Invictus Athlete Kristin Holte: Small But Mighty!
Interview by Nichole DeHart
And though she be but little, she is fierce . . .
Kristin Holte is a force to reckon with. She is one of the nicest athletes I have ever meet and one of the deadliest in competition. She has a lot of might in that body of hers! She is heading into the 2016 CrossFit Season with hopes of making it back to the CrossFit Games for a 3rd time. She was kind enough to let me catch up with her and chat about training!
Nichole: Tell me a little about your background in CrossFit.
Kristin: I started my CrossFit career in May 2012 at CrossFit Oslo. My first session was Fran, and I have loved CrossFit ever since! My plan was just to do CrossFit for fun, but after I was convinced to do a Team competition in September 2012, that plan changed. I am very competitive and I love to compete, so I figured that I might as well try to compete in this sport too.
Nichole: How has your training changed over the past few years?
Kristin: My first year of CrossFit I did the daily workouts at my gym, and added some running and other conditioning sessions. After I finished 7th at Regionals in 2013, I started to follow the Invictus Competition Blog. I followed that strictly for a year, and then I qualified for the CrossFit Games in 2014. After that, I started to work more closely with CJ, and since February 2015 I have gotten an individualized program so I can work more on my weaknesses and get better overall. This last year, I have done a lot more pure strength work, activation and strongman work from Julien Pineau, which has helped me in all aspects of my training.
Nichole: What have been your fondest moments in training?
Kristin: When I see that I am improving and that all the hard work pays off. Especially things that I have been working on for a long time – when it`s finally clicking – that’s a really good feeling.
Nichole: What keeps you motivated in training?
Kristin: I love to train, so being able to do what I love every day is motivating in itself.
Also, the fact that I get a little bit better every day gives me the extra energy to push through heavy training periods.
Nichole: I know that you work with a coach to help you with your mental training, how has that helped?
Kristin: That has been a game changer for me. I have worked with my mental coach for 3 years now, so he knows me really well both as a person and as an athlete. This is very important when we go into the season and have to deal with stress and unexpected challenges. We work hard together to build a solid foundation, so that I am ready for whatever challenges that are thrown at me.
Nichole: You are in the Meridian Region, tell me what you like about that Region and what you are looking forward to with Regionals!
Kristin: The Meridian Region is very tough; we have two previous CrossFit Games Champions and a lot of new talents coming up. But to be the best you have to compete with the best, so I love that we have a region stacked with great athletes.
I think the atmosphere at the Meridian Regional beats all other regions! The crowd is amazing and you can feel the support from everyone in the arena. We move from Copenhagen to Madrid this year, but I am sure that we will get the same electric atmosphere there too. I am just really looking forward to being out on the competition floor again, that is my favorite place to be.
Nichole: What types of movements/workouts would you like to see at Regionals?
Kristin: I would love to see a handstand walk again and of course a lot of burpees. Other than that, I am hoping for some grueling workouts that can test our physical and mental capacity.
Nichole: What does your routine look like the day of competition?
Kristin: I sleep for as long as I can, eat breakfast, put on my planned outfit, and pack my bag. I spend some time with my mental coach, so I have the right mindset going into the competition. I plan when to eat, warm up etc. beforehand so I know exactly what to do on the day of competition.
Nichole: What have been your fondest memories of the CrossFit Games? What were the most challenging moments at Games?
Kristin: My first year at The CrossFit Games in 2014 was an amazing experience, everything was new and exciting and I enjoyed every second of it. The most challenging moment at Games was to recover from Murph last year. Mentally I was fine, but physically it was like my body just shut down. I couldn’t perform my best, and that really hurt me.
