Maggie Yeung on How She Stays Motivated to Train Hard, Even After a Big Injury

Maggie Yeung's Instagram bio reads: "It goes, I swear!" 

If that's not a perfect description of her grit and determination, I'm not sure what is. Maggie has a knack for movement, whether it's climbing, handstands, or any other calisthenics challenge. She loves to climb hard, but after spending time to get to know her, you'll quickly learn that she loves the process just as much. Sure, the final send is important, but how can you refine and re-refine what you're doing to make it even better?

We're inspired by Maggie's obsession for climbing and movement, so of course we had to ask her all of the questions and find out more! 

Maggie Yeung
She lives in Orange County, CA
She's a student
You can find her crushing at Sender One SNA
During class, she's most likely daydreaming about Bishop and Red Rocks

Do you remember your first time climbing? Spare no details!

My dad recently sent me a picture of me climbing at some random local fair as a child which I have ABSOLUTELY no recollection of, so no. The first time I actually remember climbing is in 2016 when I went climbing with some family members. I remember struggling to climb v1s and being MINDBLOWN watching the more experienced climbers seemingly float up the wall. My engineering mind was simultaneously extremely frustrated and stimulated by the problem-solving aspect of climbing.

What has your climbing journey been like? What are your goals for this year and beyond?

Whoa, I'm not sure where to even begin. My climbing journey has been tumultuous to say the least. I progressed extremely quickly for the first 9 months of my climbing until I injured my shoulder. I fell head over heels for the sport and had to suddenly quit when I felt like I was just getting started. I had surgery on my shoulder and spent 10 weeks fully immobilized in a sling and several months resting.

When I slowly got back into it again, I couldn't do a single pull up and found myself struggling and shaking up v0-2s. It took almost a full year for me to feel like myself again and learn to trust my shoulder enough to really start pushing hard again. Since then, I've been through the normal ups and downs that people experience and still always consider the mental aspect of climbing to be my biggest weakness.

My goals for this year mostly include regaining some strength and confidence that I've lost in the last few months and to work on my head game! I've always considered myself really bad at projecting, so that's the biggest skill I'm working on to hopefully help me climb at my limit.

Photo credit: @jake.climbs

What does your climbing and training program look like?

I've been through a lot of trial and error with my different training cycles but as of right now, I'm getting back to the basics and focusing on making quantifiable strength gains (such as progressively adding more weight to hangs). I do a lot of limit bouldering and power training. In addition, I do a decent amount of lifting and HIIT every week for general fitness. I've been on a bit of a fitness kick recently, so I want to jump higher, run faster, and be an all-around better athlete.

You are incredibly strong! What would you say is your motivation to train hard?

Thank you! I think it's one of my personality traits to always be high energy and psyched but like with anything else, motivation comes and goes so forming habits and being set in my gym routine keeps me training regularly. Training with other motivated people who make sessions fun can also be motivating. Also, tracking progress in various ways helps me stay psyched since gains come slowly.

What are your favorite ways to warm up and recover before/after a training session?

My warm-up routine is pretty boring. If it's cold, I might do some light cardio but usually, I'll start by spending a few minutes doing some juggy traversing. I like to stretch and handstand while I'm resting or after climbing since I'm already warm. Pastry or ice cream eating is always a must to recover after a good session.

Any fun tips or life mottos you live by?!

Have questions for Maggie? Share them below! You can also find her on Instagram @maggie_yeung1128.