Find out more about Staff Sgt. Randall Forsythe who competed on America Ninja Warrior (aired July 6, 2015). [News article]
Q: What motivates you to maintain a healthy lifestyle and why do you think it’s important to live a healthy lifestyle?
The thing that motivates me to maintain a healthy lifestyle is that I want to stay young. No one wants to grow old; so I figure the best way to not grow old is to feel young and the best way to do that is, stay healthy and fit.
It’s important to live a healthy lifestyle because you only get one life. There is no restart, so you only get one chance to do “life” right.
Q: What aspects of your daily life contribute you to maintaining a healthy life style: i.e., what are your eating habits, how often do you work out, see the doctor, sleep, etc.
Eat:
I believe I am able to maintain a healthy lifestyle in a few ways, and I by no means have the best eating habits. I like to eat “American” food just as much as anyone else, but the key to that is to do it in moderation. For instance, if you’re going to eat a Whopper, fine but don’t do it every day and don’t upsize your meals. I still manage to get in my daily servings of fruits and vegetables. I try to drink a healthy smoothie at least once a day.
Workout:
I am always switching my workout routine up. One week I am power lifting, the next week I am going until muscle failure, and occasionally I like to do some “T-25,” “Insanity,” running and of course Ninja Warrior Training (i.e. hanging, balancing, pull-ups, etc.). I guess the biggest thing is that I like to keep my body guessing. I don’t like it to get accustomed to anything. I feel you have to “shock” the body.
Doctor:
I go to my Primary Care Physician annually for checkups and anytime I feel like something is wrong with my body.
Sleep:
I like to get anywhere from 7-8 hours of sleep a night and I never like to take naps because that puts my body in a resting state, and I don’t like my body getting used to shutting down mid-day.
Q: Being a firefighter in the Air Force, are there any specific physical exercises you do to support your skills on the job?
I have to do several things to support my firefighter skills. We have a monthly training plan that has us fine-tuning our skills on all things from running out fire attack lines off a truck, performing search and rescue in a building, putting up 35-foot ladders, and hoisting equipment to tops of building, for example. Our skills require a lot of strength and stamina, so that’s why you will see us doing both strength and cardio training.
Q: What is your weekly workout regimen?
As a firefighter I would work 24 hours on and 24 hours off. During the time that I am on shift I do my daily duties but from 3:30 - 5 p.m you can find me working out, mainly strength and muscle endurance training. Then on my days off, I like to go home at 8 a.m, change and go straight to the gym. Then later on in the day I will be off to “Ninja Warrior” training or cardio training which consists of mostly running. If I don’t get a workout in, my body feels sluggish, and I don’t feel as if I can focus.
Q: Do you participate in any sports such as intermural, competitions, for fun?
It’s not often that I am not involved in some sort of extra-curricular activity. You can ask anyone I know and they will tell you that I am never “not doing something” you can catch me playing football, volleyball, softball, bowling, basketball. If there is a sport there, I am doing it.
Q: How did training for American Ninja Warrior differ from training for other sports?
Training for American Ninja Warrior was very different than training for other sports. When training for sports, I focus on a certain body part I wanted to target. But when training for American Ninja Warrior, you literally trained every part of your body on every obstacle. It’s a full body workout. The first time I did any training, I woke up the next day feeling sore in places where I didn’t even know muscles were. Right now I am working more on hand strength and rock-climbing because although Ninja Warrior works every muscle, it mainly requires upper body strength.
Q: Does your eating regimen differ when you’re training for a specific event?
The only time I really change my eating is for Ninja Warrior because of all the hanging that is required on the course. I try to cut my body fat down to 9 percent or less and my total body weight from 160 to around 145-150. Because every pound that I can lose allows me to be able to hang for a longer time. During these times you will see me cut out fatty foods and sodas.
Q: What are a few of your favorite strength training / body weight exercises?
I love to do upper body stuff because that’s the primary thing needed for Ninja Warrior. You will see me doing a lot of pushups and pull-ups because you can do them anywhere, anytime. Bored? Drop and knockout 50-75 pushups then jump up and grab a door frame or tree branch and do 10-20 pull-ups. Real quick, real simple.
Q: Do you use supplements? Which ones and why?
When I’m not cutting weight, you will see me taking different types of whey proteins as well as creatine. The whey protein allows me to put on a little weight and it’s also great for muscle recovery after a workout. I like the creatine because it’s micronized creatine, which allows it to mix faster--allowing it to get into the bloodstream quicker. I don’t like flavored, sugary creatines.
Q: Do you have any tips for men who do not maintain a healthy lifestyle but are interested in trying and just need a little motivation?
There’s no one who cares more about you than you. It’s never too late to start something: “It’s better late than NEVER.” Don’t put things off another second because a second turns into a minute, a minute into an hour, an hour into a day, a day into a week, a week into a month, a month into a year…you see where I am going with this? Also, just type “motivational” into YouTube, it will get you going.
Q: Do you have a mantra, an event or person who inspired you to become physically fit?
I’m the type of guy who hates to not be the best at something, and not to be rude but how often do you see an unfit person in 1st place in a physical competition. I always say “to be the best, you have to beat the best” so how can I do that without being physically fit and at the top of my game? The answer is simple: I CAN’T!