The biography, life, and accomplishments of Kristen Graham
Kristen Graham is an American CrossFit athlete and strongwoman competitor. The multi-talented strength athlete is known for her grit and dedication.
Graham’s fitness journey began unexpectedly in 2011 when she started working out to lose the weight she had gained during pregnancy. Kristen had a fit and firm body throughout her life, and the excess bodyweight after childbirth irked her into starting training.
Below is a complete breakdown of Kristen Graham’s profile, stats, biography, training, and diet regimens.
| Full Name: Kristen Graham  | ||
| Weight | Height | Date Of Birth |
| 145-155 lbs | 5’4″ | 4/5/1985 |
| Profession | Era | Nationality |
| CrossFit Athlete, Strongwoman, and Fitness Model | 2010 | American |
Biography
Born on May 4, 1985, in Brooklyn, NY, Kristen Graham had an active childhood. Growing up, she was a track runner and a skilled soccer player. Graham says that she had been “very lucky” in sports since childhood, and her parents were always supportive of her choices.
Being competitive in her early years helped Kristen develop military discipline and work ethic, which has carried into her CrossFit and strongwoman training and competitions.
The CrossFit athlete is a Stockton University graduate and had originally joined her local CrossFit gym in 2011 to improve her overall functionality and lose weight that he had gained during her pregnancy.
However, she was impressed with what the sport had to offer and continued training even after achieving her goal weight. After a few years of CrossFit training, the new mom got in the best shape of her life.
Fast-forward two years, Kristen Graham started competing in regional and CrossFit Open contests. Additionally, she started her own CrossFit gym and began coaching people.
The CrossFit games reignited Kristen’s desire to compete — something she had not done since her high school soccer days.
Not only did starting training after childbirth help her get back in shape, but it also helped Graham find her true calling and carve a career path out of her passion.
“The grind never stops. When it starts to get easier, it means you’re not grinding hard enough. Do work! Make it hurt.” — Kristen Graham on her training philosophy
Kristen Graham Benchmark Stats
According to CrossFit games, Graham’s benchmark stats include:
- Back Squat: 305 pounds
- Clean and Jerk: 225 pounds
- Snatch: 175 pounds
- Deadlift: 425 pounds
- Max Pull-ups: 50
- Fran: 2:28
- Grace: 1:39
- Sprint 400m: 1:07
Training
Kristen Graham does not stick to one training style. Although she is primarily a CrossFit athlete, she constantly switches between CrossFit, bodybuilding, and strongwoman training.
Graham’s constantly changing and evolving training regimen is one of the secrets behind her strength, agility, conditioning, and muscle mass. She is the perfect example that you do not need to pledge your allegiance to a single training style. You could make the most of your workouts by being a jack of all trades.
Kristen Graham’s Workout Routine
Since Kristen does not follow a linear training program, it’d be better to break down her training into four sections:
1. Cardio — Graham begins her workouts with a 10-15 minute cardio session, which also serves as a warm-up. However, instead of using a treadmill, she prefers performing functional movements like push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, etc.
2. Main Workout — Depending on the kind of training Graham is doing during that period, she chooses between a CrossFit, strongman, or bodybuilding dominant workout. Her strength workouts include deadlifts, squat, and bench press. On the other hand, if she plans to train particular muscle groups, she opts for isolation exercises to enter the state of hypertrophy and build muscle mass and conditioning.
3. WOD — Kristen usually performs the WOD (workout of the day) after her main workout, which includes doing a specific number of exercises and reps as fast as possible.
4. Cool Down — Most fitness noobs make the mistake of not cooling down after a workout. Cooldowns are as important as warm-ups as they can help reduce your chances of injury and improve your mobility.
*Note: Kristen Graham’s workouts can vary greatly depending on her short-term goal.
Nutrition
Kristen Graham understands the importance of diet in a successful transformation. Since she competes in strongman and CrossFit competitions, her diet changes depending on her upcoming contest.
Graham ensures she is getting most of her calories through nutrient-dense whole foods. Furthermore, she is not a fan of junk food and sticks to eating clean throughout the year.
“When nutrition is dialed in, everything starts to fall into place.” — Kristen Graham
Kristen Graham Diet Plan
Below you’ll find the diet plan Graham uses to shred after a strongman competition:
Meal 1
- Grapefruit — 100 grams
- Egg whites omelet — 4 large
- Grilled chicken — 1.5 oz
- Turkey bacon — 2 slices
Meal 2
- Barbeque grilled chicken — 200 grams
- Rice — 1 cup
Meal 3
- Lettuce — 1/2 cup
- Grapefruit — 100 grams
- Grilled chicken — 3.7 oz
- Almonds — 0.5 oz
Meal 4
- Broccoli — 85 grams
- Grilled chicken — 80 grams
- Yellow bell pepper — 20 grams
- Rice — 70 grams
Meal 5
- Whey protein shake
- Peanut butter — 2 tbsp
- Almond milk (unsweetened) — 1 cup
- Apple — 1 large
Kristen eats a high-protein food source with every meal as it improves her recovery and keeps her feeling full throughout the day.
On a bulking diet, Graham bumps up her carb intake to ensure she has enough energy to power through her intense workouts. She also eats more carbs after her workouts when she needs a fast glycogen spike.
Supplements
Kristen Graham uses a variety of supplements to make the most of her workouts, fasten her recovery, and ensure her body is functioning at optimal levels. Her supplement stack consists of:
