BY KAT VISTI
PHOTO BY TAMARA MUTH KING
Krista Stryker always felt that her hard work in the gym wasn’t giving her the results she wanted, so that pushed her to explore into other forms of working out. She discovered HIIT training that helped her to feel even better than before! She then launched her app and website “12 Minute Athlete” that is helping thousands to get fit without having to go to the gym. The app made a name for itself drawing in over 300,000 visitors, leading Krista to be named one of Athleta’s 100 Women to Watch in Wellness. Krista also released a book called The 12 Minute Athlete: Get in the Best Shape of Your Life in 12 Minutes a Day.
What inspired you to start working out?
KRISTA: “I grew up in an athletic family, and even though I played basketball and soccer growing up, I always assumed the athletic gene had skipped me. I never felt very strong or skilled playing group sports.
When I went off to college, I stopped doing movement of any kind. I gained the typical freshman fifteen and became more lost and unconfident than ever. I assumed I was destined to be a slightly out of shape, weak, and unathletic person for life.
One day my older brother challenged me to do a push up—I thought I was a person who could never do a push up, but I did three! In that moment my whole mindset changed. I realized that if I actually worked at it consistently, I could maybe actually become a ‘fit person’ one day.
I started running and working out more regularly, but I hated every second of it. Even after I became a personal trainer, I didn’t develop a great relationship with fitness until I discovered high intensity interval training and bodyweight workouts, which is the basis of the 12 Minute Athlete approach.”
You find HIIT workouts to be most effective, can you explain it to people who haven’t heard of it before?
KRISTA: “High intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts are an advanced style of interval training where you alternate periods of short, intense exercise with less intense recovery periods. Basically, this means you’ll be working as hard as you possibly can for a short amount of time, resting, then working hard again. An entire HIIT session should really only last no more than about 10 to 20 minutes, and you should feel pretty spent when you’re done.
One reason that I’m such a huge fan of HIIT workouts is that they essentially take your typical 30 to 45-minute workout and condense it into a shorter workout that’s actually more effective than a longer, moderate intensity workout. Since the main reason people use for skipping their workout is lack of time, HIIT workouts help you stay consistent with your fitness goals, no matter how busy you are.”
Your app “12 Minute Athlete” has grown quite quickly. How does that success make you feel?
KRISTA: “When I first created the app, I had no idea what I was doing, so I basically designed the app that I wished existed in the marketplace. It’s cool of course that it has over 245,000 downloads at this point, but what makes me happiest is when I hear people who use it on a regular basis and as a result have gotten fitter and stronger.”
Are there days where you don’t feel like working out? And if so what do you do to get yourself motivated and working out?
PHOTO BY TAMARA MUTH KING
KRISTA: “Of course, anyone who tells you that they are always motivated to work out isn’t telling the whole truth. Even elite athletes have days when they’d rather be doing anything else than working out.
It’s taken years, but I’ve finally gotten to the point that I know how much better I’ll feel after working out, so I actually don’t want to skip it. If I’m not feeling up for something overly intense, I’ll at least do something light, such as a little jump roping and some simple bodyweight exercises. Even on my rest days I make sure to walk a lot because I’ve found that movement helps me keep my head clearer and energy levels up.
Even if you’re not feeling up for a full workout, try and get a little movement in. Go for a walk, take an easy bike ride, or play with your kids (or dog) at the park. It’s important to remember that something is always better than nothing!”
You have an app and a book out. ARE there any other platforms you’d like to extend into also?
KRISTA: “I’m very interested in the VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) spaces. I think they offer a whole new world of great opportunities to connect people with athletes and trainers they admire. The technology is still getting there, but I think we’re about to see a giant wave of this kind of thing in the next five to ten years and I’m currently working on ways to be involved.”
Speaking of your book. The 12 Minute Athlete: Get in the Best Shape of Your Life in 12 Minutes a Day, what was the process like for you to write it?
KRISTA: “Whenever I approach a big project like this one, I start by getting as clear as possible on the content and essentially write an outline, just like you would have to when you were writing a paper in school. Once I get the outline figured out, I find that filling in the content is fairly simple and is just a matter of sitting down and committing to doing it on a regular basis. Its taken me a while to learn this, but in my experience, writer’s block is less about not being able to write, as it is not knowing what you actually want to say.”
What are some goals that you want to reach in the future?
KRISTA: “When it comes to my business, I’m really pushing this year to be involved in more in-person events. As much as I love the app and blog world, really nothing can substitute for in-person connection. I’m also working on new programs for the app, as well as getting involved in new technologies like VR and AR.
In terms of my own personal fitness goals, I’m working towards a one arm handstand and have plans to compete in my first amateur boxing match later this year. I’m always working to get stronger, address my weaknesses, and become an overall better athlete.”
PHOTO BY TAMARA MUTH KING
For people who want to start working out but don’t know where to start, what would you recommend?
KRISTA: “Start slow! The worst thing I see people do when they’re first trying to develop a fitness habit is to try and go all out at the very beginning and aim to work out intensely five or even six days a week. More often than not, this approach leads to burn out after a couple of weeks, and even worse, injuries.
If you haven’t worked out in a while, I always recommend starting to incorporate light movement like walking into your daily routine. Your goal should just be to get in the habit of getting your body moving on a regular basis.
Once you’ve got that down, try incorporating some simple yet effective bodyweight movements like squats, push-ups, planks, and burpees into your routine a few days a week. Only after you’ve established a baseline should you try and start working out more intensely with hard HIIT workouts three or four days a week.”