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Fittest American Woman Haley Adams Answers 13 Questions About Wodapalooza

By WHOOP

Fittest American Woman Haley Adams Answers 13 Questions About Wodapalooza

CrossFit star Haley Adams shares her thoughts on the first major event of the season.

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We spoke with Haley Adams, Fittest American Women and a top-5 finisher at each of the last two CrossFit Games, about her experience at 2022 Wodapalooza and what it was like to compete with an elite team for the first time. Adams’ MayFem squad took first place in 3 workouts at WZA, ranked in the top 4 in each of them, and ended the weekend second overall.  

Haley Adams Talks Wodapalooza

  What was training like leading up to WZA? Training for me didn’t actually change at all for Wodapalooza. I’ve been on a pretty hard squat cycle and just doing whatever metcons Rich [Froning] does. Were there any events that you weren’t expecting or moments you knew you had trained perfectly for? I wasn’t expecting the worm to be so hard, it gave me a lot of respect for teams. I was very pleased with how I handled the pig and barbell complex event.

Haley Adams & teammates at wodapalooza
Haley Adams and teammates Andrea Nisler and Taylor Williamson Carry the worm at Wodapalooza.

How did you use WHOOP data to guide you in the week leading up to Wodapalooza? I was looking at my recovery, since we weren’t doing as much there was no excuse to not be in the green. How does competing as part of a team compare to individual competition? It’s a completely different ballgame. In my experience being part of a team involved a lot more thinking and strategizing. What parts were your favorite and what parts did you not expect? I loved getting to throw down with Andrea [Nisler] and Taylor [Williamson], that was so fun. I did not expect to be so stressed out on a team. Are you all on a WHOOP team together? What metric were you most competitive about with each other during training and during competition? Andrea and I are. We for sure looked at each other's strain a lot! Which event or day earned you the highest strain? Thursday! It was 16.9 for the day. How did you use that data to make choices about your recovery? I just tried to get as much sleep and quality food as I could, as that seems to help my recovery.

Haley adams ECHO ON FRAN
Day 1 of competition led to Haley's highest strain at Wodapalooza, a 16.9.

What was your favorite moment from this year's competition? I really enjoyed getting the team experience and starting my season off in Miami! With only a few points separating your team from the top spot, what small decisions did you make all weekend long that kept competition so close? I tried to do whatever the girls told me to do since they know much more about team [competition] than I do. We still had some mistakes though. Is there anything you wish you would have focused on more to close the gap? There were some events we could’ve executed better for sure, but overall I’m very happy with the experience! How did you and your team celebrate your incredible 2nd-place finish? Are you back #inthegreen yet? I celebrated with a 12-hour sleep! And yes, finally back in the green. How will your time at WZA help prepare you for The Open? Wodapalooza was more for fun this year just to get the season started. It’s gonna be a good 2022!   RELATED: Podcast 123: Haley Adams on Being a Role Model & Mission to Win the Games CrossFit Games Heart Rate Data from Haley Adams & Team Mayhem Freedom