In the current episode of our wodmagazin podcast, Sarah Ziemens provides you with insights into her athletic childhood, her self-esteem and her way of thinking. You can look into your head and heart through Sarah. We owe her a debt of gratitude. Not only because it simply develops a good feeling when hearing and seeing and ensures relaxation. Not just because it delivers in the areas of strength and endurance. The conversation with Max is so organic that you can pull out what you want to know on the fly. Relaxation through input? With Sarah this is possible in wodmagazin!
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"What is it that interests people about me, I ask myself?" This sentence, which falls right at the beginning of the new podcast, describes Sarah pretty well. Sarah is from Hamburg, 24 and is “a bit involved with CrossFit and weightlifting”. At the same time, she has built up a certain presence on Instagram and is constantly collecting sympathy points there.
But how “did Sarah come about” and where is it going?
How did the sporting career come about?
Functional Fitness came through a friend. Sarah jumped in at the deep end, attended Crossfit Ahoy and was hooked straight away. Membership contract signed, fire at will. The only downer of the day: the shower was difficult. As you may know, getting rid of blood, sweat and any tears after a class is sorely needed, but Sarah's arms and shoulders just didn't want to cooperate. What was before:
Before that, the classic path of the athlete emerged. Before the "fitness phase", which took place purely in the studio, the sports imprint came from the parental home. The family is rooted in bodybuilding, partly with German champions in the family tree.
Sarah started out in competitive sports by swimming and attacked ballet and horseback riding "along the way". Therefore, body tension, coordination and the focused view came in moments when it matters. Ballet hurts, swimming saps stamina, horseback riding is a means of communication. She learned to listen to herself, to plan and then to work when it was necessary. Three sports, some of which ran simultaneously, create a busy schedule. Because of this, we think Sarah now has an advantage over other everyday athletes and competitors: after all, even as a child she knew which sport required how much of her and had to divide her strength accordingly. Functional fitness, physio, nutrition and work are ultimately just as organized as she has been used to since she was a child.
When was the first competition?
Of course there is always a competition team in the box. Due to her high workload, 4-5 units at the beginning, Sarah got into conversation with the coaches, who also motivated her. After the first lows that come with the performance plateau, the “Cry me a river Challenge” came in 2017. The fitness league, the German throwdown, weightlifting competitions, the halfway there throwdown and the Fibo showdown followed in quick succession. Nervousness? Yes! World-class athletes, spectators, the spotlight is dazzling. As Sarah herself says, this way of measuring is not only inspiring, but also full of much more adrenaline. Some competitions were accompanied by joint problems, made more difficult by colds and affected by stage fright, which sapped strength. But in the end, a new kind of self-confidence comes from situations like these, lined with full machines and powerhouses. With the right approach, competitions allow the comfort zone to grow, albeit in hindsight.
Teams as part of the sporting future:
How much the comfort zone can grow with the right support and a strong team was seen in the fitness league, which Sarah finished third with the Crossfit Hammerbrook team. A drive has developed here that cannot be compared with individuals. As always, it's all in the mix.
In the future, albeit in the near future, Double Trouble will follow in the Rheingym as a team of two with Shagel Butt and Battle the Beach with Annika Kraft. In the wodstore team, Sarah Ziemans will hopefully tear everything down in our name, dig up the entire beach on the left even without belonging to the wodstore and deliver a knockout performance at its finest. We're keeping our fingers crossed!
Body positivity through functional fitness?
Sarah is in incredibly good shape. Six-packs, strong arms and a stable back in the truest sense of the word are, purely physically, positive side effects of sport. But how do you grow into your altered physique? From a slim, projected body image to a build that, for some, is just out of the norm?
Sarah has a clear answer to that: With the support of her parents, who celebrate everything that their daughter does in terms of sport, a foundation has formed that can hardly be shaken. In addition, due to the athletic character of the family, Sarah's physique was always in the athletic range. Sporty was normal, athletic made sense.
You can distill an incredibly important message from these casually spoken sentences: Through self-confidence and will, you learn to accept yourself almost in passing. Your environment and your vision will help, time will do the rest.
Then, as with Sarah, it no longer counts whether comments are made on Instagram or a saying is pressed.
Your own line is the line that counts.