Originally posted Thursday, February 28, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Recently retired power lifter and current trainer Charity Witt is in a great position to win the female portion of "The Titan Games" on NBC hosted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a regular Atlanta denizen courtesy of various films he has shot here.
The Buckhead resident bulldozed her opponent last week to get into the finals on a challenge called the Herculean Pull. She basically had to pull out two 100-lb poles from a central structure, then move on to pull out the golden pole in what is supposed to be a blind tug of war with the other contestant.
But her rival struggled and never even got to the golden pole. So she almost effortlessly pulled the golden pole out herself with no resistance.
Witt will take on the Mount Olympus obstacle course for the $100,000 win tonight.
A professional power lifter for seven years who has set American records, the 25-year-old Witt said the "Titan Games" challenges were more mentally difficult than physically difficult for her. She said the contestants were only allowed to see the challenges before hand. Otherwise, they had to go in cold and figure it out as they go.
“Any other competition, you have a standard eight to 12 weeks to prep,” Witt said in an interview. “You know exactly what you’re getting into. Here, it’s like you show up and it’s all just a surprise.”
While NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” requires speed and gymnastic flexibility to win, “Titan Games” fell more into Witt’s wheelhouse: overall strength.
She said doing so many Strongman-type competitions helped. “I have experience handling awkward objects,” she said. “And with my biochemistry background, I’ve taken quite a bit of physics. That worked out for me.”
For instance, on the Herculean Pull, she knew instinctively to lift the poles on her shoulder to make them easier to pull out. Her opponent did not and lost.
Witt said she had a difficult childhood and that actually helps her in competitive situations. “I can shut down my feelings,” she said. “I can keep pushing myself. I have to keep going. I don’t have another choice. I think I carry that over in competition.”
At age 18, she was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia. Doctors told her she needed to exercise. That’s when she became a power lifter and as a result, she has avoided surgery.
As a child, she said she was bulimic and was terribly unhealthy. By 18, she was drinking a lot and was out of shape. Once the heart issues came into play, Witt committed to her own health and excelled.
Unfortunately, she injured a hamstring during a lifting competition soon after taping “Titan Games” and decided to retire from power lifting. For now, she’s focused on certified personal training, working with current and former athletes. With the $100,000, she would open her own training facility and provide free training to victims of domestic violence in shelters.
Witt, who grew up outside of Toronto, moved to Atlanta a few years ago. She likes it here because so many of her clients are based locally.
She has also enjoyed conversing with the Rock over the months. “We’ve had some really good genuine conversations,” she said. “That was really awesome to me being able to see that side of someone so busy taking the time out to reach out to me and make sure I’m okay.”
TV PREVIEW
“The Titan Games,” 8 p.m. Thursday, February 28, season one finale on NBC
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