Athlete Diary

By: Heidi Harris, RD-N, LD-N, CD-N

What You’ll Learn: In this blog, we will discuss what mental fatigue is in athletes, how to identify mental fatigue, how it effects an athlete’s performance and which lifestyle practices and nutrients to help support overcoming mental fatigue.^‡

By Klean Team sponsored athlete, Lori Russell, MSESS MS RDN LD CPT

Set goals, follow a plan and set yourself up for success during the sun & fun of summer with these 10 training tips.

By Klean Team Sponsored Athlete Lisa Roberts

How many of us look at our weaknesses and try to ignore them, hide them or pretend they don’t exist? It’s so much easier and more fun to do what we’re good at all the time. But what if we turned that around to fully acknowledge what our weaknesses are, bring them to the forefront and use them to make us better? And dare I say, DO THEM MORE!

By: Klean Team Member David Ross

Why Bodybuilding?
I get asked this a lot. I was a competitive powerlifter for over ten years. All I focused on was getting stronger and staying healthy. I never wanted to be the guy who looked so big that you confused him for a parade balloon that escaped. I respected bodybuilders. They push themselves in ways that didn’t make sense to me, but I preferred being strong and eating ice cream without feeling guilty. Once I got older, despite the mobility work, I found the heavy weights becoming more and more taxing on my body. If I’m completely honest, there was an inkling of jealousy as well. While I had told myself I didn’t care about the aesthetics, I would find myself becoming discouraged when I saw bodybuilders in the gym that despite weighing 20lbs less than I did, and not being able to come close to the weight I lifted, looked far bigger and stronger than I did. Having people compare me became a little disheartening. So, when the weights started hurting a little more, I let my ego get the better of me and decided that maybe I’d try this bodybuilding thing out. How hard could it be?

By: Klean Team Sponsored Run Coach & Athlete Stacey Gross

The days are getting longer, and the weather is starting to feel more like spring every day which means it’s time to get outside to train.

Whether you took the winter off to rest from the fall race season or your focus was base building indoors, here are a few tips for how you can transition to training outdoors.

We’re excited to introduce one of our newest Klean Team athletes, Alexis Johnson – 3x Crossfit^® Games competitor, avid athlete and inspiration to many. Achieving peak performance is a process that requires true commitment. Alexis’ story proves just that. We hope you enjoy this and follow along as she continues on her journey.

The first thing you should know about me is that I love to work out, for the sake of working out. I train because I love being in the gym, becoming a better version of myself each and every day, surrounded by others doing the same. This love unexpectedly led me to qualifying for my first CrossFit^® regionals (the stage before the CrossFit^® games) in 2014. Since then, I have trained competitively, and competed at the CrossFit^® Games three times (2016, 2017, and 2019).

Let me back up a few years and give you the whole story. As a kid, I did gymnastics. I wasn’t extremely competitive, but I still spent 4 hours per day, 5 days a week, in the gym. I wouldn’t have it any other way – I loved working toward new skills that, at first, felt unattainable. But after my senior year of high school, I wanted a “normal life,” or so I thought.

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This year we have all faced challenges, controlling what I can and keeping a routine on and off the bike has been incredibly important to me. My commitment to my sport, community and my values is as strong as ever. Even though racing has been shut down, I’m making the most of this time to get in solid, hard training sessions that have been, quite honestly, making me feel very uncomfortable. These workouts include spending two to three days in the gym, and five days a week on the bike, oftentimes double days. Therefore, fueling properly is essential, from my daily diet to nutritional supplements aiding before, during and after my workouts.
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It seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it?  But if you really think about it from a perspective of trying to achieve your best each and every day, a disciplined approach is the only way to freedom. Freedom can embody whatever it is you are trying to achieve; it can be more free time, a better job or a personal best at your next event.
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I went into the Spartan^® World Championships without too many expectations. It was my first time in Tahoe at Squaw Valley and I knew there were going to be a lot of unbelievable athletes toeing the line. I did as much as I could to prepare and I just wanted to go out, do my best, and see where that landed me in the world. All the prepping could not have prepared me for what Mother Nature decided to throw at us; nonetheless, I controlled what I could and just went in with a never give up mindset, which carried me over that finish line.
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