Inori lives for street lifting: ‘Sports help me stay in the here and now’
What sets Generation Z apart from other generations? What drives today’s youth, and what keeps them awake at night? No one can tell us better than Gen Z themselves. That's why we are portraying 24 students from Radboud University. In this episode: Inori Serre (25), newly graduated Sports Psychologist, lives for street lifting.
‘Sports is my life, the core of my existence. Late last year, I started street lifting, a bizarre sport. What I do is muscle-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips and bar squats, all with weights. It is an extreme strength sport. I started doing it because I had just graduated as a Sports Psychologist and I wanted to experience for myself what it is like to engage in sports at a high level. I recently started my own practice as a coach for athletes and artists.
Working towards a tournament myself was a special experiment. I was both the athlete and the coach, all at once, not in order to win, but to learn from the process. Psychologically, I found it intense: in your mind, you’re busy preparing 24/7. And, very important, also evaluating and reflecting. But I did it; in June I competed in an international competition, the BeNeLux Open, and my next goal is the European competition.
I come from Paris and I’ve done lots of different sports in my life: swimming, table tennis, pole dancing, and freerunning. I now train in street lifting three times a week at the Sports Centre. Sports helps me to stay in the here and now, set goals, and do what needs to be done. The mental skills you develop in sports come in handy throughout life.
Yes, I have a healthy lifestyle, and I watch my diet. But I also just lived a normal student life. I went out and partied often enough.’