Insider insights with Ben Smith, the Fittest Man and Katrin Davidsdottir, the Fittest Woman on Earth
Winning The CrossFit Games is no small feat. From training year-round to competing against some of the most elite athletes in the world, the current Fittest on Earth™ Katrin Davidsdottir and Ben Smith had what it took to rise above at the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games.
Hear from these two Reebok athletes, the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth on the best advice they’ve received, their breakfast of choice, and much more.
On how they got into CrossFit…
Ben: I was in high school—just a skinny kid, not very strong. I initially started CrossFit to be a better baseball player. I had seen the CrossFit Games athletes back in 2007, and I thought it was awesome. At the time, they seemed superhuman. The first workout I did was Cindy with my dad in the room above our kitchen. I loved everything about it right away.
Katrin: I was a gymnast from the time I was 6-years-old until I was 16, and then didn’t want to do that anymore. I started to dabble with track, but I didn’t find any event that I loved or wanted to compete in. Then Annie Thorisdottir won the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games and it was all over the media in Iceland. So I started CrossFit. It would be a lie if I said I loved it right away! I hated doing the fundamentals, but three weeks in, I fell in love with it.
On the hardest Hero WOD in their opinion…
Both: Murph
On their favourite/least favourite moments of the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games…
Ben: I liked the Sprint Course and being able to think fast. And of course, the moment when I finished the last event. When I walked across the finish line for the last time, it was like all the weight dropped off my shoulders. Most challenging moment for me? Event 2 with the sandbags.
Katrin: Before the peg board ascents was the only time during the whole Games season that I got nervous and lost focus. Then my coach got me back on track, reminding me of how hard I had been working. Despite it being a challenge, it was a really good moment and personal win for me.
Best advice they’ve ever received…
Ben: I used to talk with my dad every night, and one time he said: “If you have a dream or a goal, go for it. You have to work harder than everybody else, but you can be what you want to be as long as you have that goal in your head and don’t stop working for it.”
Katrin: “Work hard and believe in yourself. Focus on your own process.”
Breakfast of choice…
Ben: Sometimes I eat breakfast, sometimes I don’t. I like either a breakfast sandwich from Hardy’s or bacon and eggs. Plus I’ll have coffee sometimes if I’m tired.
Katrin: Half an avocado, portion of fruit – normally cantaloupe, coffee with half and half, and three eggs fried on both sides.
On what their diets are like in general…
Ben: I don’t do anything too specific. I’ll eat a light breakfast and then snacks throughout the day like fruit, Progenex, and some shakes. At the end of the day, I eat a lot more.
Katrin: I try to eat good healthy foods like fruit, eggs, chicken, tuna, salmon, and a lot of leafy greens like kale. After a training session, I drink coconut water with a scoop of protein.
But…their favourite cheat meal is…
Ben: Pizza and ice cream
Katrin: Hot apple crumble
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