot with CrossFitter, Kelsey Kiel. Being that it was her first competition in almost 2 years, we thought we would catch up with her and see what she has been up to. Our manager of social, Dion, was able to get some behind the scenes content as well as ask Kelsey some interesting questions. Check out our Q&A brought to you by our Master of Social, Dion. Also, give our Instagram page, @fitaid, a follow to stay up to date with everything FITAID. 

Being that this is your first competition in almost 2 years, why did it take you so long to come back to crossfit? 

Kelsey: “I took almost a full year off from doing anything crossfit to bobsled and the last competition I did was in February of 2020. I took a lot of time off to focus on bobsledding. I missed Crossfit though so I decided to come back.”

What intrigued you the most about bobsledding? 

Kelsey: “It was a different opportunity. They asked if i wanted to see if i’d be good at the sport so i decided to give it a go. I had a feeling that crossfit wasn’t going anywhere but the opportunity to try and make an Olympic team was something I wanted to try to give a shot. They said it was going to be hard to do that in less than a year, and it was hard to do,  and i didn’t do it, so here i am back in the sport that i really love.”

What are you excited about the most for WZA? 

Kelsey: “I feel like I am most excited to just get back out there. I get to compete with my best friend on my team. All three of us are just out to have fun. I’ve missed it. When they say WZA is a celebration of fitness, that’s exactly what it is. There’s nothing like it.” 

What do you miss most about competition?

Kelsey: “The sport in general. Like when you’re training for a very specific reason, to medal at the olympics, it’s very sport specific. But with Corssfit, everyday in the gym is such a process and I missed that when I was training for bobsledding. Everyday im looking forward to going to the gym again and I am having more fun than i feel like i’ve ever had doing CrossFit. I’m just doing it for myself and enjoying every moment.” 

Has this process of getting back into CrossFit brought you reminders of why you started CrossFit ? 

Kelsey: “If someone told me I would be doing this (a photoshoot) when I started, I would have never in a million years believed you. I think that taking the year off and trying a different sport, trying something new, made me realize what I miss about this sport. It really took me back to the roots, the reason I started competing in the first place. I think I lost myself a little bit there. Not necessarily doing it for the wrong reason but it became a chore. Taking some time off and coming back makes it seem like a different environment and I’ve been having so much fun with it.” 

What’s the most frustrating thing about a photo shoot? Doing the same thing over and over again? Or just waiting for a long time? 

Kelsey: “The lack of snacks that I brought HAHA”

How many times have you had to fake drink a FITAID? 

Kelsey: “Too many to count!” (Proceeds to fake drink a FITAID) 

Thin crust pizza or deep dish pizza? 

Kelsey: “Thin crust because I just don’t like deep dish pizza. I feel like it’s very saucy.”

If you had to choose one, Outback Steakhouse or CheeseCake Factory?

Kelsey: “Outback Steakhouse because I really like Steak even though Cheesecake Factory has the biggest menu I have ever seen in my life. It’s like a book.” 

Be sure to check our other blog posts for more exclusive interviews, WZA Competition content, and everything LIFEAID!

“Party in the city where the heat is on, All night, on the beach till the break of dawn, Welcome to Miami, Bienvenidos a Miami!” Pack your bags and don’t forget your swimsuit. For the first event of 2022, the LIFEAID team is headed to Miami for Wodapalooza (WZA). What started in 2012 as a grassroots 1-day event with 145 athletes and 500 spectators, has now grown into the world’s premier Functional Fitness Festival. Today, this event spans 4 days on Miami’s Bayfront Park and brings together thousands of athletes, spectators, and fitness enthusiasts.

If you plan on making the trip to Miami, here is what you can plan for. There will be a weightlifting faceoff, WZA Strong which is a hybrid competition of Strongman and functional fitness movements, and the Gauntlet which is an exciting and fast race through three workouts in one hour (!!!). Also, for spectators, there will be one of the largest collections of functional fitness vendors and exhibitors as well as spectator workouts and seminars.  

This year, several of our FITAID sponsored athletes will be competing at 2022 WZA. Those competing will include Sara Sigmundsdóttir, Guilherme “Gui” Malheiros, Kelsey Kiel, James Newburry, Jay Crouch, and Ellie Turner. If you are going to this event, make sure you cheer extra loud for our athletes and be on the lookout for some of our team members handing out FITAID merch and FITAID GO!