Rose Wetzel is a woman of many titles and one who wears many hats. Every title owned has taken dedication, persistence, drive, and passion. Mother, competitive runner, Ninja Warrior finalist, Precision Nutrition Coach, life coach, certified personal trainer, and Pro-Spartan obstacle Course runner to name a few.
Wetzel’s accomplishments speak for themselves, finishing in the top 10 in three world championship races in 2022: Spartan, Spartan Trifecta, and OCRWC 3k.
She’s also achieved all of these athletic accomplishments past the age of 40. Wetzel shares how exercise helped her through life’s obstacles and how you can be the best version of yourself no matter the season you’re training in or the goal you’re striving for.
Rose Wetze
The Making of an Athlete
“As the youngest girl in a family of nine kids, I ran everywhere to keep up,” says Wetzel. By middle school, she found herself beating all the boys in footraces at recess, and after a few years playing soccer and basketball, she then focused on track & field in high school; winning a couple of 800m state championships and an athletic scholarship to Georgetown.
After college, Wetzel worked as a personal trainer while training hard to make the U.S. Olympic Trials, only to fall short on her first attempt. Wetzel’s friend suggested she try something new for a fun break—when in turn, opened up her athletic profile more than she originally anticipated.
“My first obstacle course race humbled me to the core, and left me exhausted from head to toe after running amok through the woods, flipping tires, and climbing ropes,” says Wetzel. “I loved it, and I’ve been racing professionally ever since, including four seasons of the challenging and superbly fun hit show, ‘American Ninja Warrior.’”
With all of these accomplishments came a few different types of obstacles. Although unexpected, these hurdles showed Wetzel just how important exercise is when life gets tough.
Roughly seven years ago, Wetzel’s husband, Tim, was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, he is healthy today. But during those more challenging times, Wetzel was able to channel her then stressful and scary situation into her workouts. “The physical and emotional hurdles we faced during that time made me extra grateful for the exercise-induced endorphins I got from my daily workout,” she says.
Following Tim’s cancer diagnosis came another big obstacle, postpartum depression after giving birth. PPD is far from a walk in the park, so Wetzel instead chose to run as a means of coping. “Running provided great therapy, and so did a solid HIIT workouts.” she says, showcasing just how important exercise is not only for the physical body but for mental and emotional health as well.
Rose Wetzel Tips to Improve Your Workout Routine
Wetzel shared her top tips with the Muscle & Fitness readers that have helped her prioritize health and fitness along the way.
Prioritize things differently according to the seasons of the year and of life. You can do it all—just not at the same time. Let some things go temporarily to tackle the thing that is the most important at any given time, especially if it’s a habit or way of spending time that serves as a building block toward other goals.
Hire help for anything you can budget for. That’s one element Wetzel wishes she had done earlier as a little “outsourcing” of time-consuming “chores” can go a long way in achieving long-term goals.
Talk to your kids about your goals. Create a kid-friendly mini workout you can do once a week so kids can feel involved. From a toddler on your back during pushups to an adolescent doing a dance warmup or core workout, this gives kids a chance to feel like they’re helping you with your fitness goal.
Staying in Shape Over 40
“Nutrition and self-care become increasingly important as we age.” Says Wetzel. Not shockingly, recovery and lean muscle maintenance become more challenging, so Wetzel recommends leaning in on protein and veggies, as well as getting adequate water and sleep. “Also, lifting heavy and doing high-intensity training will help build/preserve precious muscle.” She adds. A well-balanced life of exercise, rest, and nutrition is the answer to aging gracefully and healthfully.
Rose Wetzel Go-To Supp
To support her active lifestyle full of training, racing, working, and parenting, Wetzel has been taking MitoQ every morning for four years. “As we all know, cell health declines with age, and fortunately, MitoQ’s scientists invented a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant that can get into cells and reduce cell stress, so our cells can thrive” she explains. And when our cells thrive, so do we. “Taking MitoQ gives me confidence to stand on starting lines with people in their 20s, and hold my own,” she says, placing the importance on a regular exercise routine, clean eating, and the proper supplements…I’m the only 40-something (and only mom) ranked top 10 in the world in my sport!”
Rose Wetze
Rose Wetzel Spartan Training Workout
Although the “American Ninja Warrior” finalist prefers her strength training and cardio separately, this combo workout provides a stellar physical and mental challenge perfect for boosting mental and physical strength.
How to:
After warming up, run one lap/400 meters around a track, and then do an exercise from the list below for 30 seconds before resting for 30 seconds (Repeat for 8-10 laps/exercises.):
A. Burpees
B. Lunges
C. Bear Crawl
D. Jump squats
E. Pushups
F. Speed Skaters
TIP: For a greater challenge, reduce the rest time to 15 second
