With very little experience behind him, but a lot force of will and determination, this 25 year old American boy succeeded in his aim: winning an official race CrossFit. In 2016 he decided to register for his first box and from there his career as an athlete began, but he will tell us this below in the interview he gave us after his splendid result at the Dutch race.
Hi Ryan, first of all thank you to talk to us. I know you were an American football player first, how did you decide to practice CrossFit?
"Hello! I am very honored for this interview. Back then, I was playing football with my brother in college and he graduated two years before me. When he graduated he started doing CrossFit and he was immediately successful, participating in the Regionals the first year he started, as early as 2015. When I stopped playing football I knew I wanted to compete alongside him. "
Of course, and in fact you don't have many experiences on your shoulders, only two Regionals. How did you prepare for the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown?
“I recently had a coach through Brute Strength, (Coach El) and he has helped me make much more progress than I could have dreamed of on my own. I trust him and do what he tells me. This involves working a lot on my weaknesses ”.
During the race, you managed to establish yourself as champion only in the last test. How did you experience it?
“I never understood why people cry when they are happy until I won Lowlands. I was so overwhelmed with joy and relief at the same time. I've never worked so hard for anything in my life. When I finally had some time for myself, about an hour after the final, I cried uncontrollably for about 5 minutes ”.
Great feeling, I guess. But, in the race, what was the WOD in which you suffered the most? And which one did you like the most?
“I was running about 5:20 min to miles (1,6km) and was proud of that time until I realized it was only good for staying in 18th place. I consider myself a good runner, but only when you compete against the best in the world is that you understand where you really are. My favorite WOD was definitely 7, I love rope climbing and lifting heavy loads! Combine both and you have my ideal WOD ”.
Many guys like you are approaching the world of competitions ... What do you recommend to a non-professional athlete who is thinking about competing?
“First of all you must like it. If you don't like it and you don't do it for yourself, you won't last long. Second, you have to love the process of improving yourself day by day. If you focus too much on results and look too far ahead, you can be overwhelmed and feel like you are never where you want to go. Really, you have to focus on improving a little by day and the results will come by themselves ”.
Tell us a little about your training routine ... How many days do you train? Do you follow any diet?
“I train 2 times a day, 5 times a week. One day I take active rest and the other completely off. I don't follow a specific diet, but I count my macros by eating quality food. The main foods I eat are chicken, turkey, sweet potatoes, rice, lots of vegetables, avocados, and protein bars. I obviously eat other things, but those are the main ones ”.
I take this opportunity to congratulate you and to close, could you tell us what your plans are for the future?
“I enjoy competing and I intend to continue competing until it is no longer fun for me. But I feel this is only the beginning! "
For those who want to follow him, his instagram is @ryansowder.