1) Who is Marissa Oxenford (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself? (hobbies, etc) I am originally from PA outside of Philadelphia. I just recently moved to Tampa this year and I absolutely love it! I am a physical therapist and have been practicing for about 8 years now. I started my own cash based physical therapy business, Redemption Physical Therapy, about 2 years ago in PA and have now been working on building it here in Tampa! Other than that, I live a super low key life! I coach CrossFit at CrossFit Big Guava and spend the rest of my time working out and hanging with friends, family, and my Rottie :)
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
I have been doing CrossFit for about 8 years now. I was a competitive gymnast all my life, from about the age of 4. I competed through college at Temple Univeristy. When my gymnastics career was over, I still had a hunger for intense competition and that is how I picked up CrossFit. I saw a billboard advertisement for my local gym and after my first intro class, it was a part of my life. I love the intensity, I love the community, I love the competition, I love the challenges. CrossFit has played a major role in my life through a lot of tough times and I am grateful I found the community!
3) What’s 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)
I'll stick to my athletic career on this one. Just like any other athlete, injuries are always a terrible setback. I started competing in gymnastics when I was 4 years old. By the time I was 15, my right shoulder had enough and I went in for a shoulder labral and rotator cuff repair. The rehab process was long and brutal but I fought my way back to gymnastics and got to compete in college. My shoulder still gives me problems to this day occasionally, but honestly, it is better now than it ever was and that is probably because of all of the strengthening I do for CrossFit. As hard as that injury, surgery, and rehab was, it taught me a lot and also introduced me to the world of physical therapy which opened the door to me becoming a PT myself.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
Because I tend to coach early in the morning, I have resorted to primarily solo training at 7am for about 2-2.5 hours at a time and train 5-6 days/week. I was never a morning “workout-er” but that is what my schedule allows these days so I make it work! I mix in some jiu jitsu a couple times a week too and I am loving that! In regards to my diet, if you know me, you know that I HATE cooking. Like, I don’t even enjoy being in the kitchen! So my diet consists of fruits, vegetables, Rx bars, and Rebuilt Meals :):) I eat a Rebuilt meal for breakfast and dinner, an Ample meal replacement shake for lunch at work, and then snack with fruits/veggies/Rxbars in between. Yes it is the same every single day because I like routine :)
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 always go back to the world of gymnastics because it was my life for 18 years. When I did gymnastics, you were encouraged to stay thin and light and watch your calories and watch your bulk. You completed 5-6 hours of practice every day and sometimes twice per day. On your off day (yea singular), you better be doing some sort of cardio. I could go on and on. Everything has changed for me since then. I have learned that food is fuel! I learned to EAT MORE (and healthy of course)! I learned to LIFT MORE and build MORE MUSCLE! I learned to TAKE REST DAYS! I learned how to optimally RECOVER! I learned the importance of all of these things since then and I love educating people about it, especially young female athletes.
6) What's your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Well I will cheat with a good Italian meal anyday OR wingsssssss!
7) What's one supplement that you could not live without?
Caffeine and tattoos…..are those supplements? Honestly, I don’t take many supplements but one that I am very consistent about is creatine. I put it in my coffee (caffeine ;) ) every morning.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
See number 5 :).....I would’ve EATEN MORE! I would’ve LIFTED MORE to build muscle and strength on this tiny little body of mine! I would prioritze rest and recovery better and understand the value of sleep and stress levels. I would do anything and everything to promote longevity of my health and high level perormance because that’s what truly matters. What matters is not peaking at 20 but instead being able to still move, lift, compete, whatever, when you're 60, 70, 80 years old. The choices you make now directly dictate your future so choose wisely.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
If we are talking about the CrossFit community, Kara Saudners has been my favorite female athlete from day 1! Not that I know her personally, but she just seems like a genuinely decent human being with her priorities in order. She is never starving for social media attention and lives her life the way SHE deems fit for her. And I respect that. She trains her ass off and remains competeitive even after having a baby; she stays true to her family; she wins with humility and loses with grace. She just seems like an all around genuine athlete and person who hasn’t fallen victim to the fame.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
RUN YOUR OWN RACE! Work out for YOU, compete for YOU…whatever your goals are, do it for you!
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
Fitness goals….to finally get strong lol! But for real, to stay healthy and keep competing. An Indy spot to WZA next year would be dope.
Life goals….to build my cash based physical therapy practice into a full time gig and have everyone in Tampa saying its name ;)
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Personal IG: @marissarose
Business IG: @redemption_pt
Business Website: www.redemptionphysicaltherapy.com
