Elisabeth Akinwale is a unique competitor at CrossFit Games, that of being a mother. She’s got a smile that can light up a room one minute and morph into a focused grimace the next. She’s strong as an ox and flexible as an acrobat. She’s a devoted mom, blogger, and CrossFit competitor, and she excels at all three. She’s come from nowhere on a bullet train into the CrossFit spotlight.
Introduced to CrossFit in December 2010 by her sister Busola, Akinwale not only qualified for the 2011 Games, she placed 13th among the women that year. In 2012 she set a personal goal that some must have found audacious: to be on the podium, maybe even looking down from Fittest Woman Annie Thorisdottir’s top spot. And although she didn’t get quite that high, she did vault herself to an impressive 7th place.
And in the process, she gave Games fans a few moments in the Home Depot stadium that continued to inspire thousands of CrossFitters months later. She and Lindsey Valenzuela were the only two women who completed the Clean Ladder event, which maxed at a whopping 235 pounds. In a show-stopping performance, Akinwale added three deadlifts to Valenzuela’s two to take the event, and in the brutal Double Banger, she looked like a superhero straight from the pages of Marvel Comics, swinging a mean sledgehammer to slam another first-place finish. She tied for second in the Ball Toss and placed in the Top 10 for both the Obstacle Course and Isabel workouts (7th and 9th place, respectively).
True to her surname, which means “the warrior has returned,” Akinwale is fast becoming a household name in the CrossFit world. She grew up as a gymnast from the age of 4. She started competing in about the 2nd grade, and trained year round in a club program. Her gymnastics career ended during freshman year of college. Following that she joined a local gym to rehab a knee injury and that’s when she started weight training. She followed a fairly typical bodybuilding type training regiment, with body part splits, cardio sessions, etc. Over the years she have sought out a competitive outlet through fitness competitions, road races and triathlons. In late 2010 she found CrossFit and began competing in March of 2011. During this time she was introduced to Olympic-style weightlifting. In the summer of 2011 she competed in her first weightlifting meet.
She currently train primarily as a CrossFit athlete and secondarily as a weightlifter. Weightlifting is one of the foundations of her CrossFit training, so there is a great deal of crossover. She didn’t intend to become a competitive athlete again at this stage of her life and as a mother, but she has found that once an athlete, always an athlete. She now competes and represent the region:North Central and her team is CrossFit Construct.
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Elisabeth Akinwale is an exceptionally talented and accomplished CrossFit athlete. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You must had an inclination towards fitness since your younger years. You started Crossfit about four years back and reached in Top 15 in all the four CrossFit Games you participated. What factors you consider are responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
Being involved in sports and athletics from an early age (gymnastics beginning at age 4) has contributed a great deal to my ability to participate in CrossFit competition at a high level. Training comes second nature to me since it’s something I’ve been doing for the majority of my life. I’m very privileged to have access to great training facilities and coaching, as well as a strong personal support system, things that have been a significant factor in my career.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You had a hard earned journey in CrossFit Games. You have finished a remarkable 14th at the 2014 Games. Tell us about your journey of tenacity, discipline and hard work that makes you a phenomena in Crossfit Games?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
Every year at the CrossFit Games brings its own set of challenges and along with that, a unique opportunity to learn more about yourself. A person is defined not only by how they respond when they are performing well, but how they respond when things aren’t going their way. Everyone comes into the Games having prepared to the best of their ability and when Game days comes we have to test that preparation against unknown workouts and a field of very talented athletes who are also well prepared. CrossFit Games weekend can take you for a roller coaster ride if you let yourself react emotionally to every event. As in life, if something gives you a hit you have to regain your focus and keep fighting for a strong performance on the next event.
Elisabeth Akinwale on WomenFitness: I think womenfitness.net is a great site in that it provides resources for women in so many diverse areas, and includes content that is relevant for women with a variety of goals and interests.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
My training regime is very diverse, comprised of elements from a variety of different disciplines; gymnastics, weightlifting, traditional strength and conditioning, endurance, as well as practicing CrossFit style workouts. Ti enhance my recovery and overall health and durability I practice yoga and a variety of corrective exercises to improve the efficiency of my body’s movement.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
I wouldn’t say I follow a special diet, but my main objective it to put healthy things in my body, fuel my training and maintain body composition to perform in my sport. The foundation of my diet is focused on eating a lot of whole foods- unprocessed meats, produce, a bit of dairy. Depending on the time of year and my training schedule I will adjust the volume of starchy carbohydrates that I eat.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding CrossFit training girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of CrossFit Games?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
It’s really exciting to think that the sport of CrossFit is growing and established to the point that young girls are aspiring to compete at the CrossFit Games! I would encourage young athletes to find high quality coaching and programming so they can follow proper progressions in their athletic development. Gaining the skill and strength to succeed in this sport takes a good deal of time, perseverance, and attention to detail. Be prepared to work harder and longer than you thought you could, and achieve
things beyond what you can imagine.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You are unique competitor at CrossFit Games, that of being a mother. How challenging you find your motherhood and bringing up your child with being a competitor at CrossFit Games?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
Being a mother and a high level athlete presents some challenges, but it’s also a gift. It’s very easy to become consumed with focus on your training, but being a parent requires that you preserve a good deal of time and energy for your child. That gives me a much-needed mental and physical break from training that’s automatically built into my life. Being a mother also keeps me consistently grounded in the fact that there are bigger things in life than sport.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Elaborate about your experience of working with your team CrossFit Construct?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
I train among a great community of people at CrossFit Construct in Chicago. It’s an incredibly supporting community and a great environment to prepare for the CrossFit Games.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
With exceptional hard work you are credited with all your achievements. Do you believe that does the hand of Providence (Supreme Being) played a role in your success?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
I think we have the potential to live out a meaningful purpose in our lives. A purpose that is something we have to identify, and if we’re fortunate we will find it. Athletic competition has provided me a platform to excel.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influencer and motivator in your success in the field of your career in competitive women CrossFit Games ?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
My family has been my biggest motivation as a competitor in the CrossFit Games. They are the support system that allows me to compete as well as my inspiration to continue to perform to the best of my ability.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Elisabeth Akinwale:
I think womenfitness.net is a great site in that it provides resources for women in so many diverse areas, and includes content that is relevant for women with a variety of goals and interests.
To know more about Elisabeth Akinwale, Check her out at: http://www.elisabethakinwale.com
Women Fitness Team thanks Elisabeth Akinwale for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.