1) Who is Camzin Martin? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I was born and raised in South Africa and moved to the United States when I was fourteen years old. I am somewhat eclectic and enjoy a wide range of things from acro yoga, creating art, and singing off-key to music with far too much enthusiasm, to reading, crosswords, and debate. I obviously love fitness and fit that in around being with my family and our two girls.
2) How many years have you been training?
I’ve been doing CrossFit since 2012. Before CrossFit I has not been involved in athletics since gymnastics as a child.
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)
Athletically I’d say the hardest thing I’ve had to come back from was pregnancy. Your body, mind, and soul undergo so many changes while pregnant that returning to training is like going from driving automatic to learning to drive stick shift all of a sudden with a small child screaming in the backseat. It’s not the same vehicle anymore and you’re not alone for the ride anymore either, so it was a lot to adjust to. During all of the hardest times what kept me going was thinking “It doesn’t matter how I do today, I’ll be glad I showed up and did work.” And that has been true. Every subsequent setback is the same mantra and at the end of the session I tell myself “I got better today.”
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
Right now I do two to three double days a week. I’ll typically hit some lifts and an endurance based session on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings followed by an evening session with the Compete Elite crew at CrossFit Central Houston. Tuesday mornings I just do one session and Saturday mornings I hit one session, although Saturdays usually turn into some “do you want to do” “Yes, yes I do” either before or after the programming and end up having way too much fun. As for diet I work with Working Against Gravity and count macronutrients. I get to eat extra carbohydrates on Wednesdays and Saturdays and eat consistently the remainder of the week.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
This year has been such a learning year for me. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that having fun and being happy outweighs almost anything else you’re doing. If you’re not loving it you’re robbing yourself of progress. I also learned the value of being obnoxiously specific with food. I made a 5% body composition change over the last year and it has had dramatic effects on my performance. Finally, I’ve learned that I needed to just delve deep into my weaknesses and not worry about maintaining my strengths. They’ve held steady and the progress made in my deficits has been so worth it.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
We have a Sunday brunch tradition where we make delicious foods from scratch, and each week the food takes on a new iteration. Well, we started with standard sweet potato casserole one weekend and have built the perfect SPC. It has a graham cracker base with a thin layer of chocolate, followed by the sweet potato filling (which has cookie pieces in it, obviously) and it’s topped by an actual cookie crust with chocolate chips and the usual SPC fixings (pecans, brown sugar, and magic). It’s not macro friendly, and not good for you, but it may be one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Probably protein powder. Counting macros it gets really hard to hit proteins without powder and honestly sometimes I just don’t want to eat any more chicken breast, or lean fish, or egg whites. My favorite is the Core protein from American Gainz because it’s not sickly sweet like so much on the market and it doesn’t take a lot of water so it’s quick and easy. I don’t take any other supplements with any regularity.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I’d start with dialing in my diet, and I would have been less stubborn and attacked working technique earlier on, but otherwise I’ve been very blessed to work with highly qualified people and I’ve been in the sport for six years with only one major injury, and even that was a freak accident broken bone, so I think it’s gone pretty alright so far.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
Honestly my teammate, Teresa Trojanowski. She carries herself with such humility and grace and extends all she meets such dignity and respect. As a competitor and training partner she truly wishes the best for others and is never unkind or condescending. Her character does not come from a lack of prowess, but rather she’s one of the most tenacious and gifted athletes I’ve ever met. If you don’t know her you should.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Be patient. All of this stuff takes copious amounts of time, most of which is spent grinding feeling like you’re not getting anywhere. If you’re patient you can focus on what matters, technique and safety, having fun, staying humble and hungry, and sticking it out for the long haul.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
My goals for this year aren’t metric based as much as they once were. This year I want to attack the Open calmly and with intention, rather than the panic which usually ensues at the sound of TDCs voice painstakingly describing a workout. From there through the Games (which is a goal this year) it’s do remain focused on my teammates rather than myself and contribute more than just the reps I can offer toward our total.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
I own my domain name, because with a unique name why not, but I don’t have any content there. I’m on Facebook as Camzin Martin and Instagram as @camzin_martin
