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 About Ryan Wells
Official Site:
http://ryanwells.com
I am a 32 year old residing in Michigan. I love the challenge (and reward) of lifting weights and heavy objects. Although my numbers may be anything other than world class, I am working hard on changing that.
My love for weights has been intermittent in the past. This is partly to do with obtaining bad information and advice, as well as a few injuries. I grew up around iron in my Dad's basement "dungeon gym." I remember learning the different equipment and exercises. However, the bug didn't hit me hard until I joined the U.S. Army and was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC in 1998. It was there where I really hit it hard and consistent.
Following the Masses
In addition to doing the Army's daily required 4,6, and 8 mile runs, as well as countless ab work, push-ups, and pull-ups, I would hit the gym in the evening 4 times a week. This is before I knew about abbreviated training concepts and the disappointments that come along with over training.
I was using a combination of routines that I learned from reading pump magazines, such as Muscle and Fitness (read: Muscle and Fiction). They leave out the part about most of those routines being pre-contest body building routines that aren't intended to be used year round and that most of the people surviving those routines are doing so with the help of some (or combination of) anabolic enhancers (read: steroids).
I would blitz, blast, and pump every body part with a barrage of different exercises. Yes, I was getting bigger; yes, I was getting cut; however, I wasn't getting the strength that I desired. Besides, strength is the whole point to lifting, right? Well, it took me a while to learn that strength takes a back seat to appearance in the commercialized world of fitness. If I couldn't get the information that I needed from magazines or from talking to guys in the gym, then where could I find it?
On a Path to Nowhere
It wasn't long before I hit the over training wall. No, it wasn't all of a sudden. There were a series of little signs that I was not in tune enough to pay attention to. For example, mild tendonitis in my right forearm, increasingly frequent head colds or feeling "run down," and finally a shoulder injury that took almost a year to completely heal.
This is when I started to do some digging for information on power lifting, Olympic lifting, and strongmen. I figured, these guys are strong as hell and many of them train naturally (without steroids). They also don't care about having a six-pack or tanning beds. Yes! This is what I knew in my heart that weight lifting was all about.
It was around this time when I stumbled on a book that really did it for me. It was called Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik. I recommend this to anyone that is into fitness and weight lifting. I have read many things since, but I feel that this book has left the strongest impression on me. Since then, I have learned a lot about training smart, training heavy, and training low volume with intensity.
What Now?
Today, I am stronger than I ever have been. One goal of mine is to compete in a few amateur strongman competitions over the next couple of years. Strongman is a dynamic sport that not only requires absolute strength, but it requires speed and endurance. It is about taking bulky shaped objects that an average person couldn't pick up off the ground and moving it a certain distance for time. I'm not claiming that I will win anything, but I'm giving it a one-hundred percent effort.
Ryan Wells' Pics
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