Kaleena Ladeairous is an owner and trainer at CrossFit Port Chester. She finished 19th overall at the 2013 CrossFit Games and came home with three first-places finishes. We caught up with her to see what a week on the explosively popular regimen—and complementary diet high in protein, healthy fats, and “good” carbs—is like.
Monday: Up at 5 am; during the week, breakfast is two eggs with veggies, and coffee. I teach three classes and train some private clients. Mondays are a priority—heavy squats, snatches*, and high-volume gymnastics work. After I teach the lunchtime class, a few members and I go to Whole Foods to eat: chicken, veggies, and quinoa. I return to teach night classes then go with my partner, Maria, to dinner. Tonight, it’s sushi.
Tuesday: I get to start my day a little later today. I head to Greenwich for an hour-long Olympic lifting session focusing on technique, then drive to Milford to train with my coach at CrossFit Milford for two hours. After teaching my evening classes, I’ll get a bowl at Chipotle, with beans, chicken, veggies, salsa, and guacamole. I have a huge sweet tooth, so tonight I’ll grab some ice cream before heading home.
Wednesday: 5 am wake-up to teach the 6 am class. The 20 or so people all have full-time jobs and families, but they get here, full of energy, five times a week; it motivates me. Since it’s my off-day from my training program, I go for a 20-minute jog to flush out any soreness or mental fogginess. After teaching the lunchtime class, I attend my weekly chiropractor appointment then return to lead the night classes.
Thursday: After training a few private clients, I head to the gym to teach our 9:30 am class, and then I’ll do my own morning training session. The focus is clean and jerks* and gymnastics. I’ll teach the lunchtime class then bang out my PM session, which is usually a longer WOD* that might include handstand push-ups and reverse lunges. For lunch, I get a big grilled chicken salad from the pizzeria and treat myself to frozen yogurt.
Friday: I teach the 7 am class, and then train clients before heading to Milford for two hours. We head to Whole Foods for lunch, chicken and lots of sweet potatoes after the day’s high-volume sessions: burpees*, back squats, bench presses. I head back to teach my evening classes before going out for dinner. Usually, a few friends and I will go to Outback for salmon or steak and a cold beer.
Saturday: My coach generally programs all aerobic work for me today, often a session on the rowing machine with increasing intensity, among other things. It’s a nice way to end the week after all the heavy lifting and gymnastics. This is also the night we go out with friends, since we don’t work or train on Sundays.
Sunday: Sundays are my rest days. I try to do nothing physical and spend the day eating, relaxing, and programming the WODs for the next week.
*snatch = a continuous move in which a barbell is pulled from the floor to a locked-arms position; clean and jerk = an overhead bar lift starting in a squat; WOD = Workout of the Day; burpee = a combination squat and vertical jump, sometimes involving a push-up as well
