1.) Who is Meg Benzik? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and recently moved to Arizona due to being offered a partial athlete sponsorship from OPEX fitness. I currently train there full time and coach CrossFit classes part time at CrossFit BOTB. Training consumes most of my life and I absolutely love it.
When I am not training, I love hiking, camping, and generally spending as much time outdoors as possible.
2) How many years have you been training?
I started getting into fitness when I was 12, but I obviously had no idea what I was doing. I started seriously training for CrossFit about 6 years ago.
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
The most challenging part of my journey has been coping with Lupus and the fatigue I experience from it. With CrossFit training being so intense, I am often left exhausted. Obviously, pushing to that level everyday would effect my training overtime. Thankfully I now have a coach who does individual programming for me so my workouts and training are tailored to challenge me without pushing me too far.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
My training routine varies based on the season. I was recently doing more of a bodybuilding style training routine to focus on strength gains, but now I am more focused on getting ready for the CrossFit open in February. This means my intensity is increasing and I am focused on improving my conditioning as much as possible. I train twice a day. I have a morning training session which typically takes about 3 hours. It is a lot more strength and intensity based. My evening session usually takes about an hour and is more aerobic and recovery based. For my diet, I count macros but I also eat clean. I keep sugars as low as I can and stay away from gluten and dairy.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
I am constantly learning as much as possible in regards to training, lifestyle, and nutrition. The things I have found to impact me the most recently has been taking a food sensitivities test and eliminating inflammatory foods and having a coach watch me train daily to correct form and technique issues.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
I absolutely LOVE sweets and home baked goods. I stay away from them as much as possible though since sugar is addicting and it often leads to a bad cycle.
7) one supplement that you could not live without?
Green Vibrance by Vibrant Health. It helps me ensure that I am getting all my greens and nutrients in, along with probiotics to keep my gut health on point.
8) If you had to start out from scratch with your physique what would you do differently and why?
I wish I would have realized sooner how detrimental sugar is when it comes to physique. I thought I was staying away from it until I realized that 5g here and 5g there adds up to a lot over the course of a day. Eliminating as much of it as possible has made all the difference.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do I really need to explain why here? Who doesnt look up to him?! Haha But currently I have a lot of respect for all of the top CrossFit Games athletes. I admire their dedication and ability to accomplish the things they do. That’s what I am currently working towards!
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
To not worry about where you are starting or how far you are from your goals. The best thing you can do is focus on TODAY and doing the absolute best you can. If you are always pushing a little harder than the day before, you will one day look back be amazed at what you have accomplished.
11) What new goals are on the horizon?
Currently I am focused on the CrossFit Open. I plan to make regionals and see how well I can do in this region.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
I use instagram the most! @megbenz210
