You might have noticed Virginie at various events across Europe. We had a pleasure of getting to know her a bit better, learning she literally changed her life this year by quitting her old job at Air France to go back to school: to become a full-time personal trainer.
Athlete’s ID:
Name/last name: Virginie Rousseau
Nickname: Virgie
Age: 38
Country: France
CrossFit box: CrossFit Hostilus
Coach: My husband Cyril Rousseau and Yvan Gegout
Crossfitting since: March 2012
Favourite exercise: Snatch and handstand push-ups
Hi Virginie, thank you for taking time to do an interview with us. What have you been up to lately?
At the moment I am making the qualifying workouts for the German Throwdown. I hope I will compete there because this is a very hard but a very complete competition.
We always first ask the guys, how much they bench press. So how much is your PR?
You know bench is not a girl’s favourite movement! And I rarely train it but I think my PR is 65 kg. [laughing]
Tell us about your beginnings in Crossfit…
I found Crossfit with three of my husband and mine’s colleagues: Virginie Henry, Yvan Gegout and Patrick Mochen. They did other sports (at an international level) before but wanted to find something new so they can continue to be fit and have fun. They discovered Crossfit in 2011 and also made their first CrossFit Regionals that year.
I tried one Crossfit training in December 2011 with Virgine but finished my first true WOD in March 2012 when they asked me to be part of the French Invictus Team for the CrossFit Regionals 2012. First workout was 12.1 – seven minutes of burpees. What a hard experience!
What is your training background?
Before Crossfit I did bodybuilding: started when I was 21 and continued until my 35, but just for fun.
Tell us a bit about your training. Do you follow any particular program?
I train five days a week from Monday to Friday (If I miss one, I’ll do another session on Sunday morning).
My husband (who has his own boxing club and is at high level in kick-boxing and grappling) is in charge of my program. He does Crossfit as well, as a master athlete and has quite a good season so far (second at the German and Irish Throwdown).
Training for Crossfit is quite the same as for boxing. Each session contains weightlifting, strength exercises, WODs, skills and work on my weaknesses.
Life outside the box: what are you doing when you are not training?
I literally changed my life this year! I left my job (15 years working for Air France as a hostess) to have a degree in personal training (and work in Crossfit).
When I was still working for Air France (until last august), I woke up every morning around 4 am, work from 5.00 to 12.30, then go to training, go back home at 5 pm to take my son out of school and then “do” the family life (homework, cooking…).
Now that I went back to school, I have two days studying, one day working in a club for my practice (part of my degree) and the rest of my week is for family and training. I have much more time now and will use it to be better àd better this year.
You compete a lot, all over Europe with a French Invictus team. Can you tell us a bit about that?
We train together as many times as we can. Our main problem is that we don’t have an appropriate place to practice together as from the beginning on we train at an associative place which is not available as often as we need it. Each one of us has a place near our home to train. And we try to come together as many times as we can.
French Invictus Team was the first team in France. It begun with a group of friends who wanted to share their passion for sport. And years after years, more and more friends came to join the group to finally make a team of 16 people. We are different than others french teams that are made of athletes who met in a box and composed a team.
French Invictus Team is a “story of friends” and we are “Nomads of Crossfit”.
We have to ask: you always stand out at the competitions due to your tattoos. Is there a story behind?
[Laughing] I agree it is not so conventional to see a girl tattooed and you’re right, I often stand out. Yes, all of my tattoos have a story, a particular moment of my life that I wanted to write down for life (on my skin). Maybe not to forget them or show the people it concerns me what they mean to me. I also have many tattoos about my convictions and my culture.
Your husband is training and competing as well. So Crossfit is a whole lifestyle for you two?
Yes, he’s training for about a year now. Before, he was an international kick-boxer. He’s still boxing and grappling but he also shares Crossfit with me and there’s no better thing than to share a passion with the one you love.
We train together once or twice per week. On Mondays for example, we all go to the gym – together with our 11 year-old son. While we are training, he’s doing his lessons and then makes a small bodyweight Crossfit workout with his dad. My husband does all my trainings, and we help and encourage each other. The best part of that is to share competitions and travel all around Europe to compete side by side. He’s my husband, my friend, my coach, an amazing daddy, he’s my all.
What about nutrition? Do you follow any particular diet?
I follow no particular nutrition style, just try to control my diet before competition and be fit all year long. You know when you train as much as Crossfit athletes do, you must have a very complete diet to not feel weak.
Your favourite motivation quote?
My motivation quote is “no pain no gain”. Maybe because of my past. And it perfectly fits to Crossfit.
Thank you Virginie. One last question: where will we see you next (which event)?
I hope next one will be the German Throwdown, if the qualifiers go ok. And many others this years because I will have so much time.
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