1) Who is Kristi Brewer? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I grew up in Kuna, Idaho, a small farming town. I am a mother of two girls, and I am a CPA. If I am not at the gym or taxing my kids around town for practices then you will find us outside. We love to explore and adventure. Especially, hiking and camping. Our favorite vacations are roadtrips to national parks.
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
I have been training Olympic weightlifting specially for 4 years. I was introduced to the sport through crossfit. I found Crossfit through a google search after wanting to loose that last bit of stubborn baby weight. After training and competing in crossfit for 18 months, I had a friend who was training with a weightlifting coach, and I was curious to try. After my first month with the coach he convinced me to train weightlifting specifically.
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)
There have been quite a few challenging things to overcome in my journey. The first was being an older athlete, working full time and a mother of 2. I began training at the age of 35, worked full time as a CPA and didn’t have time. Finding time was much harder when I first started and I use to train at 5:00am before going into work.
With less than 2 years into the sport my family decided to move back home to Idaho from California. I was so new to the sport and struggled to find a coach in Idaho. I was told that it would be impossible to improve as a remote athlete since I was still learning the basics. When we moved, I believed that it was the end of my newfound love and would have to give up the sport. I ended up talking to everyone and reaching out to as many people as possible to find the best coach that worked with remote athletes. Luckily I found Max Aita, and that he was familiar working with remote athletes. Not only have I progressed but being a remote athlete was the best thing for me as an athlete. Forcing me to understand the sport more, learn, develop and educate myself more to more fully understand the movements and mental training.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
I train 6 days a week with a rest day on Sunday. My training is heavily focused on the snatch and clean and jerk and variations of the lifts as I am learning to be more technically proficient in both lifts. In regards to my nutrition I follow RP diet and eat a well balanced diet of protein, carbs and fats.
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 learned that our bodies are incredible machines and they will respond to how well you do or do not take care of them. I can tell a difference when I eat and sleep well. My body recovers better which allows me to train better. It may sound mundane but quality foods and quality sleep are the easiest and most beneficial things you can do for your body at any age. I am 38 years old and my body is still healthy and getting stronger. I have also learned how important it is to teach my children how to eat good and fuel their bodies as they are still growing and developing.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
I love a good steak and salty fries with a warm chocolate chip cookie and vanilla ice cream for dessert.
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
I love BCAAs, mainly because it adds flavor to my water. But I am not a huge supp person.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
Honestly, I’ve had a great journey, I took care of my body in my youth which has allowed me to continue to train and compete at an elite level at the age of 38. But one thing I wish I knew is that you could compete in strength sports. When I was younger I did now know about weightlifting or powerlifting. At age 15 I was squatting more than the boys my same weight and squatting over double body weight. Yet, I still didn’t like having big legs because I didn’t realize the power they beheld. I wish I had known the possibilities in weightlifting.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
My favorite people I admire are those defying the odds. Melanie Roach was a weightlifter that inspired me to start the sport. She was older, a mother and had an autistic child. I related to her and if she could do it, it inspired me that I could too.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. Don’t fear starting, don’t fear being terrible, don’t fear being the worst, because everyone sucked and didn’t know what they were doing. So don’t wait until you have it figured out. Go out and try , and fail and suck and keep trying and learning. Keep going! Just start!
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I am competing in Rome in January 2020 and I am sooo excited. It is my second competition to represent TEAM USA on the international platform, but my first time so far away from home. My goal is to have fun. It truly is such an amazing opportunity I want to enjoy the experience and the hard word it took to get to this point.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
IG: @k_mighty Website: https://www.kmighty.com/
