CrossFit Works: How an Olympic Rower Trains for London

To compensate for my size, I have developed a program that includes a paleo-style nutrition plan, heavy lifting and lots of interval work. I am constantly seeking new ways to improve my fitness and technique.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

My name is Erin Cafaro and I am a 29-year-old Olympic rower from Northern California. I started rowing at the University of California, Berkeley in 2001. After 3 years of rowing for Cal, I was invited to join the USRowing Women's National Team, and have been a team member for the last 7 years. I am a 2-time NCAA Women's Crew Champion, a 3-time FISA World Rowing Championships Gold Medalist, and an Olympic Gold Medalist in the W8+ at Beijing in 2008.

I am 5'9", 160lbs., something not very typical within the international rowing community. The average women that I train with and compete against stand at least 6'0". To compensate for my size, I have developed a program that ncludes a paleo-style nutrition plan, heavy lifting and lots of interval work. I am constantly seeking new ways to improve my fitness and technique, and have found that the principles of CrossFit have helped me tremendously to develop into the athlete I am today.

I want to share with you the knowledge I have gained while training as an elite athlete at a world championship level. This video is a condensed peek into my last 6 months of preparation for the 2012 London Olympics, highlighting some of the work and fitness routines that I've incorporated into my training. As I row my way to London, I am excited to have this opportunity to blog updates, with videos, so that you can join me on this journey too!

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot