Valerie Randrianasolo

Name: Valerie Randrianasolo

Age: 30

Hometown: Antananarivo (Madagascar)

How long have you been CrossFitting? 2 years and 2 months

What is your favorite WOD/Exercise?

I love workouts with cleans, clean & jerks and snatches. I also enjoy long workouts in which you have to pace yourself and keep focused til the end.

What is your least favorite WOD/Exercise?

I used to hate wall balls, but one day we did "Karen" (150 wall ball shots for time) and since, I've been immunised I guess ... I am not a huge fan of push ups, but I'm working a lot on them to be able to transfer that skill to other exercises. 

What is your previous workout/athletic background?

I did trail running for 2 years in Madagascar. I was not really a sports person before that. It's mostly my husband who pushed me to do sports, including crossfit, and that totally changed my life! 

What was your first experience at CrossFit Cayman like?

It was really nice. Tarasa, Matt and Amanda were very welcoming and the members were friendly. It was like a family. It was the opportunity for me to put my crossfit knowledge to the test and review the fundamentals with the coaches. That really helped me to start a great experience at Crossfit Cayman. Also, at that time, my english was not very good, so I couldn't understand all the explanations from the coaches sometimes - and it was funny - but they were really patient with me.

What results have you seen since CrossFitting?

Crossfitting changed my life. Firstly because it's not a boring sport, so it kept me motivated and excited to learn different types of moves and try any random wod. It's like a playground and I loved it. Then, I discovered that human body is able to learn and adapt to an impressive number of physical and/or mental challenges. Today, I can do exercises I would never thought I could do 2 years ago ! Apart from that, crossfitting helped me set up a better lifestyle. As I wanted to improve my performances, I decided to eat healthier food, to sleep more, and that became a virtuous circle. Finally, Crossfitting also helped me to increase my stamina, to build self confidence and develop my mental strength in general.

What do you do to get yourself through a tough workout (mental thoughts, tips and tricks, etc.)?

I just try to think about the wod, to focus on the next rep, trying to do it as perfectly as I can. I am thinking "one rep at a time, just do one, then the next". Also, I always try to keep some juice for the end, not burning myself at the beginning. When it's getting long - and you start doubting about yourself -, I project myself to the moment at the end of the wod when the job is done and you feel proud that you survived. 

What's your favorite aspect about working out at CrossFit Cayman?

The coaching is excellent. The coaches are professionals, they perfectly know what they are doing and have experience training different levels of athletes. Either you are a newbie or with some crossfit background, they can adapt and provide you advices to improve your performance. They always make sure that you do the workout in the safest possible conditions. I have personally done some one-on-one training sessions with Matt and Tarasa, and that definitely pushed my overall crossfit performance. 

What advice do you have for someone thinking about joining CrossFit Cayman?

Just come and try it! People imagine that crossfit is for very fit or experienced athletes, that crossfit will get your body bulk, etc. But every single workout can be scaled/adapted to your actual level/goal and there's so much more to get from crossfit than just a physical body aspect ! It's a whole lifestyle change, and it's so much fun. The coaches can follow your evolution and help you to do the workouts in safety conditions, and the other members of the gym will cheer you up!