Hugdal wore wrist wraps, a lifting belt, and a single-ply bench press shirt for stability during her record-breaking bench press. The athlete’s new World Record in the +84-kilogram class is an extension of her own mark from the 2022 IPF Equipped World Championships, surpassing it by 5.5 kilograms (12.1 pounds). The IPF distinguishes between single lifts and full-competition lifts in its official record database. Hugdal has her name written under both descriptors. With Hugdal having turned 40 recently, the press is also a Masters 1 (ages 40-49) World Record. A video of the competitor’s monumental strength feat is featured below via the official Instagram page of the IPF.

In the context of her overall bench-pressing performance, Hugdal actually matched her previous World Record on her second attempt. She then vied for the new milestone and locked it out with ease, if the video of her accomplishment is any indication.

Here’s an overview of Hugdal’s bench press performance at the 2023 EPF Equipped Bench Press Championships:

Hildeborg Hugdal (+84KG) | 2023 EPF Equipped Bench Press Championships Performance Rundown

• First attempt: 222.5 kilograms (491 pounds)
• Second attempt: 230 kilograms (507 pounds) 
• Third attempt: 235.5 kilograms (519 pounds) — IPF Equipped World Record

Hugdal is used to astonishing achievements on sanctioned lifting platforms. The Norwegian athlete has over 20 years of competitive powerlifting experience with a variety of Norwegian, Danish, European, and World titles to her name. In a competitive career with over 90 appearances dating back to January 1998, the prolific Hugdal has lost on just 26 occasions.

Hugdal is the defending +84-kilogram IPF Equipped World champion. The veteran athlete will likely defend her title at the 2023 iteration, which will take place on November 13-18, 2023, in Druskininkai, Lithuania.

The post Hildeborg Hugdal (+84KG) Bench Presses Equipped World Record of 235.5 Kilograms (519.1 Pounds) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On July 31, 2023, Crawley posted a video to his YouTube channel where he shared five tips on running a faster 5K. The athlete himself is in the midst of training to improve his mile time and has previously notched achievements like successfully lifting the famous Dinnie Stones. Suffice it to say: Crawley knows where he’s coming from with a staple run.

Here are Crawley’s five essential tips for running an improved 5K:

1. Manage Expectations

Crawley suggested setting reasonable goals and expectations for what an ideal 5K should look like. Everyone’s limits and needs are different based on their personal fitness, life, and overall background, and it’s important not to compare one’s self to others. When in doubt, short-term goals supersede a long-term vision for running.

“[Running] is a skill,” Crawley said. “It’s something we need to develop and be mindful of. It’s important not to compare ourselves with arbitrary numbers or what other people are doing.”

2. Spend Energy Wisely

In order to get the most out of running, Crawley urged creating a diligent plan and tracking it meticulously over the course of a single training week. He explained that the Pareto principle — where 80 percent of the training is easy and 20 percent is moderate or challenging — should be applied. Crawley advised implementing three kinds of running workouts during a single week: Long slows for aerobic capacity, high-intensity sessions for top-level performance, and moderate sessions for 5K endurance. To Crawley, “easy” is an athlete pushing themselves to 70-80 percent of their maximum heart rate. Anything challenging is relatively beyond that threshold.

3. Strength Training

Crawley explained that general strength training can help runners understand how their body works while also improving their running gait. It should be a welcome accompaniment to well-rounded fitness. Crawley’s strength recommendation for enhanced running performance was heavy back squats, trap bar deadlifts, and any single-leg movements.

4. Commit to a Plan

The more structure an athlete has for their running goals, the more likely they will be able to fit it into their daily lifestyle. It also makes achieving occasional milestones easier with a better focus.

“Commit to that race, join that run club, the athletics club, or sign-up to your local park run community,” Crawley said. “These will give you a goal and a deadline and make you more accountable.”

5. Turn Training Into a Social Opportunity

Crawley’s final bit of advice was that a runner shouldn’t isolate themselves from other people while training. Making friends and socializing can make achieving any running goals that much more gratifying. Crawley explained that he spent much of the past two years training by himself and that it took a toll. In 2023, he’s trained with more people, in turn adding more joy to his process.

Featured image: @ferguscrawley on Instagram

The post Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On August 8, 2023, Schwarzenegger posted a video to his YouTube channel where he trained with Coleman at the hallowed Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA. The title of “2 Goats Walk Into a Gym” is more than fitting.

Schwarzenegger and Coleman’s training session wasn’t very long overall, but it still seemed effective and intense for their goals.

The pair began by working in some seated lateral machine raises, trading sets intermittently. Coleman would regularly push for at least another rep with each of his sets after being urged by Schwarzenegger. With each successive set, Schwarzenegger would match Coleman, praising his size and strength in the process.

The second exercise was a seated shoulder press to work the front deltoid muscles. Both Coleman and Schwarzenegger completed three successful sets each before moving on to requisite triceps training using a dip machine. It was here that Coleman remarked on the rarity of the moment featuring two Mr. Olympia greats teaming up.

“Fifteen [Mr.] Olympias [titles] in the house,” Coleman said. “This don’t ever happen.”

Coleman and Schwarzenegger closed their workout by doing machine preacher curls for their biceps muscles. Each man finished four sets each. Here is a complete overview of their workout:

Schwarzenegger and Coleman’s Gold’s Gym Workout

• Lateral Raise Machine — Three sets of 15-20 reps
• Seated Overhead Press Machine — Three sets of 15-20 reps
• Triceps Dip Machine — Three sets of 15-20 reps
• Machine Preacher Curl — Three sets of 15-20 reps

Schwarzenegger and Coleman concluded the workout by doing a signature “hand clasp” seen in the classic Schwarzenegger film, “Predator.”

Following the conclusion of their careers, Coleman and Schwarzenegger have followed very different paths as legendary former bodybuilders. Yet, they still found a way to intersect here. In Coleman’s own apt words: This don’t ever happen.

Featured image: Arnold Schwarzenegger on YouTube

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On July 31, 2023, Toomey and her husband and trainer, Shane Orr, posted a video to their joint YouTube channel featuring a recent full day of training for the athlete. It showcases a four-part strength and conditioning routine fit for a CrossFit legend working herself back into elite form.

Here’s an overview of Toomey’s breakfast and post-workout meals:

Tia-Clair Toomey’s Full Day of Treating Meal Plan

Meal 1

• Electrolyte-Infused Water
• Oats
• Burrito: scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and cheese

Toomey aimed for optimal hydration after waking up with electrolyte-infused water. The athlete’s first meal after an overnight fast was nutrient-rich with oats and a scrambled egg burrito.

Meal 2

• Beef Stir Fry
• Rice
• Beef Broth
• Vegetables

Toomey’s second meal was something she took with her to the gym, with a prioritization on protein and carbohydrates. Toomey typically meal preps her training meals on Mondays to help with her overall nutrition.

Full Day of Training

Toomey revealed her training intensity during her comeback has been lower than usual since her pregnancy. The athlete is steadily increasing her output as time wears on.

Phase 1

Toomey kicked off her workout with four sets of squats using a unique loading protocol. For each individual set, the athlete performed five repetitions, followed by three additional reps with a heavier weight, and finally two more reps with added weight before resting. There was minimal rest time between each brief round to maximize intensity.

Phase 2

• Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
• Power Cleans
• Overhead Presses
• Deadlifts
• Handstand Walks

Toomey explained that she is still capable of high-level gymnastics exercises like ring muscle-ups. That said, her volume isn’t at the same capacity after her pregnancy. For the time being, she is prioritizing strength before gradually increasing volume and fine-tuning skills.

Phase 3

• Row Erg
• Bike Erg

Orr corrected Toomey after she was primarily using her arms to initiate the rowing movement. The correction focused on Toomey utilizing more of her hips and legs for the row’s drive.

Phase 4

• Parallel Bar Dips
• Kettlebell Deadlift

The close of Toomey’s workout featured parallel bar dips and kettlebell deadlifts. Toomey performed the kettlebell deadlift with the weight between her legs while using a sumo stance.

Only time will tell what kind of form Toomey returns to when she competes again during the 2024 CrossFit season. Chances are, the legend will likely be in firm contention for a seventh CrossFit Games title.

Featured image: Tia-Clair Toomey & Shane Orr on YouTube

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Faulk accomplished his training pull while wearing just a lifting belt in terms of assistive equipment. He deadlifted from a sumo stance while utilizing a hook grip to elevate his loaded barbell off the floor. Per Faulk’s caption, his pulling technique could’ve apparently used some work, implying he might have left some weight and strength on the table for a future date. The athlete wrote that he weighed 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds) at the time of the lift, meaning Faulk deadlifted approximately 3.5 times his body weight.

As someone who isn’t even 20 years old, this is not the first time Faulk’s monstrous lifts have made headlines. The athlete’s social media platforms, particularly his Instagram, are littered with seemingly countless mighty feats.

Aside from his deadlift, recent milestones include a 463-pound bench press single from early August 2023 and a 275-kilogram (606.2-pound) three-rep paused back squat personal record (PR) from early July 2023. In late 2022, he was recorded capturing a 300-kilogram (661-pound) squat for a new PR when he was still just 18 years old.

On a competitive basis, Faulk’s resume to this stage is mostly sterling. According to his page on Open Powerlifting, in nine different competitive appearances, the athlete has lost on just three occasions. The most noteworthy result of his career thus far might have been a win in the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nebraska State Powerlifting Championships while competing raw in the Teen division.

At the time of this article’s publication, it is unclear what Faulk’s future competitive plans are. Thus far in 2023, he has appeared in just one contest, the 2023 USAPL Carolina Primetime Pro Qualifier, where he finished in 15th place. Faulk will likely be seen on a sanctioned lifting platform again soon, but he hasn’t confirmed or clarified when.

Nevertheless, in the meantime, the young dynamo is likened to continue showing off incredible jaw-dropping lifts.

Featured image: @jj.fau1k on Instagram

The post 19-Year-Old Powerlifter Jalen Faulk Deadlifts 355.1 Kilograms (783 Pounds) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Herndon achieved his latest training squat while wearing knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a lifting belt. Such an equipment set-up still constitutes as raw in a powerlifting context. He wrote in his post that he weighed 271 pounds at the time of the lift, meaning the athlete squatted approximately 3.3 times his body weight. Herndon evidently had little trouble with this squat, hitting the hole and rising up quickly without much of a struggle as his spotters on all three sides kept a close watch.

Herndon’s squat is connected to his ongoing preparation for the 2023 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Pro 2. That contest is currently scheduled to take place on October 27-29, 2023, in San Diego, CA. Herndon could be seeking a measure of redemption as he did not place at the 2022 iteration, having been disqualified while competing with wraps. In his squat Instagram post, the athlete wrote that he will again compete with wraps at this year’s American Pro.

Herndon has been on a competitive and training tear of late.

In March 2023, during the United States Powerlifting Coalition (USPC) Mid-Atlantic Classic & Regional Championship, the powerlifter squatted 411 kilograms (906.1 pounds) to put himself within striking distance of the 125-kilogram class World Record. Then, in late June 2023, the athlete became the lightest person ever to squat 453.9 kilograms (1,000 pounds) raw with wraps during a performance at the 2023 International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Strength Spectacular.

With months to go before his latest competitive appearance, Herndon has once again inched closer to another hallowed squat mark in the gym.

Herndon technically doesn’t “need” to add another squat record to his growing laundry list of achievements. He already stands atop the 110-kilogram class and seldom loses in full competition. Athletes like him seemingly don’t rest on their laurels, though. They have an interest in writing their name all over the record books.

Featured image: @phillip_herndon on Instagram

The post Phillip Herndon Squats 414.5 Kilograms (914 Pounds), Unofficially More Than World Record appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Athletes are usually able to lift more from a higher position because it eliminates the original launch point from the floor. Other variations include the Silver Dollar deadlift, which mostly only differs in presentation. Estonian competitor Rauno Heinla broke the 18-inch deadlift World Record with a pull of 540 kilograms (1,190.5 pounds) at the 2023 Tartu Rammumees ja Rammunaine (TRJR). Stoltman, a former two-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion (2021-2022), is in the final stages of his ongoing preparation for the 2023 Shaw Classic (SC). That contest is set to take place on August 19-20, 2023, in Loveland, CO.

This is not the first instance Stoltman has seemingly been more active with training updates in 2023. That’s especially as it pertains to the 2023 SC, which will now award the title of “The Strongest Man On Earth” to the prospective winner.

In late July 2023, Stoltman shared a clip of himself capturing an 800-kilogram (1,763.7-pound) leg press during another workout. A variation of the leg press featuring a vehicle affixed to a machine is one of the main events at the 2023 SC. (Note: The 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC) champion Evan Singleton also polished up his leg press strength around the same time.)

Moments like this come after Stoltman’s disappointing runner-up result to Mitchell Hooper at the 2023 WSM. Stoltman was in line for a legendary “three-peat” as a dynastic strongman. He would’ve been only the third strongman to ever notch that achievement but instead fell just short. When coupled with a sixth-place result at the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC), it seems Stoltman is on a mission for redemption and plans to use his tremendous leg power to dig himself out of an early hole from the competitive season.

Even with some of his recent competitive shortcomings, Stoltman remains one of the biggest superstars in strongman, and he still hasn’t reached 30 years old. The athlete seems to understand he has plenty of time to rebound. He might put himself back on an elite map with a tentpole victory at the 2023 SC.

Featured image: @tomstoltmanofficial on Instagram

The post Tom Stoltman Completes a 500 Kilogram (1,102.3-Pound) 18-Inch Deadlift appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As for Labrada, the former fourth-place finisher (2021) at the Olympia can now begin his preparation for the Orlando, FL, contest this November in earnest. After a disappointing seventh-place result at the 2022 Olympia, Labrada had promised his best in a tour of redemption. With recent rigid training updates and this Tampa Pro victory, he appears to be making good on his word. A video below, courtesy of Mitchell Gilbert (@gilcoproductions on Instagram), features Labrada posing on stage at the 2023 Tampa Pro.

Here are the final standings for every division featured at the 2023 Tampa Pro:

Men’s Open

1. Hunter Labrada
2. Jonathan DeLaRosa
3. Lewis Breed
4. Joel Thomas 
5. Brady King 
6. Roy Evans 
7. Nathan Spear 
8. Fred Smalls 

212

1. Fabricio de Souza Moreira
2. Mohamed Embaby
3. Diego Montoya
4. Jason Nguyen
5. Robert Taylor
6. Kevin Johnson 
7. Toto Djong
8. Yumon Eaton
9. Leland DeVaughn Jr.
10. David Robinson
11. Pedro Encinosa
12. Isaiah Hawthorne*
13. Rachid Souki*

*Tied

Classic Physique

1. Matthew Greggo 
2. Carlos Dommar 
3. Robert Waterhouse 
4. Lucas Giaianni 
5. Camilio Diaz Garzon 
6. Jerark Toribio Perez 
7. Dino Estrada 
8. Jared Thompson
9. Caleb Walker 
10. Peter Sciallo 
11. Ivan Cabrera 
12. Logan Guthrie 
13. Amit Roy 
14. Lucas di Santi 
15. Kelvin Hinde 

Tied for 16th place:

• Krimo Ammari 
• Dylan Bursey 
• Rodrigo Coelho 
• Billy Danh 
• Corelle Draper 
• Keith Holmes 
• Christopher Mensah 
• Eslam Mohamed 
• Jesse Norris 
• Antwoine Powers 
• Caleb Robinson 
• Bennett Streets
• George Thibault

Men’s Physique

1. Arya Saffaie
2. Jeremiah Maxey
3. Alexander Toplyn
4. Kimani Victor
5. Deke Walker
6. John Stanley Sarmiento
7. Aroldson Etienne
8. Jemiase (Jay) Riggins
9. Steven Cao
10. Burak King

Women’s Bodybuilding

1. Michaela Aycock
2. Nicki Chartrand
3. Theresa Ivancik
4. Kyna Squarey
5. Julia Foery
6. Selyka Givan
7. Cristina Arellano Goy
8. Taylor Iraggi
9. Patty Corbett
10. Gabriela Pena De La Vega

Women’s Physique

1. Jeannie Feldman
2. Ivie Rhein
3. Robyn Mays
4. Mikaela Lindsey
5. Marika Jones
6. Heather Rigsby
7. Isabelle Jackson
8. Daphney Holmes
9. Kristyn Lia
10. Patricia Pizarro

Figure

1. Queren Pacheco
2. Oyku Basar
3. Lena Ramsteiner
4. Mariafernanda Laguna
5. Danielle Rose
6. Tamera Barrett
7. Corrie Morales
8. Edith Driver
9. Jennifer Johnson
10. Zulfiya Bitiyeva

Fitness

1. Allison Kramer
2. Aurika Tyrgale
3. Kristin Pope
4. Stacy Dawn
5. Anna Fomina
6. Stephanie Jones
7. Michelle Gales
8. Donnice Chow
9. Danielle Chikeles
10. Eileen Thomas

Bikini

1. Ashlynn Little
2. Arianna Brothers
3. Tatiana Lanovenko
4. India Paulino
5. Jordan Brannon
6. Liana Giannamore
7. Tamekia Carter
8. Sandra Merlo
9. Lauren Dannenmiller
10. Mary Ann Parks

Wellness

1. Rayane Fogal
2. Andrea Hrenko
3. Marissa Andrews
4. Quintaysia Goodley
5. Angela White
6. Devyn Cambre
7. Maria Paulette
8. Luz Stella Abinuman
9. Yami Partridge
10. Kim O’Connell

The 2023 Texas Pro is the next major IFBB contest on the calendar to look forward to for any athletes still seeking 2023 Olympia qualification. It will take place on August 19, 2023, in Arlington, TX.

Featured image: @gilcoproductions on Instagram

The post 2023 Tampa Pro Results — Hunter Labrada Wins appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On August 7, 2023, Hooper posted a video to his YouTube channel where he performed a mix of strongman and CrossFit exercises. It appears to be a round-up of clips from previous videos that have appeared on Hooper’s channel. In the process, the athlete discussed the distinction between the two different athletic disciplines. The video is overlayed with Hooper walking in an undisclosed neighborhood, narrating his included workouts while sharing his thoughts. The narrated conversation takes place throughout the clip.

Over the course of his various workout clips, Hooper seemingly leaves no stone unturned. Highlights included him performing variations of high-rep log presses, clean & jerks, muscle-ups on a pull-up bar, jump rope, running on a treadmill, and classic back squats.

In the end, Hooper used a familiar argument against strongman’s effects on one’s health as it relates to CrossFit. Hooper particularly highlighted the unique tests of elite competition.

“The big challenge with CrossFit is that you take what the pros do, and it’s sort of the same argument as, ‘Strongman’s not good for your health,’ which, of course it’s not … because you’re pushing your body past what it’s capable of and, in the end, sometimes that causes you to break down. And CrossFit’s the same way.

When you look at how CrossFit Games are planned, often times when you’re dealing with the best in the world, you’re going to program things in a way that make it particularly challenging on the body. Let’s say you do a squat into a deadlift into a clean. That is massively challenging on the posterior chain and your back is going to blow up. But that’s the goal. When you’re at a competition and you’re at the professional level, that’s what you should be doing.”

At the local, non-professional level, Hooper condensed his argument in a manner more accessible for less experienced athletes and recreational lifters who don’t plan to shine at the Games. How athletes use CrossFit to get fit can vary greatly from person to person, with everyone having different goals and needs.

“The biggest difficulty [at the local level] is that every CrossFit box is sort of up to the person who runs it. Do you want to follow that style of programming? Do you want to follow it more holistic? And in the end, CrossFit has a whole bunch of fundamental movement patterns that they believe are fundamental skills, that they believe encompass fitness.

I think the only time you get into a challenge, and why people often hate on CrossFit and call it ‘stupid,’ is when you do something like a high-rep clean & jerk with someone who’s not proficient at doing the clean & jerk in the first place … that becomes really dangerous because your strength level and skill level have such a discrepancy.”

It is that discrepancy that Hooper says creates a conflict for CrossFitters of all experience levels. Per Hooper, it’s here that a coach should become a significant priority.

“So, that’s what happens with CrossFit. Even if you’re not particularly strong, that zero skill is going to have to be balanced out with some sort of strength. So you’re automatically stronger than your skill allows you to be. And that’s where a really smart and really good coach is going to help you get there.”

Perhaps few other people could explain the challenges and drawbacks of CrossFit as eloquently as Hooper. His rationale as an elite strength sports athlete makes sense and is one any prospective CrossFitter should heed.

Featured image: Mitchell Hooper on YouTube

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CERBERUS Strength captured a video of Shahlaei’s record-breaking Dinnie Stone carry, posting it to the company’s Instagram profile. The carry itself did not seem to be much of a struggle for Shahlaei, as his face noticeably grew with joy with each successive step.

The 2023 Donald Dinnie Day event featured a host of strongman competitors aside from Shahlaei. Various elite strongmen and strongwomen like Tom Stoltman, Martins Licis, Luke Stoltman, Donna Moore, and Chloe Brennan were all on hand to participate. In a post on Shahlaei’s Instagram, various notable competitors like Brennan, Peiman Maheripourehir, Travis Ortmayer, and Eddie Williams offered messages of congratulations for breaking the Dinnie Stone Walk record.

Shahlaei seemed quite appreciative within his reflection.

“So happy today to come away from [2023] The Donald Dinnie Day with a new World Record in the Dinnie Stone Walk, 22 feet, 4 inches, beating the previous World Record of 14 feet, 10 inches,” Shahlaei wrote. “It feels amazing to still be breaking records at this stage in my lifting journey.”

According to Strongman Archives, Shahlaei last competed in a full strongman competition at the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC), where he finished in seventh. The athlete might be most remembered for his victory at the 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM). These days, Shahlaei is a prominent strongman commentator, often releasing roster news and analysis over his YouTube channel with approximately 138,000 subscribers.

Even at the age of 40, Shahlaei appears to be finished with a full-fledged competitive strongman pursuit. That said, moments like this Dinnie Stone World Record offer a glimpse at an athlete who clearly still has a lot of power and strength in his back pocket.

Featured image: biglozwsm on Instagram

The post Laurence Shahlaei Sets Dinnie Stone Carry World Record of 22 Feet, 4 Inches appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Despite his challenging circumstances, Khrennikov decided to keep competing. He wanted to finish what he started and set an example. He was rewarded summarily for that courageous decision by receiving the 2023 Spirit of the Games Award. Even while he didn’t win, it was quite a way for the 2023 third Fittest Man on Earth® to leave Madison, WI.

According to the CrossFit HQ website, the winner of the annual Spirit of the Games honor is an athlete whose character eclipses an entire field’s worth of people with incredible character. Per rhetorical questions from the CrossFit Director of Certification and Training, Nicole Carroll, it assesses who “inspires and motivates us to live life, even in the face of the most extreme challenges, with a little more grace, a little more kindness, a little more resilience.”

Such a description made Khrennikov the only logical choice in 2023. After sustaining his foot injury, Khrennikov likely knew he had no real shot at winning his first CrossFit Games title. He could’ve easily cut his losses and left the competition with the idea of preserving his long-term health. Instead, the American athlete decided to stick it out. Even while he was severely hampered and only really capable of doing most of the remaining Games movements on one leg, Khrennikov pushed through to the finish line.

Why? When it came down to it, he wanted to set an example for his son.

“I want to be a hero for my son and have him see me fight to the end,” Khrennikov said on the final day of competition.

Khrennikov’s decision set a standard for everyone watching, not just the people in his family. Sometimes, athletic excellence isn’t about just winning in the technical sense. It’s about giving one’s all, regardless of adversity. Because when athletes like Khrennikov leave everything on the line with nothing to gain, that can also be counted as a tremendous victory.

Featured image: @gowod_mobilityfirst on Instagram

The post Roman Khrennikov Awarded 2023 Spirit of the Games For Injury Perseverance appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In her post-victory interview at the 2023 CrossFit Games, Horvath discussed what it means to be a role model as a first-time winner of the Games. The athlete, who doesn’t display the defined six-pack of many of her contemporaries, is appropriately built to thrive in an intense strength-sport environment like CrossFit. The champion shared an enlightening answer as someone clearly prepared to set a quality example in the years to come.

The interviewer asked a simple question of Horvath, with a vital premise: How does it feel to be a role model to young girls who see someone like her excel in a CrossFit setting? With a Hungarian flag draped over her back, Horvath — who was understandably still out of breath — chose her words carefully in the biggest moment of her career to date.

As fitness and health standards, as well as cultural norms, sometimes set unrealistic expectations for women of all ages, Horvath shared an honest speech about how being true to herself has served her success.

“It’s a lot of pressure, but I’m just very happy that my body can do this,” Horvath said. “And I’m not looking at the new “Barbie” movie, ‘Oh, I want to look like that.’ I want to look like what I look like. And I just want to prove that my body, whatever it looks like, can do these amazing things. And move things from A to B and run fast and lift heavy, and all those things. I’m very excited that little girls and teenagers can look up to all these amazing girls that are here, because our bodies are not us, we are what’s inside. And it’s amazing what our bodies can do if you put the work in.”

Some elite athletes at the top of their game might elect to stick to their craft and keep their noses to the ground. For the most part, that sentiment still applies to Horvath, even after winning the biggest prize in CrossFit. However, this new member of CrossFit royalty certainly seems to understand the gravitas of her accomplishment, and she doesn’t appear to be shying away from the responsibility.

Featured image: @laurahorvaht on Instagram

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