CrossFit: UK’s Zack George handled his hip injury setback by eating chocolate and watching Netflix

The UK’s ‘Fittest Man’ will miss the 2021 CrossFit Games because of injury after missing last season when Covid-19 forced organisers to scale back

George says it is important to have goals in place, but just as important to be able to pivot and realise achieving them sometimes is not all it is cracked up to be

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Zack George said it is okay to be sad and wallow, but just give yourself a time frame. Photo: Matt Melling

Published: 8:00pm, 22 Apr 2021Updated: 8:07pm, 22 Apr 2021

Zack George, the UK’s “Fittest Man”, is definitely practising what he preaches right now.

On April 9, George posted on Instagram that he would be pulling out of the 2021 CrossFit Games season because of a hip injury.

“It was very hard to accept all the work that I’ve put in, and that I’m not going to be able to compete,” said the 31-year-old George, who runs his own gym in Leicester. “And so I just needed four days of being alone, eating lots of chocolate sweets and just letting it sink in that I’m not going to be at the games.”

George, who also missed the 2020 CrossFit Games after organisers drastically cut down the qualifying structure because of the Covid-19 pandemic, said allowing yourself to feel sad is part of the process of achieving goals.

“You’re just wallowing in your own self pity, but you need to go through that and let it digest. And then after those four days: ‘all right, I’ve had my binge of chocolate sweets, I’ve had my wallowing on the sofa watching movie after movie, and I’ve digested it all, and I’m ready to put a plan in place to compete for next year.’”

George said allowing himself time to process negative emotions was crucial in maintaining a positive mindset. He said trying to barrel through setbacks without acknowledging their emotional impact can lead to bigger problems. These strategies are outlined in the book he is about to release on April 29, Start Where Others Stop: Nine Strategies for Optimising Your Mind.