Welcome to 1000 the podcast by train like a gymnast. I'm your host Daniel gray 1000 brings together gymnasts former gymnast coaches judges and gymnastics enthusiasts to tell into deep conversations about Behavior mental state physical training personal growth success and more all learned through the sport of gymnastics. Here's what you can expect on today's episode today. We hear from 2008 Olympic silver medalist 10 time world medalist and second. Most decorated us gymnasts in world championship history, Alicia Sacramone Quinn about living.Healthy lifestyle being the best version of you and learning the fundamentals in order to do or create anything you want in life. I think they see what gymnastics is being done on television and they're like, oh my gosh, I could never do that. Well, right. Yeah, we didn't start just like yesterday. It takes years of practice and dedication, but that doesn't mean anybody can learn a back handspring or a backflip or anything that they kind of, you know envisioned in their head. It just takes time and commitment and that's the biggest thing if you want to do it you just have to put in the work and if people can get over that initial of like intimidation factor of oh, I just watched this girl do a an Arabian double front. There's no way I'm ever going to do that. Well, yeah, maybe not today or anytime soon, but maybe you'll do it in the Air Track and your trampoline. I don't know but it just gets really fun once they get into it. So I think they just have to, you know be a little ballsy and just give it a try but first a word from our sponsor. If you haven't heard about anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast. Let me explain it's free first of all, so there's that then there's creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. Like I'm doing right now anchor will distribute your podcast for you. So it can be heard on Spotify app a podcast and many other platforms. You can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership. This was really a game changer for me in the beginning and it's everything you need to make a podcast in one place. So download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot. F m-- to get started. I am a Lisha sacrimoni Quinn. I am a former Olympic silver medalist. I am also a 10 time world medalist in the second most decorated us gymnasts in world championship history. That's so amazing. So honored to have you on and you have that like perfectly down you like what what else has like did I forget anything? Oh, well, we can always Google it if you need to. And you're also the co-creator of the gym fire. Correct? That is right. So Samantha Patrick was my Olympic teammate and she has always been super close with me and once gymnastics kind of ended. We were like we want to figure out a way where we can stay connected and like keep each other accountable for like just wanting to live a healthy lifestyle and it's not necessarily like, oh, oh get on each others butts every day like, oh you better work out but some days I'm like, hey, I just had three glasses of wine instead of working out and she's like weird. So did I so it was more like a just to keep in contact because you know, it's so easy to lose touch these days and then it kind of turned into let's see what we can do to inspire other people just to live, you know, a healthy lifestyle and you know just be the best version of themselves. Exactly. Yeah. That's that's kind of My Philosophy to it's just enjoying that body weight movement getting people to move and a lot of times people think gymnast or gymnastics is like super intimidating or Or too intense or they don't want to do it or they can't do this or that so like what do you have to say about people who feel like gymnastics is too hard for them or they can't start it. I think they see what gymnastics is being done on television and they're like, oh my gosh, I can you have do that? Well, yeah, we didn't start just like yesterday. It takes years of practice and dedication, but that doesn't mean anybody can learn a back handspring or a backflip or anything that they kind of, you know envisioned in their head. It just takes Time and commitment and that's the biggest thing if you want to do it you just have to put in the work and if people can get over that initial of like intimidation factor of oh, I just watched this girl do a an Arabian double front. There's no way I'm ever going to do that. Well, yeah, maybe not today or anytime soon, but maybe you'll do it in the Air Track in your trampoline. I don't know but it just gets really fun once they get into it. So I think they just have to you know be a little ballsy. Just give it a try. Yeah, take that first step So speaking of Of the training and you're putting in the work what how do you train now that you're not competitive, you know to keep yourself at a peak level keep that Health in an infant is balanced. So for me, it's really about balance. Like I have two kids now and it used to be like I take an hour. It's going to be my time for myself get workout in and now it's like okay I get 30 minutes when my kids snapping it's gonna be like ding ding boom and I feel like it's just even getting a little bit in helps now, it's more kind of sir. Training I hate cardio just made it. So I kind of refused to do it which is not really healthy. But yeah, maybe I'll get on the bandwagon someday. So it just took a little bit of time for me to figure out what I like doing. So for me, I incorporate a lot of my gymnastics off because it's what I knew I was like, well, I know this makes me strong in my course. I'm still keep doing that and maybe I'll just add some some weights like kettlebells or just free weights to know spice it up a bit right totally and what what lessons did Did you learn from gymnastic that you want to pass on to your kids? You know gymnastics taught me discipline it taught me respect and just that I could do anything that I put my mind to just like kind of cliche but it's ultimately very true when I started I didn't want to be an Olympic gymnast. I started gymnastics that I wasn't good at anything else. Like I tried all these other sports and was like a hot mess Express out there and my parents were like good Lord. This kids never going to find an activity and so I was doing ballet which I liked but a little boring and so I started gymnastics as like a latch Stitch effort. My mom's will be up too much energy. I just don't know what to do with you. Let's try gymnastics and it was kind of like literally love that first flip. I love that. So okay you weren't you weren't good at the other things, but that didn't mean I mean, did you feel like you could be good at something or did you feel like your parents kind of LED you to that so I for people who are like, oh this isn't my thing. This is my thing. And I feel like they're just not meant to be athletic or an athlete like like how did it wasn't an external factor that that pushed you towards. It's trying something else or did you know that you could do something? I don't think I mean I was so young when I got into gymnastics was 8 so I don't necessarily think I in my mind I needed to be something or do something. It was more. Like I just wanted to find you know, just an after school activity to be with friends and just do something like that was fun. And then when I started trying other sports like tennis and soccer as a they were fun, but it just like it wasn't for me. I wasn't passionate about it. I didn't at it like didn't make me want to be there every day and hour early like and then I started gymnastics and I would literally be at practice an hour early and if I wasn't an hour early I was freaking out on whoever is taking a like I need to get there. So like your practice doesn't start till 4:30. It is 2:30. I'm like I need to get there soon. And so for me, I just never wanted to leave. I always wanted to be there. I like the challenge of it. And once I got something else there was something new to learn. So for me, I think it just seemed like I could never accomplish too much. And it and for I like that challenge of it. Yeah, and you have that love my enjoyment and that's something that I ask anybody who kind of is interested in getting back into shape. It's like when you were doing a sport you weren't doing that sport to look a certain way. The Aesthetics wasn't you're doing it because you enjoy it and you wanted to be better and for some reason people don't make that connection. It's like, oh well, it's I'm thinking of it as a sport like, you know, I'm not just working out. So I I can look good for summer because those kind of goals they're very superficial and they're not long-lasting and I think the difference between athletes and people who are working out for an aesthetic or you know, superficial reason have have different life spans of their business career. So how is it important to have a purpose and a y1 training? Even it doesn't even have to be in training. I think in life. It is really important to have a why you know, it just gives you more legitimacy have to whatever you're doing. It's you're not just kind of floating through life thinking like, oh, yeah, this seems like a good idea. I'm going to go do that. So for me even training-wise like if I go into the gym without a plan if I know it doesn't feel as good of a workout, but I think it's definitely important to have a wide to everything you do in life. Not just training not just you know, you don't have to be an athlete to have Curb. So what you're doing as a mom, it's great for me to be like, okay. What is my plan with these kids? Like I love them. Yes their mind. But like what do I want them to be? I want them to be great individuals with manners and compassion. And so it's just having that aspect in every part of your life. Even training makes it so much better I go in the gym, and I'm like, all right, I'm gonna work out today and I have no plan and I just end up laying on my stomach half the time being like, okay. Well that was a strong for minute plank, you know, nothing else. It's Just you feel more accomplished when you have reason and purpose behind whatever you're doing. Yeah, and it's so you have a gym at your house or you don't I can give you a little tour. We have like a big rack. We have a Woodway elliptical kind of get a rower and then just a bunch of random stuff. My husband. He was a former NFL quarterback. So for him working out was huge and it's like a big Emotional outlet for him and he loves it. So he had this stuff off and he was playing and one of his other houses and then we move down to her main residence here in Florida, and we just kept it and it's honestly great. I have zero excuses to not go to the gym. So the did my garage so it makes it nice that way. I don't have to leave if it's raining the baby's napping. I could just kind of scoot down here keep the monitor on and get whatever I need done, which is really nice because I feel like I am a better mom wife friend daughter when I work out. Out. Yeah, can you go into that a little bit more? So like what does that mean? Like what makes you better? Why does why does the physical training aspect make your relationships better? I think the physical Outlet the endorphins that you know working out gives you it just makes me more mellow happier. I weigh more patient. Like I'm always a little bit on edge if I don't get to work out for a lot of days where like I haven't been able to work out this past week because my husband had foot surgery. So I've been taking care of him. Take care kid. Just like a little edgy like even to him. I'm not trying to be mean because like you need to go work out because like you got some like pent-up whatever going on and I'm like, you're right I do so, I just feel like it just you know eases my mind and like physically I like just getting being active if I feel better. Yeah. And so what's your typical style workout? I know you said like, okay, they got to be fast. If so, do you do a lot of hit you do a lot of body weight. Do you use the weights in the gym, or is that more for your husband? Like how do you train typically more? Hit definitely more body weight. I'm more like a functional trainer. So a lot of compound exercises, you know, utilizing more body parts at once just to get the biggest like bang for my buck and my workout I do a little bit of weight training. Honestly. I don't feel super comfortable. I mean, I'm certified in personal training and I know technically how to do it but it just like hasn't been in my workout workout makeup because the gymnastics obviously we are all just doing tons of body weight stuff and maybe very lightweight if so, I'm still kind of getting used to That but this all the heavyweight stuff is more for him. I just kind of stick to what I know because that's what I feel most comfortable with right. It's total same here. Like I I train people out of gym and it was like I could do it but it's just I mean, that's not how I train so like right it's to me is boring like just doing reps of the same thing not for purpose. It's that it always comes back to that purpose because like whenever you're working towards a skill or you have Have you know a sport that you're doing like the drills lead you to something and then when you get that skill the skill becomes a drill for something else. Yep. Yeah and weight training. It's that makes sense. Like okay you can up the weight. That's it. I want to be able to so I totally get that and I'm with you. It's like just the more functional training the body weight to another said like, you know, you could like eventually learn a handstand like from being able to start with elevated place to you're moving it forward. The progressions are great. And I think people don't realize that they're able to learn things like like that. So for me, I think I love trying to teach my friends those things like they're like, all right, I want you to train me and I'm like, all right. This is what we're going to do. Like am I going to be able to do a triple back handspring back flip after this Mike? Probably not but like you'd be strong enough to do it. Yeah. Oh my gosh, that's exactly it and and and people like, oh I could never like I had a booth at the Anaheim FedEx, but like last few weeks ago and you know people would walk by and see the scientist I train like a gymnast and they were like kind of shake their head. Like I said, yeah come over here like learn. But I can never do a cartwheel. It's like well, it's you didn't you can't be say that but you just think that you're just supposed to check it and that's that's not it you need to learn the safe progressions to do it. And and so much of it is foundational work that like the program and how I train people. It's The basics like seven year olds are doing this. It's like playing push-ups and your yeah. It's that's not impossible if some and it's it's not intimidating and I think if people you know work past that the fundamentals is all you really need. Yeah. It's an asset if you have good Basics, you can learn anything but it all starts from what you're learning. What do you initially start doing it? Exactly and I mean you as an Olympian you can totally attest to this at in the Olympic level. Still do Basics like all right, everybody in line for drawl. Can you just at that level you're still doing that stuff? And and I don't know like how often did you do Basics when you were kind of when you were Elite and and I guess either prepping for the Olympics or during that time our our Basics were our warm-up. So every day we implemented those at the beginning skills that we learned forward rolls. And Stan's cartwheels walking on your hands. That was our warm up. Like we would run we would do some Plyometrics and then we did all our Basics and then that got you ready to go do whatever bigger skills you need to do for your routines or what you're training for the Olympics. So no matter what like even at the Olympics that same warm up all the basics then we went to our events to warm up to compete. Yeah, I love it so much. So what you know, what's your advice to people who want to feel a sense of purpose again, or they were a former athlete and they want to get that They want to just feel like themselves like what are the steps they should do. What's your advice to them? I had a little bit of a Hiatus from working out and anything active after my Olympics in 2008 and I just wasn't in a good mental space and I was like know what I don't want to work out. I don't want do gymnastics. I just need to like be and that's okay. There are times when you're going to get burned out and you just don't feel like mentally physically emotionally is going to be the right thing for you to do. But if you feel like you're lagging or there's something missing and you want to like better. Yourself get in the gym like there are days when I feel like absolute crap when I'm pregnant when I'm not pregnant, you know just had a baby like and I was like last thing I want to do is work out but I always feel a thousand times better when I finish that work out. So like you need to think of that motivating feeling at the end to get you into the gym in they suck when you're doing it. But you your body will thank you for after for it after you'll feel so much better. You have more energy and if you're like me, you'll be more pleasant. So Just like you kind of have to keep that that feeling that mindset and feeling in your head to be like I know this is going to be shitty right now, but I know it's going to pay off at the end and I'll feel better. You'll look better. You'll have more confidence in the end of the day and I think most people are happiest when they are confident in how they look or how they feel. Yeah. Well, you know what it wasn't the inside matches the outside and I always say no one ever regrets a workout never unless you get her but that you know, that's just very rare as well. But also You just you still worked out. You still did something great. That's so good. It's so good. So I asked this to everybody. This is like the kind of wrap-up question. I asked to everyone who's on the show podcast. Whatever the question is. What does it mean to you to train like a gymnast? For me training like a gymnast is you know, it's almost like coming home for me. That is what I've known my whole life it what brings me peace of mind. It gives me confidence. So training like a gymnast is going in giving it a hundred percent effort. Even if it's for a short period of time and just kind of dominating and that makes me a better person and I attribute all my gymnastics training to be able to go in and have the confidence to do that. Never mind just because being intimidated by be like, oh gosh. I don't know if I can still do that. But either way I'm gonna give it a try just to see how it goes. And I think being humble about not being able to do something really is a big step in the right direction because you have to be able to accept what you can and cannot do to be able to try to be able to do that in the future. Oh so beautifully said those so thank you. I love it. So if somebody has a question for you. Wants to get in touch. Where can they go to learn more about you to follow your journey. If you are on the gram that most people are my Instagram handle is at a sa Cube 3 and Twitter is similar. It is at a SAQ underscore 3. I post workouts. I try to be pretty comical and it's very real what you see is my actual life. It's not super glamorous. I am occasionally covered with vomit and or boogers, but I keep Keep it light and I keep it real and I try to keep it healthy. Perfect. Well, I hope you all reach out or you know, follow ask questions comment and just keep up with their because it's very very true. I love watching your story. I like it there, you know, it's not you're not trying to be anybody else that your thing, you know, but you're not so it's very authentic. Well, thank you so much Alicia for taking the time out of your busy life to hop on a pleasure. There's something yeah Danielle. This was great. Thank you so much. And if you guys haven't checked Daniel outer her workouts, you definitely should because if you train like a gymnast, you're probably going to be a badass right? Say it. Thank you so much for listening. I know there are hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there and you've chosen to listen to hours. If you enjoyed this season of the tenno podcast, there's more coming to you this fall. So be sure to hit subscribe to not miss when we return supporting our podcast would mean the world to us and ensure that we can have a season to just hit support this podcast on our site on anchor if you're interested in training like a gymnast go ahead to train like a gymnast.com and see how you can get involved until next time show the world what you got be outstanding and train. with purpose
In today's episode and season finale, we discuss the following:   How Alicia trains now that she's not competitive to keep your health & fitness in check  What Alicia tells herself when she doesn't feel like working out   The biggest differences between training for the Olympics and training as a busy mom   What gymnastics taught her and the lessons she will pass to her children   Why learning basics and the fundamentals of gymnastics are so important   Why is it important for people to have a purpose when working out   Alicia's advice to people who want to have a sense of purpose as an athlete again   Alicia's definition of what it means to train like a gymnast  Takeaway:    Are you intimidated by the big picture, your overall goals? What's something you want to learn in gymnastics or life in general and what are all of the progressions you can do to get there? Get in Touch with Alicia! Alicia's Instagram   Alicia's Twitter   The Gympire Instagram  Danielle coaches women to recognize how their beliefs hold them back from doing incredible things. She helps unlock their full potential through gymnastics-based conditioning. See if you have what it takes to Train Like A Gymnast. Support our podcast so we can come back for Season 2 here: https://anchor.fm/trainlikeagymnast  ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app  Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/trainlikeagymnast/support 