"I think my confidence is the PR I'm most proud of this past year."
Cheryl Nasso is on a mission to finish what she started as a competitor in 2011.
That year, she placed 42nd at the Games. In 2012, Nasso, 27, did not make the cut. For the past year, she has been training with one goal in mind: placing in the top three at Regionals and top 10 at the Games.
Nasso is preparing to enter the Open stronger, fitter and more confident.
“I think my confidence is the PR I am most proud of this past year,” Nasso explains. “Aside from any number or score, I have felt much more comfortable with myself as someone worthy of a pat on the back. That has always been hard to admit, so it’s a big step for me to be able to be proud of myself and my accomplishments.”
Nasso maintains her confidence despite an injury she sustained in January at a local competition where she took a blow to her head from another athlete’s barbell.
“I am so thankful to be alive,” she says. “The barbells were entirely too close, and there just wasn’t much space.”
The result was a bulging C-7 disc and a few staples.
Today, Nasso is on the mend consulting with her physical therapist to work through the injury and get back to training.
Nasso’s list of achievements this year alone include several podium finishes at local competitions around the country, the opening of her affiliate, CrossFit Tuckpoint in her hometown of Fort Pierce, Fla., and the launch of her documentary, “Box of Salvation,” highlighting her personal story of overcoming anorexia through CrossFit.
For preparation, Nasso is following Ben Bergeron’s programming.
“My training is constantly varied by all means. Ben Bergeron from CrossFit New England is my main resource,” she says. “I follow his programming and advice and look to him and the other New England members for guidance and support.”
Most days, Nasso does some type of lift, along with accessory lifts, then a met-con or a skill set.
“I have been periodizing my training in cycles. I just finished my ‘goat slaying’ cycle and am currently in my ‘building the engine’ cycle.”
Nasso also joins the male athletes from Be CrossFit in Stuart, Fla., for some “serious bro sessions.”
“It is so much fun! (Working out) with guys pushes me, and, likewise, I push them,” she says. “Being the only female in a group of hardworking guys definitely will make you work a little harder.”
