What does it take to win the title of ‘world’s fittest man’ at the CrossFit Games?
British CrossFit athlete Steven Fawcett could be about to find out.
Steven is already considered Britain’s Fittest Man – an accolade he has won three years running after bossing the CrossFit open in the UK.
But now the 27-year-old has become the first UK man to qualify for the CrossFit Games – the pinnacle of the sport of fitness, which Rich Froning has dominated for the past four years.
He is one of 40 elite CrossFitters to have made the 2015 Games this summer out of hundreds of thousands across the world.
In short, he’s an absolute machine.
JOE wanted to find out how he forged his body to perform at the highest level, how he trains and what it means to become the first Brit to try and smash the dominance of the Americans in the male category.
We went to Steven’s CrossFit JST gym in Wigan, Lancashire, to watch him train…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_lBjBi5IkM&feature=youtu.be
How did it feel to finish as Britain’s Fittest Man by winning the Open here?
Technically I already had the accolade from the year before and the year before that. But to be actually officially named that was pretty cool. Over the past years I thought maybe I wont get to the Games, but to be the highest placed British Man would be pretty cool.
But to win the Open was good. I actually said to Tino [Marini], who trains with us, I want to get on the podium at the Regionals and he said ‘OK let’s do it.’
https://instagram.com/p/3dOGHUKH1Z/?taken-by=steveyf22
How did the European Regionals go for you?
It’s a bit of a blur when you look back. Every workout I had a set plan of what I wanted to hit. I told my coach and for the first, well in fact all of them, I pretty much stuck to the exact plan I planned for.
The first event which was ‘Randy’ – so 75 snatches – was going to be the worst one for me, but I managed to PD by about 15 seconds just from the adrenaline because it was such an intense workout.
That set me up for the whole weekend. I came 11th but I had planned to come like 15th or 20th.
https://instagram.com/p/1qsUGRKH37/?taken-by=steveyf22
What was the toughest workout?
The Chipper hurt. I remember being sat outside for 20 minutes I had a headache. I had completely depeleted myself because I had pushed that hard on the last few minutes on the box jumps to catch up.
That took a lot out of me.
The whole weekend wasn’t too bad. It was a lot less volume than you would be used to in training. But the Chipper was the worst for volume.
https://instagram.com/p/0K7IodKH-m/?taken-by=steveyf22
What came up in the workouts that benefited you?
This year there were a few movements I was really comfortable with. Running was not a problem, overhead squats, box jump overs at the end.
They were three good movements for me, so the fact that they were in there with box jumps at the end I knew I could push the other movements because I could get onto box jumps and make up time.
I was happy with how that long event went because in the past it was always something that knocked me down a bit.
https://instagram.com/p/1eIP04KH8d/?taken-by=steveyf22
What were you feeling that moment when you looked up and saw on the score board you had qualified for the Crossfit Games?
Because I messed up a bit on Event Seven and I missed that last clean, I knew I really had to mess up not to get top five.
At the time you just think of the worst case scenario – you just think you’ve missed it.
But when we looked up at the screen and saw my name and a ‘three’ next to it and a ‘five’ next to Phil [Hesketh] and I just jumped all over him and gave him a big man hug.
https://instagram.com/p/3ikrxzqH2m/?taken-by=steveyf22
What does getting to the Games mean to you?
I don’t think I’ve fully got my head around it yet. I think I will get my head around it when I arrive there. It does seem a bit surreal.
I think it will be when you watch it back and you’re on TV with a five-time games athlete that you’ve watched since you’ve first started that will be a bit strange.
I think at the time you’ve just got to enjoy the atmosphere and just learn as much from it as possible.
https://instagram.com/p/336yicqHzn/?taken-by=steveyf22
How far do you want to go in the sport?
I’m always a bit of a perfectionist. Every year I’ve increased from like 30th to 11th to 7th to 3rd.
So next year I want to improve again, win the Regionals and beat whatever ranking I come this year.
If all goes to plan this year, let’s say I come 20th at the games, next year I want to be top 10. As long as I can just keep improving.”
