Interview With A Wrestler

PhysicallyFIT
SARA
Y
E
E
L
D
R
Does It Everywhere
Interview With A Wrestler
with Charles Peeples
I first encountered Sara one night a few years back in the weight-room of the local YMCA. This was before
the renovations which brought about its current palatial dimensions; the weight room then was a cramped,
overheated, basement lair where few women ventured. She was at the rack doing front-squats--- an
awkward, uncomfortable movement which few guys even do--- and using some pretty respectable
poundage. “I’m a wrestler, “she answered my inevitable query, “look for Sara Del Rey on YouTube.” I did.
And I winced. No matter what you think about Pro Wrestling, there’s no pretending these aren’t highly-skilled
and tough athletes. And if you can’t accept the validity of the outcomes, you have to respect the effort, pain
and risk involved in the best of these spectacles. It’s one thing to see Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler or his
real-life counterparts brutally pounding and slamming each other silly; as enlightened on distaff physicality
as I considered myself, seeing women do this took some getting used to…
Give us a little about your background, previous athletic
pursuits, and the way you got into wrestling.
I grew up being a tom-boy; my dad really wanted a boy and I was the best he
got, so he got me started in softball when I was young. I played throughout
high school but after graduating, I became more interested in Professional
Wrestling. Watching a local independent wrestling show I was blown away! I
did some research and signed up to be trained, with no idea what I was getting into. I knew it would be hard and I would be no good at first, but I figured if I keep showing up and doing my best one day I was bound to make it.
Practice, patience and determination will get you through anything.
What’s your typical weight-training workout?
I try to change my workouts every month. Every week I vary the reps, sets
and weights. A typical lifting day will have all the major groups---back, chest,
legs and shoulders. One week I may just do two sets of twenty-five reps with
a medium weight. Then the next week, the same exercises with maybe four
sets of eight to ten with heavy weights. I found my body responds better to
constant changes.
Can you give us some details on your eating, supplements,
etc, and how has it changed since you started?
When I first started training about nine years ago I just ate what I thought was
healthy---like carrots! I didn’t pay attention to calories or portion size. I’d
heard you should eat every two to three hours, so I was stoked because I love
food! Now I am much stricter; I only eat natural foods and weigh everything.
I also record everything I eat and the time I eat it. The only supplement I take
is a multi-vitamin. Nothing else.
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Those falls, throws, holds and strikes, even though
they’re controlled, still look painful and dangerous…
tell us about some of your injuries/mishaps.
It is really dangerous. I’ve dislocated both my shoulders and
knee caps. Broken and chipped a few teeth and broken a few
toes. Not to mention countless bumps, bruises and black eyes.
The film The Wrestler – how well does it portray the
things you’ve observed in the business?
It was a very real account of the wrestling business, minus the
steroid stuff---I’ve never seen any of that.
I’m sure you get tired of hearing people say “it’s all
fake” when it’s pretty obvious you have to be a
superb athlete to do those stunts. What else would
you like the public to know about this sport?
I think it’s obvious to most people, especially athletes, that
while what we’re doing is just an exhibition, it’s still a very real
sport. It takes a lot of hard work and practice. If I could clear up
one thing about wrestling or what people know about wrestling
I would encourage them to watch ROH on HDNET or go to a
CHIKARA live event. Each group has appeal for different reason. CHIKARA is a family-friendly fun group that has the feeling of a live-acted comic series instead of your average
wrestling show. ROH is a fast-paced action-packed show. Either
is a good alternative to the current televised product and will
change your perception of what Pro wrestling is.
Tell us about the places you’ve been, your projects,
famous people you’ve met, invitations you’ve
received, etc, and where you hope to take this.
I’ve been really lucky to have been flown to Australia, Japan,
Mexico, Canada, Germany, England and all over the US to perform. I was invited to live and train in both Mexico and Japan
which were opportunities many would kill for. I’ve been able to
meet all my Japanese idols and inspirations, and countless
American wrestling stars such as Ric Flair, the Rock, Chris
Jericho, Bret Hart and many others. I also got to be an extra in
The Wrestler and meet Mickey Rourke when he was training
with Jack Black during the filming of Nacho Libre a few years
back. I currently wrestle and train with CHIKARA PRO in
Philadelphia. I’m Women’s Champion for Jersey All Pro
Wrestling in New Jersey and am featured on ROH on HDNET.
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Any advice for others looking to break into pro wrestling?
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When you do find a school, ask if you can sit in and watch a
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Charles Peeples, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, NCTMB, whose articles
have appeared in numerous fitness and bodybuilding magazines,
is a well-known proponent for girls’ and women’s physical
advancement (www.teamvalkyries.org). In addition to being a
Nationally-Certified Personal Trainer, he is a Nationally-Certified
Massage Therapist (www.chesterspringsmassage.com). Contact
him at [email protected]
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