Eat. Pray. WOD.: Athlete Profile: Elizabeth D.-Red Stick CrossFit

Photo by: Mike Buck Photography

Photo by: Jade Hewitt

Name: Elizabeth DeLee
Favorite Nicknames: Liz
Hometown: Baton Rouge
Age: 20
Occupation: Student and Educator at Lululemon

Maxes:

Strict Press: 125
Back Squat: 225x3
Deadlift:300
Clean: 205
Jerk: 185x3
Overhead Squat: 170

When did you first start crossfitting?:

May 2011. I had just graduated from high school and read about Crossfit so decided to give it a try.

Favorite WOD: Angie

Least Favorite WOD: Fran

Describe your sports and fitness background:

I danced competitively for 17 years and in high school I took yoga and fitness classes. Also senior year of high school I randomly decided to run track and I ran the 110 and 300m hurdles and 1600m relay.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit?:

I read something about it online and googled gyms in the Baton Rouge area and Red Stick came up! I was interested to know what all of the nonsense was about, so I stalked all of the games athletes from the 2010 games. Kristan Clever was like the only person who came up on google searches when you searched the Crossfit Games prior to the 2011 games...so I was intimidated to say the least.

What was your first WOD like?:

My first wod was in my intro and it was ring rows and box jumps. It was easy so I don't think I really had a crossfit epiphany until I did the scaled version of "Elizabeth". That was my first real Crossfit class workout and I thought I was going to die...I did 55# cleans and dips with my feet on the ground.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body since starting CrossFit (before and after):

I haven't lost any weight at all, but I look entirely different! I'm a lot more muscular now than I was I first started Crossfit and my butt is like two times bigger than it was, thanks to all of those squats.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like Crossfit? Expected or unexpected?

I have more friends because of Crossfit, so that's cool. I'm also now super conscience about my health and really can't imagine my life without Crossfit.

What's your favorite lift and why?:

I really like the snatching because at my first weightlifting meet in December of 2011 my one rep max was 45 kilos...under 100 pounds. Everyone was cheering me on and Coach Hatch was so happy and gave me a hug! Now looking back, I laugh at that because I've come so far.

Name one goal you have achieved since starting CrossFit and one goal you want to achieve:

A goal I achieved since starting was to complete the 2012 Open, and I did! My goal now is a 200 pound clean and jerk.

Any advice for people just getting started with CrossFit?

Push yourself! And don't be intimidated by heavy weight!

What do you tell yourself to keep motivated?