Meet Erin Blevins - CrossFit Superstar And Chef To The Stars

Over the years we've seen the JOLYN community branch out into CrossFit. While we were excited to see our bikinis and suits popping up in this activity, we realized we didn't know a whole lot about it! So we tapped CrossFit superstar, Erin Blevins, to tell us her experience in CrossFit and what keeps her coming back to the gym. She is not only a fierce CrossFit competitor, but she also had the radical job of being Henry Cavill's (....swoon....) private chef for the blockbuster film Justice League. 

When she's not rockin' a JOLYN bikini on Instagram, you can find her on @shutup_eat showing off her CrossFit skills and nutrition tips. Read on to learn more about Erin, CrossFit, why JOLYN is becoming a fan favorite in the CrossFit world and stay till the end for some awesome, quick workouts and recipe ideas straight from Erin.

"What I’ve experienced and recognized visiting CrossFit gyms all around the world is the welcoming community, knowledgeable coaches, and participants of all levels learning and growing together."

 

How long have you been doing CrossFit for?

I’ve been cross-training for 12 years, but actually diligently training and competing in CrossFit for 5 years now.

 

How did you get into CrossFit?

I actually started my fitness journey through distance running. Growing up in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, it's hard to stay away from our beautiful trail systems. I started hiking, then running competitively in half marathons. In 2013 I PR’d my half marathon at 1.23.24 and decided not to run anymore. I focused on building strength and gaining weight. My race weight was 119lbs and at 5’8 I just felt that was too skinny! I loved lifting weights and racing Metcon style workouts, but it wasn’t until 2016 when I moved to London, UK that I discovered my love for CrossFit as a sport. I was hired to work on the set of the blockbuster film Justice League as Henry Cavill’s Chef and nutrition coach as he prepped for his role as Superman.

I scouted out a gym in London that I could train at and happened to meet some really cool people at a CrossFit gym called CrossFit Perpetua. They had a very competitive Comp Team and I was welcomed in and started training to compete with their team in Europe.

 

A lot of people have pre-existing ideas of what CrossFit might be, despite never trying it before. How would you define CrossFit?

CrossFit is a sport and style of training that combines endurance, gymnastics, and weight lifting. What I’ve experienced and recognized visiting CrossFit gyms all around the world is the welcoming community, knowledgeable coaches, and participants of all levels learning and growing together. I'm able to participate in a class next to someone who may not be as skilled as me, but the coach can modify the workout so everyone is included. We can do the same workout even if the workout includes something that someone in the class can't quite do “yet”. It's so FUN!

 

What do you think are the top 3 benefits of CrossFit?

Community, physical and mental preparedness, and you get a super fun, hard workout in that feels like game playing.

 

How many days do you train and for how long?

It really depends on if I’m prepping for a competition or not. As I get closer to competition, my training volume goes up considerably. I train 6 days a week, 2-3 hours a day depending on the competition. But, when offseason hits, I just train 45-70 minutes for fun 5-6 days a week.

 

The CrossFit community seems pretty tight-knit! What is your favorite thing about being a part of the CrossFit community?

I’ve made so many friends training and competing in CrossFit. The people I team up with for competitions become some of my best friends and people I can really rely on in other places in my life as well.  A lot of the competitions I do are outside of the USA, so I tend to pop into gyms along the way in other countries and stay in contact with new friends all over the world. It gives me an excuse to visit again, too. It's really cool to show up to a competition, for example, in France and see all my friends who live in Europe at the same competition.

 

Any advice for newbies thinking about getting into CrossFit?

Just start, show up, do what you can and don’t feel bad if you have to modify the workouts at first, your workout will be plenty challenging so just go and have fun.

 

How did you get introduced to JOLYN for competing and training?

I was introduced to JOLYN bikinis after having a few bikini fails in competitions. Believe it or not, it's super important that your bikini stays ON while you compete!

When I was invited to participate in Tribal Clash UK 2016 our team coordinated bikinis and we found JOLYN. The weekend was freezing, but at least our suits stayed on. They are the only suits I wear and have competed in since.

 

Do you have a favorite style of JOLYN to train or compete in?

I normally go for the Bali bikini bottoms or the Europe bikini bottoms and the Tomcat top. I like that combo because it will fit every unique female figure on our team and most importantly, stay on! They look great in photos too. Recently I have loved the Finn bikini top, too.

 

 

 Erin pictured above in the Triangle top in our Salazar print. Shop now >>

 

Now, you are also a chef and have worked on some of the DC movies! Which ones did you work on?

I worked on Justice League!! Mostly with Henry Cavill. My husband has worked on numerous productions like 300 Rise Of An Empire, Man Of Steel and Batman vs. Superman

 

What was that like working on the movie set with these actors?

Working on a movie set is really fun. I get to see a lot of the behind the scenes magic being created and everyone's creative minds working. The stress levels are high, the deadlines are extremely tight and my job was to work hand in hand with my husband, Michael Blevins, and keep Henry fueled and recovered for his training sessions. I also managed Henry’s bulk and lean during production to help create his super-fit Superman physique.

 

Any favorite stories you can share with us while working on the movie sets?

I have lots of top-secret stories, but one of my favorites was when I was watching my dog and Henry’s dog, Kal, in Henry’s trailer at the Warner Brothers studio in London, and my dog got out and ran into Ben Affleck’s trailer! Apparently my dog, Lambear, ran around the coffee table in Ben’s trailer a few times before Ben’s assistant escorted Lambear back to me. It caused a few surprise screams followed by some laughs.

 

It was also really cool to take Henry his meals after he was finished training in Zack Snyder’s studio gym because I would get to see the actors working hard to obtain their physique. Often times I would see Jason Mamoa and his kids come in and warm up for their training, and Ray Fisher (The Flash) training. Gal Gadot also gave my daughter a signed Wonder Woman photo while she was filming a scene. Every day was pretty exciting.

 

What sort of things would you cook for the actors?

It really depended on where we were in the filming timeline. If we were really close to a shirtless scene for Henry, meals would look much different from when we first arrived on the set in London with plenty of time to bulk and cut. When we first started on Justice League the meals were more calorically dense to support the new training volume and as we got closer to filming we bumped up the protein and reduced some fat and carbs. Most of the time, regardless of who I’m cooking for I will make sure that the meals don’t seem like “diet food.” If my client likes burgers, we figure out a healthy way to fit it into the plan. My husband and I put a huge emphasis on building strong metabolisms and Henry had the muscle to burn off calories pretty well.

 

What is your favorite go-to snack either pre or post-workout?

I created a really yummy protein snack that was perfect for pre or post-training. Henry loved it, and so did I. It was chocolate protein, low-fat greek yogurt blended with salty peanut butter. It tasted like chocolate pudding. It was the perfect sweet treat to add extra protein into the day.

 

Any easy, but really great-for-you meals you can share with us?

You can't go wrong with a big steak! Henry ate lots of reverse-seared steaks on Justice League topped with Chevré or blue cheese and grilled mushrooms. This was a go-to meal that was extremely satiating. I also made quite a few Quiches with sausage, tomato, cheese, and sautéed veggies. Most of what I made was heavy protein (you can find some of my recipes on my @shutup_eat Instagram page)

  

Erin’s Fav 5 Minute Workout

Here is a fun workout I do when I’m traveling or I don’t have access to a gym, you can easily adjust the time to make it longer if you have more time.

 

5 minutes - as many rounds as possible of:

5 burpees

10 walking lunges each leg

20 situps

 

It kind of hits everything for a great little full-body workout!

To see Erin's favorite styles and more CrossFit JOLYN recommendations, check this out.