WORLD FITNESS CHAMPION: RADICAL DIETS DO NOT WORK
Kristína Juricová, three-time world champion in senior acrobatic fitness and an accomplished sportswoman, is one of the students of our university at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport. She's only 22, but she already received a rector’s award acknowledging her success. She is already training for the European Championships this May.
Kristína was doing sports since a very young age and at six she began strength training. Before that, she attended a dance school but she wanted to try something more action-oriented. „My mother's friend recommended children's fitness, which was still in its infancy at the time. I just wanted to release some energy, I enjoyed it a lot at the time and I've stuck with it until now," recalls Kristína. Competitions in the category of acrobatic fitness consist of two parts – poses and a routine, which combines gymnastics and dance, and is performed in a costume. „It's important to have a theme to the routine and to make a show. The competitor sells herself here, so to speak, and must make sure that the routine appeals to the audience, but mainly to the judges. That's why I need to have some gymnastics in my routine in addition to strength training, which makes it much more demanding," explains Kristína.
A family team
When she was younger, she trained for the competitions under a fitness coach, but according to Kristína, the methods she used were not healthy. And so her father, Martin Jurica, began to train her. He studied up, adjusted her diet, planned her strength training and designed fitness exercises. „We discuss everything, from changes to my diet, to training. If I don't like something or think it's not right, we seek a solution together. We cooperate with a dance coach to create the gymnastic routines. Together, we strive to make them the best they can be."
She still suffers from stage fright
In 2021, she participated in the IFBB World Fitness Championships in Spain, where she became absolute world champion in her category. This is the success that makes her the most proud, because it was hard earned. „I wanted this title and fought to get it for a very long time. Even though I already was a world champion, the title of absolute world champion was eluding me. Winners from two height categories can compete for it - those under 163 cm, and over 163 cm. The contestants are judged on their routines, and posing. The winner receives the title of absolute world champion," recalls Kristína. She participated in competitions in various countries. She visited Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, France, but the most competitions in her category took place in Spain. In addition, she represented our country in Ecuador, China and the Dominican Republic.
„Our category has a disadvantage in that many countries do not host competitions in it. One reason is that we need a larger stage for the acrobatic elements, which is why these competitions are not held everywhere in the world," says Kristína. Surprisingly, even though she participated in a number of competitions, she still feels stage fright. Stress almost never leaves her, and she employs various methods to get rid of it before competitions. „On the day of the competition, I need to be in a good mood, and so I play music, I'm positive and I don't think about what could go wrong. The stress is still there, but in this way I can reduce it a little bit."
| Kristína Juricová (22) |
|---|
| has been doing acrobatic fitness since she was a child and she has been competing for fifteen years. In her category, she won the title of senior European champion four times and that of senior World champion three times. She also holds the title of Absolute Senior World Champion in the category of acrobatic fitness. In May this year, she will compete at the European Championships. She is being trained for the competitions by her own father, Martin Jurica, a former football coach. She is in her third-year at FSPORT, studying to be Coach and Physical Education Teacher. She also works as a fitness trainer. |
She used to diet, now she just eats healthy
According to her, it is important to schedule your time ahead of a competition. In the past, especially with her former coach, she followed radical diets. „When I had a weak moment and craved chocolate, for instance, I was expected to overcome it. Sometimes I couldn’t help myself and sinned, but then I learned a lesson and told myself that it wasn’t worth spoiling my entire preparation." Now she exercises throughout the year and always eats healthy, but sometimes she also rewards herself. Her preparation usually begins three months ahead of a competition, depending on whether she has a routine or not.
„If I don't have a routine yet, my preparation could take up to half a year. Instead of following an extra strict diet, I monitor my intake of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats), and set certain limits that I do not exceed. I had a hard time during preparation, especially at the beginning, when I had to keep my calorie intake extremely low. On the day of the competition I not only refrained from eating, but I did not even drink anything. I no longer do it that way and I feel much better mentally. I also went through radical diets, but if I compare the results of my current style and those radical diets, it’s definitely much better now. For me, radical dieting is not worth the health problems. If you design a good training plan and start eating healthy long enough before the competition, you don't have to do anything radical," Kristína thinks.
This opinion is also reflected in her bachelor's thesis, which she is now writing. She compares her preparation for the competitions in 2019 and in 2021. „In 2019, my form was different and I'm trying to explore the reasons why. In my preparation in 2019, I used the old practices, for example dehydration. In 2021, I took a break because I'd been competing non-stop from the age of nine until 2019. I changed my training and diet and I slowed down because there was no competition to prepare for. I was much calmer," she recalls.
Your muscles won't grow instantly
In addition to writing her bachelor's thesis and her intensive preparation for competitions, Kristína also works as a fitness trainer. For two years, she has been training her clients in fitness gyms or at street workout parks. It is difficult to combine her training with school, but her clients are used to a schedule. She mostly trains them during the summer or after exams. What are the most common mistakes they make? „The biggest mistake is their expectation to see results a month after starting training. That’s not how it works at all. They also think that results are guaranteed if they just turn up to train. What I tell them, however, is to adjust their diet first. You can’t train three times a week and then just eat whatever you want," explains Kristína.
How does she handle it all? She admits she has an individual study plan that allows her to miss half a semester of lectures. However, she still needs to adjust it ahead of the European Championships in May. Despite the fact that she has been preparing for a year, her trainings grew more intensive since February and they are also much more regular. They include fitness and strength training, and she still needs to design her routine. Of course, she allows herself some resting time between training sessions. Her regeneration includes massage, physiotherapy, sauna or wellness. Many athletes have a great role model they look up to. Kristina also used to have one, but that gradually changed. „I am my own role model now. Actually, my role model is 'the Kika from the last competition'.'' That drives her forward and lets her become better every day.
Radka Rosenbergová