Alethea Boon is sharing a new workout – in her exercise gear. In a new social media post the CrossFit athlete shows off her strong body and strength in a two-piece workout set. “BAR MUSCLE UP,” she writes in the Instagram video caption. “There are many ways to learn a skill, many drills for the same skill, and not everyone responds to learning the same drills that is where coaching comes in (I can help here) BUT the fundamental of skill acquisition remains the same: Foundational strength, progressive dills, keep building strength in those positions, continue drills and progress. Rinse and repeat, repeat, repeat.” How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
1. How She Found CrossFit
“I got into CrossFit in 2013 after searching on Google a different way to get fit. I had been doing a little bit of running by myself but needed some variety and wanted to work out with people. So, after googling CrossFit I went to my first class and fell in love with the methodology of CrossFit,” Alethea told True Protein on how she discovered the workout. “I had no intention of competing and looking back that worked in my favor. I honed in on technique with little to no weight for months before incrementally putting weights on the resistance exercises and barbells. Movement efficiency overload meant I was able to work good technique and keep pretty healthy as we built up slowly. I also attribute the patient build up in barbell work to the success and reason I was able to make a 3rd Commonwealth Games for NZ on the Weightlifting Team in 2018.:
2. 4 Days of Intense Training
Alethea trains hard. “A typical week consists of 4 days of planned training sessions approximately 2 hours, usually starting at 6pm where I follow a structured program typically consisting of Strength, Gymnastics or Bodybuilding and Conditioning piece or 2. (yes have to move fast to get it all done withing 2-2.5 hours),” she told True Protein.
3. 1 Day of Flexible Training and 1 Rest Day
“I also do one additional day where I like to keep flexible with what I do. It’ll be something I really enjoy, like jump in a class, calisthenics, swim, go for a run or bike or even try something new to keep the mind fresh and excited about moving in different ways. Then there’s always a solid rest day to allow the body to recover,” she told True Protein.
4. Structured Sessions
What does a typical workout look like for Alethea? “I structure my sessions according to what needs the most work. But most structured sessions usually follow this outline. Prehab and Strength is where I spend majority of my time over other biases because let’s be honest, I’m 40, I need the prehab and strength is my weakness, so we make it a priority. Then a short 10minute-15min gymnastics or body building piece for maintenance followed by conditioning piece or 2. I like to do one that stings, short and fast 3-6mins, followed by one slightly longer piece that has me breathing and sweating for 15-20mins. I would absolutely love to be able to do more but we make do with the time that we have and really maximize every minute to focus in on what will get me the most return in a competition setting,” she says.
5. Fueling Up with Food
Alethea makes sure to get enough food in her body for her workouts. “Food is fuel! Adequately getting enough, and enough of the right stuff is key to being able to perform both in and out of the gym. I admit as a busy mum I often tend to forget to eat at times because I am always on the go and on those days and the day after I really feel the lack of energy so being sure to prepack and plan meals and supplements around training to support my lifestyle is crucial to ensure that performance in training is fully optimized,” she explains.