1) Who is Stephanie Knapp? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I’m a CrossFit athlete and weightlifter from CrossFit Swindon but not many people know about my full-time work. I’m a Producer for a company called Render. We create Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, interactive apps, CGI animation and live action films for global businesses. It can be demanding and mean long days so even though I put as much into my training as I can I feel like I am a ‘part-time’ athlete. When I’m not training or working I like to take the time to chill and cuddle my dog.
2) How many years have you been training?
I’ve been doing CrossFit for 5 years but also been interested in keeping fit previous to that. CrossFit is the first sport I’ve done competitively.
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)
In 2016 I had big plans to compete in various CrossFit competitions as part of Team AMSPORT and was only 6 weeks away from my first weightlifting comp when I had freak accident during a workout falling 10 ft. from a rig landing hard on my back and dislocating my index finger at the knuckle.
I thought I’d just needed some time, maybe a week or so and then I’d be back to training but I massively underestimated the extent of my injuries that quickly became obvious as my back got worse to the point where I couldn’t walk. I was suffering from back spasms which where compressing a nerve which meant I needed assistance just getting in and out of bed, getting dressed and the simplest of things. At one point it was just too painful to get in bed so I slept on a garden chair that reclined.
I was completely reliant of my husband and family over the next months until had full range of moment back.
After the 3 months I was back to full training and the hardest part of all of it was definitely pulling out of the all the competitions I had worked so hard to take part in.
I made sure not to rush my recovery and spent a lot of time doing light drills and position work, as I was worried but long-lasting effects. After 5 months I did my first weightlifting competition and took second place, PBed my clean and clean & jerk as well as qualifying for the English and British Championships.
The whole experience taught me not to take anything for granted and that tough times are temporary. And also that no workout hurts more than 2x people trying to pop your stubborn knuckle back into it’s socket!
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
Most days Monday-Friday I get up at 5:30 and train 6:30-8:30 before work and then train a short session in the evening. When I’m working away on film shoots for long days I have trained at 4am to get a session in. The weekend I absolutely love! No rushing around to get to work or to get an early night. Saturdays I can take my time, have some fun and train with friends. Sunday is rest day so I do a bit of mobility, a bit of yoga and spend the rest of the day relaxing (aka cuddling my dog).
Typical diet routine would be porridge first thing with a protein shake, AMSPORT energy minerals during training if it’s heavy session and I pack a sandwich and my green drink (spinach, grapes and a banana) for post workout when I get to work. My green drink does get me some funny looks as it looks like slime. Then I’d have 2x more meals whilst at work and dinner in the evening after training.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
That balance is key! You can’t give 100% at everything all the time. I used to be up from 5:30 until 23:00 just trying to fit everything in. I used to think the more you train the faster the improvements, but that is definitely not the case. I realised training when my body was tired meant I couldn’t get the most of it – like running on an empty tank. Recovery is so important and if you neglect it, your progress will suffer as a result. Now I make sure I get a solid 8 hours sleep a night and train quality not quantity.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Got to be a chicken pie!
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
I love my Omegas and ZMAs
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
Like many people, when I first started I was in such a rush to get the next milestone, that first pull up, first muscle up, double unders, heavier weights and so on. If I could start my journey again I would spend more time mastering the basics! I would tell myself to be in it for the long game and work on positions, skills and drills because without those you plateau.
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
Since the beginning my inspiration has always been my husband and coach. He has taught me that if I want something, I can achieve it! But I’ve got to work for it. And that’s no lie; my first goal was just to beat him in a workout! He has such a strong character and it’s that mindset that is infectious and motivates me.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Dream big and aim for the stars. You never know what you are truly capable of until you put your heart and soul into something. Always make sure you remember where you started and recognise your own achievements along the way.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
My goals are changing all the time but the one constant is to keep getting better. Mostly I focus myself on small efforts everyday like keeping on track with nutrition or targets for a training session. It all adds up.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
@sknappstar
