- Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, six-time Fittest Woman on Earth, is returning to the CrossFit Games this year.
- She knows all eyes are on her as a new mom as she juggles motherhood and training.
- The CrossFit legend sets herself small goals to make progress in her training.
CrossFit legend Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr knows all eyes are on her as she returns to the sport's flagship games this summer.
The six-time Fittest Woman on Earth skipped the 2023 CrossFit Games after she gave birth to her daughter Willow last May. Now she's working hard to reclaim her place on the podium, she told Business Insider.
The stakes are high: the 30-year-old Australian is the only CrossFit athlete, male or female, to have won the Games six times.
Toomey-Orr is juggling training alongside being the face of various brands associated with the sport, including the new apparel partner of the Games, Goruck. She also runs her own CrossFit gym in her home of Nashville, Prvn Fitness, and has previously written two books.
Toomey-Orr knows some people doubt her focus now she's juggling motherhood and training — but that just drives her to prove them wrong.
"There is this perception that, 'Well, Tia's main focus is not necessarily going to be training anymore, she's got a new baby girl. Does that mean that she can still win?' And I'm trying to change that," she said.
Returning to work after giving birth is hard for most women, but it can be especially challenging as a leading athlete, both physically and mentally, with the added pressure and criticism from the public. Toomey-Orr wants to show that parents can still achieve their goals if they are determined.
"That's definitely a motivator that I've been using as I'm chipping through the season," she said.
Toomey-Orr sets small training goals for herself
Watching the 2023 CrossFit Games from the sidelines in August was tough for Toomey-Orr, she previously told BI.
Toomey-Orr went on to shock fans when she competed at the Rogue Invitational, a major CrossFit competition, in October and finished in a close second place.
After finishing first in the 2024 quarterfinals, Toomey-Orr is firmly focused on winning the Games.
"No one remembers who wins the quarterfinals, of course, but it is also very good for me to understand where everyone is right now," she said. "For me, it's just reassurance."
Toomey-Orr trains five days a week, with one full rest day and one day for active recovery, such as swimming. She has been setting small personal training goals for herself to track her progress.
"If I hit this number or if I do this in the workout, then I know I'm fitter than I've always been," she said. "Knowing where my fitness level is helps with confidence and understanding if I am right where I need to be or maybe I still have a little bit of work to do."
Toomey-Orr said she's tracking in the right direction for strength, fitness, and skill. It's just a case of getting all her training in as she plays catch-up after the year off.
Winding down breastfeeding helped Toomey-Orr rebuild strength
Rebuilding her strength was challenging when Toomey-Orr was exclusively breastfeeding Willow, but the almost one-year-old is now consuming solid food as well as an Australian formula.
"That helps in terms of my energy levels, but also the amount of calories I have to consume because I'm obviously burning so much through training," Toomey-Orr said. "Breastfeeding is just, it's a lot on the body."
While Willow regularly watches her mother training, Toomey-Orr isn't going to push her daughter into CrossFit as a career.
"Hopefully, she chooses something a little bit more straightforward," Toomey-Orr joked, "But honestly, I just want her to see that anything beyond her wildest dreams is possible."
Like winning the CrossFit Games six times, taking a year off to have a baby, and getting straight back to it.