If you follow the national crossfit news, the name Alexander Anasagasti must sound familiar to you. If you're more into Instagram, you've probably seen the nickname @mr_weak7 or his collection of memes that make us laugh and think, in equal measure.
But if we dedicate an entry to him on the PicSil blog, it is because Anasagasti is the fittest man in Spain and our male individual representative at the 2019 CrossFit Games .
Congratulations on being the fittest man in Spain. How does it feel to have this title?
It sounds strange, I'm not used to it. What I can say with great pride is that my comeback has been spectacular this year in the Open.
Indeed, you are the man of the spectacular comeback in the 2019 Open. From 16th place in 19.1, ninth in 19.2 and 19.3, to winning the last two WODs. What happened?
Last year I didn't know if I could make this year's Open. When I got injured at the Regionals, I said to myself: "Bah, I'm not doing the Open because I want to recover from the injury." After a year recovering, since I looked more or less good, I signed up for the Open.
What happened? The first WOD made me feel sad, so I tried to do my best, and I came in 16th. So I said, "I'm going to focus on others to turn the situation around."
The second WOD was Squat Clean, something I'm not particularly good at either. And it was precisely the movement with which I was injured in the Regionals. Move I haven't done since I was injured.
I have done similar things and worked with similar weights. And, in this case, I had a single bullet and I spent it in the Open. It was a surprise because I didn't think I would make it this far in this WOD.
The next WOD I did more or less well and I moved up in the positions. And the next two had my name.
I have repeated all the WODs twice, except 19.3, which I repeated three times because I needed it since I was in a fairly critical situation and one more repetition could be worth a lot. It was a very muscular workout that did not involve much fatigue. And, in terms of leg resistance, I'm doing well because I can do this type of training several times a day.
We could see on your Instagram account the excitement you had with your partner Asier Sánchez in the Open. Was it a matter of pride to be better than Asier?
That's healthy bite!
We train together and work together in the same box. And it's cool! It had never happened to me to be in the same competition with an opponent.
The good thing about this is that you do a WOD, and when you finish it, you know more or less if you did it well or not. Because when you compete with someone who has the same level as you and you have obtained x repes or he has obtained x repes, it is easier to know if you can really improve it or if you are going to get a good result in this WOD.
In Asier's case, he beat me in the first three. Then, we propose a strategy. And yes, there is a healthy and very cool pique. I would repeat it another year.
Next stop: Madison. How are you preparing for the Games this summer?
Well, here!
What happens is that in Donosti
It's been more than a month since the Open and my training starts now. My injury has been bad since the Open, it has hurt me a lot. I have had a good hip reflex. And I'm now starting to train normally and I'm starting to add things like training outside, to get used to the street; Strongman elements, ... Things I wouldn't normally do. Climb the short rope, lift the Atlas ball. Those little things...
What are your goals?
To have a good time!
The truth is that I'm not going to win. I suppose the cutting method there will be will be to eliminate people every day. So, my goal is to reach the last day, safe and sound. I'm going to do the best I can, like in all competitions. And I'm going to prepare as best I can. But my goal is that, to have a good time. And I will do it!
Last year you made it to the Meridian Regionals in Madrid but had to leave the competition due to an injury. What did you learn from this experience?
Well, it was better than I thought. If I hadn't been injured and had been able to train more decently, I still would have done better. It still would have been in the Top 10. That, for me, is very good.
I think once you've been to Regionals, you know you can get to that level. So all the demands and all the work required to get to the Regionals means that you are already at a level from which it is difficult to go down. If you continue training the same way, of course. You reach a point where you maintain your level of security and confidence.
For example, this year, when I did the Open, it was not so hard for me mentally because I already know what I am capable of doing. So it is easy to repeat this feeling.
Are you planning to participate in one of the official CrossFit competitions?
Yes, but after the Games. My goal is to compete in the Games. I have declined a competition in Barcelona because I don't want to get injured. I have a bad hip. It scared me and I don't want to repeat what happened to me last year. He doesn't want to ruin my dream, I don't want to risk it.
I do go to the CrossFit French Throwdown , as a team. We will try to do what we can. And after the Games, I will try to qualify for the Dubai CrossFit Championship , which I really liked seeing and I would like to do those tests.
What advice can you give us to be the 'Fittest in Spain' next year?
You have to have patience and desire. Things are not achieved overnight. If one day you throw your hands up because you haven't done a workout well or because you're not good enough at something, then you're not going to get very far.
You have to have a good time and you have to understand that everything takes time. You have to set short-term goals. If you know that you are in the Top 50 in the country, then possibly you are not going to be first next year. So your goal for next year is to reach the Top 40 or 30.
The first time I did the Open without expectations. Let's see what happened. The next year, I said, "I finished 15th. Next year, I'm going to finish in the Top 10." And the next year, I said, "Let's see if I can make it to Regionals." The conditions were favorable because the regions changed and, without expecting it, I came first. It has taken me five years to go to Regionals. And six years going to the Games.
The conditions have been favorable because last year I reached the Regionals and my goal was to reach the Games in two or three years. Since I wanted to achieve this, I knew it was going to take some time.
Therefore, my advice is to be patient and set micro-goals. Don't set big short-term goals because, if you don't achieve them, you're going to have a bad time. You have to go little by little.
