Q&A with Bella Zack: High Schooler, CrossFitter, Our Champion

Last weekend CrossFit Dunwoody had one of our own compete in the Garage Games Junior Open in Woodstock, GA. Bella Zack is only 16 years old. She carries with her a water bottle with a sticker that says “Eat. Sleep. CrossFit.” And that pretty much sums her up.  Not only did she participate in last week’s competition, but she placed 1st in her age group to take the top spot on the podium. 

In addition to going to school and working out at CrossFit Dunwoody, she also works part time deep cleaning the gym every day to keep it clean and our athletes safe and healthy.  Her work ethic shines in and out of the gym and we had to know just what motivates this young athlete to grab Crossfit by the horns and dominate the way she does.

So we sat down with her this week and asked her a few questions about what got her interested in CrossFit and why she started competing:

CFD: Tell us about yourself!

Bella: My name is Bella Zack and I am 16 years old. I am a junior in high school at Saint Francis. Some of my hobbies are CrossFit, and I am also involved in Drama at school. When I am not at school or hanging out with my friends, I am at the gym. 

CFD : How did you get into CrossFit? How long have you been at CrossFit Dunwoody?

Bella : I n the 7th grade I ran cross country and I liked the way I felt after I finished a race. After the season ended, I needed to find another way to exercise. I started taking CrossFit kids classes at another gym. It was a long commute to get to the gym every night so ended up not going as much as I would have liked. Luckily CrossFit Dunwoody opened up so close to my house! I started working out at CrossFit Dunwoody in October 2017.

CFD: What do you like best about CrossFit/competitions?

Bella : The thing I love the most about CrossFit is that it is different every single day. I also love that there is something that you can improve on every time you come into the gym. The thing I love about competitions is the excitement of showing off what you are capable of and pushing your limits.  

CFD : What made you decide to begin competing?

Bella : I have always wanted to compete but was too scared. I competed in my first competition in December of 2019.  I knew after that I wanted to compete more often and become more serious.

CFD : What advice would you give someone thinking about joining CrossFit?

Bella : If you are thinking about joining CrossFit, you should not be intimidated at all. You can scale any of the movements and the coaches are great at giving modifications. Also, you will feel so much better after you workout. 

CFD : What has competing taught you? Has it changed you in any way?

Bella : Competing has helped me get out of my comfort zone and has taught me to push to the limit. Competing has shown me that I am better than I thought!

CFD: How would you describe your daily or weekly workout routine? Nutrition? Sleep habits? 

Bella: I try to workout five to six times a week. Before I go to workout I try to have a protein bar to give me some energy. I try to get at least eight hours of sleep each night but sometimes that does not happen because of school/TikTok/Netflix, etc..

CFD : What advice would you give to someone thinking about competing? 

Bella : If you are thinking about competing you should sign up for one, even if you are in a scaled division. It is super rewarding once you have finished all the workouts. 

CFD : What is your favorite WOD? Favorite movement? 

Bella : My favorite workout is Annie. Annie is a benchmark workout that is 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 reps of double unders and sit ups. My favorite movement is the deadlift because I feel super strong when I can pick up so much weight.  

Bella: I worked out and did all of the home workouts during quarantine. I was limited on which equipment I had so I definitely repeated a lot of the same movements. When everything was shut down I was in the middle of trying to build up skills to be able to qualify for a competition down in Miami, Florida. It was definitely hard to adjust to the way I was working out and not being able to go to the gym everyday. 

CFD: Why should people join CrossFit Dunwoody? 

Bella : People should join CrossFit Dunwoody because of the amazing community. I am one of the youngest people who workout there and everyone is so welcoming and encouraging. It is truly my happy place. 

Everyone at CrossFit Dunwoody is so proud of her for pushing out of her comfort zone and starting to compete.  She is the future of fitness and we can’t wait to watch what she does next.  Especially on TikTok!!

If you are looking for more information on competing, what opportunities are out there or even how to focus your training, be sure to ask one of our amazing coaches or set up a personal training session.  If you are not a member, but are curious about CrossFit, whether you ever compete or not, be sure to check out our KICKSTART PROGRAMS including our Comprehensive Kickstart that includes a Movement Screen for Flexibility and Mobility.

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