Andrea Valdez describes how transitioning to GRID training benefited her as an athlete and bodybuilder

Andrea Valdez is a bodybuilder, coach, former gymnast and writer. In the past, she wrote a great article that is a window into how incorporating GRID Training or any new form of training can benefit an athlete mentally and physically in ways they didn’t expect.

While the version of GRID she was training for in 2016 was different, most of the concepts she references in the snippets below apply. We did highlight what we felt were the most relevant components of the article for our version of GRID Training which is outlined on this page here. If you want to read her full article, follow the link at the end of the article.

A clip describing her introduction to the sport:

I stumbled upon this sport because I needed something to do in the years between bodybuilding shows, but it is by no means a mere placeholder. This is an entirely new goal that stands alone for me.

In fact, while the search for a new athletic endeavor was at first “what could I do for the next year or two while I put on some size before it’s time to diet again”, has now ended up as “here is this new thing I am obsessed with and I will not stop until it is no longer an option to continue.”

Yes, I love training for GRID that much.

Here she describes how it is different from what she is used to:

GRID is a crazy mix of strength, skill acquisition, speed, and short-term endurance, which basically feeds into every part of athleticism that I love.

It’s also why I pretty much know that when I DO compete in bodybuilding again (whether that’s 5 or 15 years from now), I will never go back to how I was training for bodybuilding before. I have learned that I mentally and emotionally thrive on a mix of lifts and movements that are fun, challenging, and exciting. Olympic lifting is now one of my favorite things in the world, and those are skills that I would hate to lose or regress in by cutting them out of my programming.

Describing the effects of incorporating GRID Training:

I’m not saying this is a “better” way of training, but it sure has been an eyeopener as to what I am capable of. Sure, my lower half has grown tremendously, but this may also have a lot to do with my nutritional intake, as discussed above.

It has also opened my eyes as a bodybuilding coach and has lead me to push my athletes a bit more in certain areas to see if we can possibly get more out of them, too. Some athletes do not need this nudge, but others have seemed to benefit. The way I now see it, if one of my athletes has the time and energy in their off-season to make an effort in generating strength and size gains just a little bit faster, then why not give it a go? It’s just another tool in the toolbox and another experiment to collect data going forth.

Her summary of what GRID Training did for her. Keep in mind she had a close relationship with a coach and changed up her nutrition as well:

Discovering GRID was the only way that I could let go of my constant need to over-monitor and over-analyze the daily state of my physical appearance. Sure, it is now an entirely new obsession, but it is a much more productive obsession.

I now train to acquire skills, not to put on muscle. I now eat more to perform, not eat less in fear of losing my leanness. Both of these statements are incredibly ironic, as I am now finally in a state where I have been acquiring more muscle mass than ever before and am leaner than my previous off-season figure physique ever was.

Make sure you check out our newly launched, weekly GRID Training program!

Follow Andrea Valdez on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/andreavaldez/

If you’d like to read her full article click this link here.

More about our sport below:
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WHAT IS GRID? It is a true team sport where players accomplish feats of athleticism in a game consisting of several short, fast, and extremely exciting races.  Men and women compete together on the same team and players showcase their strengths as their role on their team. Each race is made up of a series of movements.

In GRID, overall fitness is not a requirement to excel. Specialists (often focused on a certain range of movements) thrive just as much as utility players (often well rounded and generally fit). The strength of the team overall is how well they are coached, strategize, gel together, and are properly suited physically to perform well. Want to play?

Learn more here – https://thefgl.com/old/season-players

Watch the 2018 Championship Team story – https://youtu.be/3yvoMLhu2GY