Natalia Chorobczyk
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't. You're right" - Henry Ford
Photo courtesy of The Strong Room
I’m always jealous as all hell of people who happen to stumble into a gym, chosen for convenience of location or through recommendation of an acquaintance, which turns out to be some kind of strength Mecca staffed by freaking legends. Natalia is 23 and has played soccer for over 10 years. Five years ago, a knee reconstruction lead her into the gym as part of recovery. She continued to supplement her soccer training with what could be described as classic bodybuilding training as a way of keeping strong and healthy for her sport. She’d wanted to try CrossFit for ages before a workmate put her on to his local box, CrossFit Chadstone in 2014.
Natalia didn’t know or probably care at the time but CrossFit Chadstone is within the hallowed walls of The Strong Room. In my opinion, one of the finest strength and conditioning facilities in the country. Recently voted the 8th sexiest affiliate in the whole wide world (by The Affiliate Solution), and staffed by some rock solid S&C talent . This is a gym so fine that Dr Dre would have it in his basement. No lies.
Natalia trained CrossFit for a couple of months before she noticed that she was heading in to the gym and constantly trying to lift as heavy as possible… Gordon Laurie, an Australian weightlifting representative, state champion and the weightlifting coach of The Strong Room Barbell noticed that Natalia was fairly natural with the barbell and encouraged her pursue weightlifting. Over the next 6 months working with Gordon, who tweaked a few technical issues, she managed to put 20kg onto each of her lifts and bring her training maxes to a snatch of 60kg and a clean and jerk of 73kg at a competition body weight of just 53kg.
With the sport of weightlifting, Natalia admits that there’s a huge appeal in the possibility of progressing to a level where she could compete at a Commonwealth or even Olympic Level. Both Gordon and Natalia have these goals firmly on their radars. She admits that having the ability to compete against other lifters who have performed at those levels is an amazing opportunity in itself!
When I first met Natalia earlier in February of this year, she had just undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This weekend she returns to competition at the annual Ian Laurie Cup at the Phoenix Weightlifting club in Hawthorn, Victoria. Ian Laurie was one of Australia's most respected and accomplished weightlifters and also the father of Natalia’s coach, Gordon Laurie.
Thanks for talking to The Barbelle Club Natalia! We originally spoke just after you had had surgery. How have things progressed with your injury/ recovery & were there any stumbles?
Recovery has been going really well, it’s taken its time but we've managed to get there in the end (by we I mean my amazing Physio and coaches). There have definitely been quite a number of setbacks since the surgery, particularly with swelling, muscular imbalances and my patella not tracking well. But we've managed to overcome them!
Natalia didn’t know or probably care at the time but CrossFit Chadstone is within the hallowed walls of The Strong Room. In my opinion, one of the finest strength and conditioning facilities in the country. Recently voted the 8th sexiest affiliate in the whole wide world (by The Affiliate Solution), and staffed by some rock solid S&C talent . This is a gym so fine that Dr Dre would have it in his basement. No lies.
Natalia trained CrossFit for a couple of months before she noticed that she was heading in to the gym and constantly trying to lift as heavy as possible… Gordon Laurie, an Australian weightlifting representative, state champion and the weightlifting coach of The Strong Room Barbell noticed that Natalia was fairly natural with the barbell and encouraged her pursue weightlifting. Over the next 6 months working with Gordon, who tweaked a few technical issues, she managed to put 20kg onto each of her lifts and bring her training maxes to a snatch of 60kg and a clean and jerk of 73kg at a competition body weight of just 53kg.
With the sport of weightlifting, Natalia admits that there’s a huge appeal in the possibility of progressing to a level where she could compete at a Commonwealth or even Olympic Level. Both Gordon and Natalia have these goals firmly on their radars. She admits that having the ability to compete against other lifters who have performed at those levels is an amazing opportunity in itself!
When I first met Natalia earlier in February of this year, she had just undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This weekend she returns to competition at the annual Ian Laurie Cup at the Phoenix Weightlifting club in Hawthorn, Victoria. Ian Laurie was one of Australia's most respected and accomplished weightlifters and also the father of Natalia’s coach, Gordon Laurie.
Thanks for talking to The Barbelle Club Natalia! We originally spoke just after you had had surgery. How have things progressed with your injury/ recovery & were there any stumbles?
Recovery has been going really well, it’s taken its time but we've managed to get there in the end (by we I mean my amazing Physio and coaches). There have definitely been quite a number of setbacks since the surgery, particularly with swelling, muscular imbalances and my patella not tracking well. But we've managed to overcome them!
Natalia placed 5th in the 53kg category at the Australian National Championships after only 6 months of Olympic lifting under TSR Barbell's Gordon Laurie
Has returning to prior form been important to you?
Yes and no. Prior form in terms of strength and mobility yes. However being that it was also a fresh start I was able to correct some hip issues I was having before. My glutes are a hell of a lot stronger now and as a result I feel my technique has improved beyond what it was pre-injury.
Have you struggled with motivation/ frustration at all?
Of course! The mental battle of overcoming injury is huge but as is the motivation that comes from it. Knowing what you are capable of, getting back there and surpassing it was my biggest driving factor. The most frustrating of times was when things were feeling like they were on track but then by doing a set or 2 more…progress was again derailed and put on hold. There were a couple of months of the “1 step forward 2 steps back”.
What parts of your lifts feel like they have really clicked recently?
The jerk definitely, something has really clicked with that movement which was my weakest!
Are there any golden cues that have really hit home recently?
Haha yes, "just lift it!"
Are you still training CrossFit and soccer outside of lifting?
Yes, I’m still training CrossFit. Soccer is now at the end of its season so the season of “really lifting” begins!
What would you describe as your biggest strength and biggest weakness?
My biggest strength I think is my mental strength and positive attitude. It's really helped me battle through tough times and still come out smiling!
My biggest weakness is probably food haha! Any high fatty delicious food, it's gotten me in a bit of trouble when it comes to making weight!
What's the most important thing that lifting brings to your life?
The most important thing it adds to my life is that lifting is my break from reality. As soon as I walk into the gym and have my gear on, nothing else matters but me and the bar. The outside world and all that is going on is blocked out. It's an incredible feeling.
What has lifting taught you?
It's taught me how to really focus. How to be committed and consistent in training and the importance of a positive attitude!
Yes, I’m still training CrossFit. Soccer is now at the end of its season so the season of “really lifting” begins!
What would you describe as your biggest strength and biggest weakness?
My biggest strength I think is my mental strength and positive attitude. It's really helped me battle through tough times and still come out smiling!
My biggest weakness is probably food haha! Any high fatty delicious food, it's gotten me in a bit of trouble when it comes to making weight!
What's the most important thing that lifting brings to your life?
The most important thing it adds to my life is that lifting is my break from reality. As soon as I walk into the gym and have my gear on, nothing else matters but me and the bar. The outside world and all that is going on is blocked out. It's an incredible feeling.
What has lifting taught you?
It's taught me how to really focus. How to be committed and consistent in training and the importance of a positive attitude!
“You know you can do this. You’ve worked hard for this. Just go out and do your best”
What's in your training bag?
In my training bag I have my oly shoes, strength wraps, rehband knee sleeves, lifting straps, log book, massage ball and a post workout snack!
When in your recovery process did you feel ready to work towards a competition?
The plan was always to work towards a competition. This weekend is the Ian Laurie Competition, commemorating one of Australia's greatest lifters and my coaches Dad! So its pretty special!
What are your goals for this competition?
I’m just looking to put up some decent numbers and get back that competitive edge again.
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I’ve seen a few of your training videos that show you pulling reps at some pretty serious weights… Have you tested your maxes since your operation earlier this year?
I haven’t tested my maxes recently. Hopefully I’ll pull some higher numbers this weekend! What are you most looking forward to about this weekend? Just being in that environment really and having family and friends come to watch What did your final week of training/ nutrition and recovery look like? In this final week, nutrition was more closely tracked in order for me to make weight. I'd been tracking macros for over 4 weeks so it’s made things easier when it came to needing to cut. I’ve been eating plenty of veggies, meats, bacon, fruits and water - rather healthier than usual- just so I felt fuller with food that's not as calorie dense. Recovery was nothing different, massage, ice the knee, foam rolling and mobilising. Have you tapered? Yep, we kind of tapered, just had a lighter week coming into competition. If you had a “walk out song”…what would it be? Probably some Jay Z song to get me pumped up! Natalia explained that other than in her first competition, where she was incredibly nervous for her first snatches, she is pretty relaxed about competitions. “As soon as the snatches were over it was such a relief and everything relaxed and I just came in and smashed out the clean and Jerks.” The nerves didn’t reappear at subsequent competitions “I realised that there’s nothing, there’s no pressure, I can just go out there and do my thing”. I asked Natalia earlier this year if she psychs herself up at all she told me that she tries to focus more on self belief. “It comes down to doing everything right, in the right sequence and then it’ll happen… I say to myself, “You know you can do this. You’ve worked hard for this. Just go out and do your best””. |
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Damn straight Natalia. Lift the world! xx
