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American Ninja Warrior


Evan Raftopoulos

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Thought to start a thread on ANW since some people here either competed on the show, planning on competing, or they enjoy following it. I think it's very relevant to grip strength as the majority of the obstacles require that. I competed in season 7 as a walk on but didn't make it very far. I'm planning on trying again next year. I have to say that finding this forum and Grip Sport has helped me dramatically the past few months. I can move through all the upper body obstacles with greater ease (I train at Apex Movement Norcal in the Bay Area). I'm hoping that this thread will also motivate others here to compete on the show.

For those who are not familiar with the competition/show:

There are about 6 regions or so throughout the US. For each region about 100 athletes are invited and there are many other walk ons (can be up to 60 or so). Usually only about 10-25 walk ons are able to try the course and this number depends on different factors. I had to wait 7 days in line and once they let us in the warmup area from 4pm to about 5:15 am for my turn (I was number 21 walk on, originally no 28 but some people gave up waiting and I moved up).

The first night is the qualifiers. Everyone who completes the first 6 obstacles moves to the finals. There is no time limit but you can't take forever of course. If less than 30 people make it those who went the furthest the fastest move on. The top 30 move on to the regional finals and the top 15 move on to the National finals in Las Vegas. Also no time limit for the finals. So about 100 athletes compete in Vegas where there are 4 stages. There is a time limit for stage 1 and 2, no time limit for stage 3 which is all pretty much grip strength obstacles, and time limit for stage 4 (rope climb). Until season 6 no American has ever finished all four stages. They are airing season 7 now.

This is the regional finals run of Nicholas Coolridge, the only athlete who finished it. I competed with him in Venice and also in other friendly comps. Nice guy and I'm happy for him.

Edited by Evan Raftopoulos
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For those who are not US residents there are similar shows/competitions across the globe, all inspired by the Japanese original version Sasuke.

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We have ninja warrior UK :D our very own daniel strauss(raspberryape) who has certified on the red nail was on this years! Thinking of signing up for the 2016 series depending on how close it is.

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We have ninja warrior UK :D our very own daniel strauss(raspberryape) who has certified on the red nail was on this years! Thinking of signing up for the 2016 series depending on how close it is.

I saw that, do it Josh!!!!!

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I love this show, they actually did a season in Sweden also last summer for the first time, I thought it was the first in Europe, or was UK before?

Very entertaining to watch, much better than the majority of sports on TV.

I'd love to compete in it, unfortunately I'm too heavy and I have no desire to lose weight :D

Edited by Fist of Fury
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Staying in line for 7 days would be more impressive than completing the trials lol. No thanks.

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Coolridge is the guy that dines on dumpsters. Very likable guy.

I just recently started planting my butt on the recliner with a beer for this show. The grip component is cool. Watching otherwise athletic people lose their grip on "COC #1 level stuff" is not cool.

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Ha! Sweet. This show is actually what got me into grip. My size was one thing that probably would have held me back. At 6'4" and 255, no way I'd make it through stage 3. I did drop down to 195 for a bit in an effort to get more bang for my buck...but I still couldn't train hard enough to make the necessary gains to be competitive. Kind of a bummer that my heart won't take the cardio aspect, but I still live vicariously though others. Pound for pound Sasuke competitors (the real ones...not the ones for show) are some of the best athletes in the world.

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Does anyone know if there's someone who can do pinched pull ups? I'd love to see that, hanging in two pinch blocks or just in a door opening. I wonder what the limits are in terms of body weight to be able to do that.

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Does anyone know if there's someone who can do pinched pull ups? I'd love to see that, hanging in two pinch blocks or just in a door opening. I wonder what the limits are in terms of body weight to be able to do that.

I know Michael Hann (Ivarboneless) can . He competed in anw about two years ago and he is actually the guy who inspired me to join here and get into grip training. Check out his ninja warrior submission vid on youtube. He is doing with ease rafter L sits, pullups and other grip feats.

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Gabriel Sum used to do weighted pinch pullups. He weighed 200ish at the time, IIRC?

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I think I saw Adam do pinch pull ups with a 32kg kettlebell attached to him. I've heard he is gonna try for ANW at some point, but who knows.

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I've heard that even being able to crush potatoes with your bare hands is not enough to crush (or mildly impress) the ANW course.

I do enjoy watching the challenges that are more gripcentric.

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here's Brian Arnold doing some gripcentric obstacles from stage three of last years US/Europe/Japan team challenge

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Me, Matt Cannon, Michael Hang, Kody Burns can do rafters. Many more people too.

I think I saw Adam do pinch pull ups with a 32kg kettlebell attached to him. I've heard he is gonna try for ANW at some point, but who knows.

man those are tough, I can do them assisted/modified only, waiting to get a pinch block to start training my pinch grip more seriously.

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Staying in line for 7 days would be more impressive than completing the trials lol. No thanks.

yes, that and also having to stay up all night, a course that gets more and more slippery, and the stress of the competition/show make the conditions brutal and which is hard to appreciate on tv. Imagine staying up all night and then try to close grippers, your strength/energy is not optimal.But that is part of the challenge. If you make a really good submission video though ( showing more personality vs skill if you ask me) then at least you have good chances of being invited and not having to wait in line for so long.

Edited by Evan Raftopoulos
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I love ANW. This is the one show my whole family (son 7, daughter 5) sits down and watches together. They love it! I am fortunate to live fairly close to Iron Sports gym, a ninja training facility owned by Sam Sann. I take my kids there to play and workout. I’ll set up mini obstacle courses for them with all kinds of cool stuff. They have a kids warped wall that’s only 10ft high which is cool. It’s really like Disneyland for me when I walk in. It has just about every thing you can imagine.

From me grip endurance is the key with this stuff. It’s a totally different experience working from obstacle to obstacle over 4-5 continuos minutes then pulling or closing sets at low reps. It’s great to have a base of strength but specificity is king. You’ll need grip endurance to get through a course. That’s why rock climbers excel at this stuff and also light guys with great strength to weight ratios.

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I want to post more in this thread, but only have time to drop this right now because it's a cool video. Tommy Heslep (Gripper42004) posted an audition video in 2011 that is fun to watch. I'm not sure if he ever made it on the show.

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I want to post more in this thread, but only have time to drop this right now because it's a cool video. Tommy Heslep (Gripper42004) posted an audition video in 2011 that is fun to watch. I'm not sure if he ever made it on the show.

yes he made the show, I saw him on tv at that time when I was at the shore in NJ. He gave it a good run, they even gave background info on him like being a #4 closer and other things that I don't remember.

Also they just filmed an episode at Carrie furnace in Braddock PA which is the steel mill my father worked at back when I was a kid before US Steel shut down.

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I was reading last night about the ways to get on the show. It seems next to impossible. I'd have to quit my job(s) before the waiting in line option was viable. And I think you have a better chance at winning Powerball than getting picked by your video submission. I looked for a local ninja gym (minneapolis) and only found one place that essentially has a warped wall, salmon ladder, and a peg board. Would be fun, but it's not like you could train for the show there. And now that guys are quitting their jobs and training for the show full time, year round (wolfpack, etc) the show seems a little out of reach.

Is there like a "junior league" for the ninja community where it's fun to challenge yourself and compete, but you're not really trying to get on the show?

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