Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Serena Goode, I’m 18, a competitive CrossFit athlete and full-time student. In 2018 I competed in the teenage girls division at the CrossFit games, I’ve also competed at Wodapalooza for two years now in the teenage division, as well as local competitions here in Ohio where I live with my family. I’ve been doing CrossFit for almost 3 years now.

What are you currently training for?

Before the pandemic I was training for the Canwest games to compete in the elite women’s division and after my finish at wodapalooza my intention is to win. I’m still training for it and I really hope they still have it, but if not I’ll focus on the next CrossFit Open.

Tell us about how you got introduced to CrossFit?

I did gymnastics for 10 years competitively, I’ve always played basketball, and I’ve tried a whole bunch of different sports. My family is very healthy and active so athletics have always been a part of my life, we were the family on thanksgiving that would get up and go for a run together. My mom is a personal trainer and my dad lifted all the time and still does. When I was in my sophomore year of high school I quit gymnastics because I had decided to start Crossfit after watching the documentaries

What does your typical training day look like?

I usually have 2 training sessions, sometimes I can fit everything into one 4 hour session but I like to do this because I can keep the intensity up. I’ll do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each session is a warm-up followed by an endurance piece ( I have three per week) and I’ll do a metcon or two and some strength and accessory work

What is your biggest challenge right now with regards to your training? 

My biggest challenge is not comparing myself to other athletes, and realizing that everyone has their own journey to success, I’m going to get to the games my way by continuing to work hard and putting in the work every day and it will happen.

What achievement are you most proud of?

Getting third place at wodapalooza stands out for sure, I’m most proud of that because of all the work I put into it, I honed in on my weaknesses and was more intentional with my training and improved my intensity and mentality. I went in thinking I was going to podium and that’s what I want and it happened. It was reassuring to know that all that deliberate work payed off. 

How important is mental preparation to Competition and training?

Mental preparation is so important, right now I’m working on doing more visualization before training and completing, and I really enjoy reading and listening to podcasts on how the most successful people in the world think, and find ways to incorporate that into my training and competition pre.

How do you stay motivated to train?

It sounds cliché but I believe motivation is temporary and you need to rely on discipline. I would say that my discipline is what keeps my going and I approach my training with intent and intensity. Whenever I don’t feel like giving 100% I always remind myself that the best athletes in the world are attacking this workout with intensity and not backing down and are putting in the time when nobody else wants to.  

It’s the little stuff everyday that ads up, that is going to move the needle. Making sure I am warming up properly and doing my accessory work, making sure I am scraping and taking time to recover properly

What role does recovery play in your training and how much time do you dedicate towards it each day

I dedicate so much time to recovery, it’s a huge part of my training. In terms of scraping, rolling, stretching and using my e-stim I spend around a couple hours. I work on my mobility before and after my workouts. But recovery is also nutrition and sleep so I try to make sure I get enough rest and eat good nutritious foods.

What’s the best recovery tip you’ve ever received?

The best tip I ever got was to listen to my body, for example if it’s a day where I am doing as much as I can and I am still feeling pain, that’s when I need to back away. I’ve gotten much better at listening to my body and adjusting my workload and intensity. Also, continuing to move. 

What is your favorite Sidekick tool and why?

My favorite Sidekick tool right now is the Bow, I love how it can get to big muscle groups, I use it a lot on my quads and hamstrings, and I just found out I can use it on my lower back. The eclipse is also really good for my shoulders, biceps, elbows, its between those two for sure.

Last question, what are three of your favorite things?

My favorite food is Sushi, My favorite show of all time is Friends, I love the beach, my goal is to live near the ocean one day.

"I use it at least every other night."

SERENA'S FAVOURITE SIDEKICK TOOL