1) Who is Giselle Barbosa? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself…)I was born in Benoni, South Africa, but moved to Pretoria when I was 19. I have a certification in Exercise Science and just finished my BA in Sport Psychology. Next year I am set to start my Honors in Psychology part-time to give me more time to train. I love sport and have been doing it my whole life.
I started swimming when I was a few months old as a recommendation from the doctor as I was born with Poland Syndrome (I am missing my left pectoral muscle). And from there I just lived and breathed sport. I also absolutely love people! If my day consists of training and socializing, then that is a happy Giselle!
2) How many years have you been training?
I have been competing in sport my entire life, but only moved to CrossFit seriously in February 2019. I started with my coach, Dylan Fyfe, who has completely changed all my previous training and diet specifically to prepare me for competition. It hasn’t been very long, but it has been amazing! And I have grown so much already as an athlete and as a person. I’m really excited to see what the rest of my career brings under his training!
3) What has been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? And how have you overcome them (setbacks, rejections, injuries…)
I was one of those children who picked up sport really easily growing up. I worked really hard, yes. Work ethic is everything to me. Starting CrossFit, it was completely different to anything I had done previously (swimming, netball, tennis) and so mobility and technique have been massive areas of work for me. I also had to learn to leave my ego at the door ha-ha! I have always been strong and fast, but mobility has been an area that was never emphasized for the sport that I did growing up. It can become very frustrating at times, but I just make sure that I do extra mobility and stretching routines so that I can perform my movements properly. Especially for weightlifting! And the rewards become so much sweeter because you know that you’ve had to put in the extra effort. It’s awesome having things to constantly work on and improve!
I also had a bad shoulder for majority of this year which restricted me from doing a lot of overhead squats and snatches. My chiropractor deduced the problem down to my pectoral muscle (or lack of ha-ha) and so we worked a lot on prehab and rehab exercises. Again, it’s the best feeling finding a weakness and then not only rectifying it but making it your strength! It’s so exciting!
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
I train 5 days a week for about 2-3 hours. I also swim and run 1-2 times per week. My coach is very particular about quality training over quantity. Like he says, “more is not better. Better is better!” That said, we do have plans to increase my training in the new year so that is some exciting stuff to look forward to! We have been playing around with my diet and weight a lot. It all depends on where we are in our training and spending time finding out what suits my body the best. I was on a fat-heavy diet until a month ago. Now I am on a carb-heavy diet with my calories around 2600. I was actually told today that we need to increase those calories much to the dismay of my boyfriend who says his biggest expense is my food ha-ha! But besides all of that, I really focus on eating wholesome foods. A lot of fruit and vegetables and good quality grains. I don’t really each much meat, but when I do its fish or chicken.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And how has it changed your focus for the future)
I have been competing in sport my entire life, but only moved to CrossFit seriously in February 2019. I started with my coach, Dylan Fyfe, who has completely changed all my previous training and diet specifically to prepare me for competition. It hasn’t been very long, but it has been amazing! And I have grown so much already as an athlete and as a person. I’m really excited to see what the rest of my career brings under his training!
3) What has been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? And how have you overcome them (setbacks, rejections, injuries…)
I was one of those children who picked up sport really easily growing up. I worked really hard, yes. Work ethic is everything to me. Starting CrossFit, it was completely different to anything I had done previously (swimming, netball, tennis) and so mobility and technique have been massive areas of work for me. I also had to learn to leave my ego at the door ha-ha! I have always been strong and fast, but mobility has been an area that was never emphasized for the sport that I did growing up. It can become very frustrating at times, but I just make sure that I do extra mobility and stretching routines so that I can perform my movements properly. Especially for weightlifting! And the rewards become so much sweeter because you know that you’ve had to put in the extra effort. It’s awesome having things to constantly work on and improve!
I also had a bad shoulder for majority of this year which restricted me from doing a lot of overhead squats and snatches. My chiropractor deduced the problem down to my pectoral muscle (or lack of ha-ha) and so we worked a lot on prehab and rehab exercises. Again, it’s the best feeling finding a weakness and then not only rectifying it but making it your strength! It’s so exciting!
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
I train 5 days a week for about 2-3 hours. I also swim and run 1-2 times per week. My coach is very particular about quality training over quantity. Like he says, “more is not better. Better is better!” That said, we do have plans to increase my training in the new year so that is some exciting stuff to look forward to! We have been playing around with my diet and weight a lot. It all depends on where we are in our training and spending time finding out what suits my body the best. I was on a fat-heavy diet until a month ago. Now I am on a carb-heavy diet with my calories around 2600. I was actually told today that we need to increase those calories much to the dismay of my boyfriend who says his biggest expense is my food ha-ha! But besides all of that, I really focus on eating wholesome foods. A lot of fruit and vegetables and good quality grains. I don’t really each much meat, but when I do its fish or chicken.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And how has it changed your focus for the future)
I’ve learned that the process is very holistic. You can’t be in peak physical condition if you’re not in peak mental condition and vice versa. Physical, mental and spiritual aspects all work together and it’s ultimately important to ensure that all 3 of those areas get equal amount of attention.
I’ve also learned the importance of properly fueling yourself for training! Eating healthy foods is obviously very important, but if you are in competition and the only thing you can stomach is a toasted cheese, then you eat that toasted cheese! Or 2.
6) What is your favorite cheat meal/treat meal?
Anything FRIED CHICKEN! Hooters bottomless chicken wings are a weakness. And chocolate as well! My go-to meal is at a place called Roccomamas; I have chili cheese bombs, a crumbed chicken burger with chips and a Nutella waffle.
7) What is one supplement that you cannot live without?
Whey protein definitely!
8) If you had to start your journey from scratch with both your health and physique what would you do differently and why?
I wouldn’t do anything differently. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that I am exactly where I am meant to be with who I am meant to be with. All of the good things were things to be celebrated, and all of the mistakes were lessons to be learned. And without making mistakes you can’t grow as an athlete, so they are just as important if not more!
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
There are a lot of different athletes from a lot of different sporting codes that I like to draw inspiration and knowledge from. I feel that having a wide range of athletic inspiration really helps you learn different lessons and keeps your mind open. Everyone has a trait that can act as inspiration or knowledge, you just have to find it! And if you can find a champion trait in someone else, then you have a champion trait in yourself!
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would it be?
6) What is your favorite cheat meal/treat meal?
Anything FRIED CHICKEN! Hooters bottomless chicken wings are a weakness. And chocolate as well! My go-to meal is at a place called Roccomamas; I have chili cheese bombs, a crumbed chicken burger with chips and a Nutella waffle.
7) What is one supplement that you cannot live without?
Whey protein definitely!
8) If you had to start your journey from scratch with both your health and physique what would you do differently and why?
I wouldn’t do anything differently. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that I am exactly where I am meant to be with who I am meant to be with. All of the good things were things to be celebrated, and all of the mistakes were lessons to be learned. And without making mistakes you can’t grow as an athlete, so they are just as important if not more!
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
There are a lot of different athletes from a lot of different sporting codes that I like to draw inspiration and knowledge from. I feel that having a wide range of athletic inspiration really helps you learn different lessons and keeps your mind open. Everyone has a trait that can act as inspiration or knowledge, you just have to find it! And if you can find a champion trait in someone else, then you have a champion trait in yourself!
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would it be?
Take what you do seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously. Mindset is EVERYTHING. So put your head down and focus when you need to, laugh at yourself sometimes, work hard, push boundaries, take risks, be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey of becoming the best version of yourself that you can be. Have a growth mindset, and never regret anything; take every moment as a learning opportunity.
And also do your mobility ha-ha!
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I’m lucky in that my career has just started so the world is my oyster! My goals are to get better every day! I want to compete at a few Sanctionals this year and work my way towards the CrossFit Games.
12) Where can people find you?
People can find me on Instagram under the handle @gisslybear.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I’m lucky in that my career has just started so the world is my oyster! My goals are to get better every day! I want to compete at a few Sanctionals this year and work my way towards the CrossFit Games.
12) Where can people find you?
People can find me on Instagram under the handle @gisslybear.
