What's Your "Y"
Interview with Elena Schorr, Olympic Weightlifter
My name is Elena Schorr, I am a 59kg Olympic weightlifter for Heavy Metal Barbell Club in Charlotte, NC.
Give us a brief background of how your fitness journey has evolved? What made you who you are today?
I had started lifting weights as a freshman in high school to help get stronger for lacrosse, and I immediately loved how it felt to get strong and lift heavy things! I then played D1 lacrosse for Hofstra but knew I wanted to continue to compete in something after college.
I discovered what Olympic weightlifting was through Instagram and knew that’s what I wanted to do. The summer after graduation in 2018, I started weightlifting and set goals to qualify for national level meets and never looked back.
I am currently training for my 3rd National Championships at the end of June.
Who has been your main source of motivation over the years?
My goals are the biggest source of motivation.
I know that there are others who want the same things as I do so I know I need to show up and push myself to get the work done, recover well, and stay healthy. I’m also blessed to have one of the best coaches and the greatest training partners that help to keep me going.
What is the biggest mental challenge you've had to face in your sport and how have you conquered that?
Learning a new sport as an adult is so frustrating, and going from competing at a high level in lacrosse to being below average at weightlifting when I started was the hardest.
I remember walking out of my first meet thinking the goals I originally set for myself seemed unreachable.
I thought about quitting in spring of 2020 since I still was not even close to where I thought I could be, and my ex-coach more or less thought my goals were crazy. I have always been a strong believer in myself and what I’m capable of, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy if I gave it all up. I moved to Charlotte, got a new gym, new team, new coaches, and the numbers that I could lift just took off. I wasn’t crazy, my belief in myself was right, and I am so happy I kept going.
What do you do to make sure you're physically and mentally prepared for competition? What’s your “secret”?
I don’t really have a “secret” to preparing for meets. I love competing, that’s where I perform the best. I feel calm in competition and just utilize the rush of adrenaline and let my body do what I know it can.
If you work hard enough in training, you should have no doubts walking up to the platform.
Describe your recovery strategies. How do you know if those recovery strategies are working?
My biggest recovery strategies are making sure I eat enough protein and hydrate properly! I struggle to keep my bodyweight up, especially in the summer. Incorporating YOLKED into my daily supplements helps me keep the strength and muscle I’ve worked so hard to build so that I can continue to focus on getting stronger, not catching up to where I was.
What's Your "Y"? What keeps you going and training as hard as you do?
My goals are my “Y”. I have a list of goals I’ve wanted to hit, and there is no better feeling than hitting or exceeding a goal. I am constantly chasing that feeling, the goals just continue to get harder every time.
Where do you see yourself as an athlete in 5 years?
In 5 years I see myself with multiple national medals and a 200kg+ total. I also see myself becoming a mom in that time, and making sure my future children see their mom training and getting strong is incredibly important to me.
Favorite motivational quote, song or person.
My parents are always my favorite mentors. They have supported everything I choose to take on, both athletically and in the real world. My mom wanted me to have every opportunity she didn’t receive when she was younger, and my dad encouraged me to be stronger and believe I could always do better.
Why are you #TeamYOLKED?
I have been taking YOLKED for about 6 months now to help with my recovery. It helps me keep all the muscle I’ve worked so hard to build over the years and makes it easier for me to keep up with my weight. I also love that it is NSF certified for sport! As a drug tested athlete, it is so important that I know what I’m putting in my body and won’t compromise all the hard work I do in training.