By Nacogdoches Miller

Winchester Sun intern

A passion for fitness motivates Ryan Scott to help others get healthy.

Scott, a fitness trainer at CrossFit Strode Station, has had a love of sports from a young age.

A passion for staying fit and motivated to help others do the same led him to become a coach so he can help others live their very best lives.

He says it doesn’t matter if you’re already in shape or if you’ve never picked up weights before, with CrossFit, everyone can find what works for them.

“Fitness is so broad you know, there are so many different areas (where) you can achieve,” Scott said.

Scott said he spends more time at the gym than anywhere else; his motivation comes from helping other people change their lives, and to do this, he works with people setting up programs and finding high-intensity workouts that work out for them.

It’s not just people who want to get in shape Scott helps. He also works a lot with junior athletes to help them achieve their goals as well.

“Some of them want to go to the collegiate level, so they trust us to help them get there,” Scott said.

While “Getting in the Zone” to exercising and push himself, Scott stepped away from the barbells to talk with The Winchester Sun.

Winchester Sun: What is CrossFit Exactly?

Ryan Scott: CrossFit is a pretty broad definition. It’s also a brand, but by definition, it’s pretty much constantly-varied fitness.

A lot of people associate it with cardio but, especially here at our gym, we focus a lot on strength and cardio.

CrossFit in general, in my opinion, is probably the fastest way to achieve your fitness goals. If it’s losing weight, if you’re training for a 5K, or if you’re training for a half marathon, you can achieve it.

Within a week or so they (people) are already seeing results. Whether it’s their physical appearance or their confidence.”

WS: It seems like CrossFit isn’t any one thing …

RS: “Right. It all depends on your goals.

Some people like to compete in local CrossFit competitions. So, if that’s their goal, then for me as a coach, it is my responsibility to take that goal and turn it into a reality.

It’s kind of neat just pointing them in that direction. You can’t do it for them, but you can definitely help them achieve it.

It’s more than one thing, but the way we do it and the way a lot of CrossFit gyms do it around the world, are pretty similar.’

WS: Is it just an exercise routine or is there a diet that comes with it?

RS: “We always say the workouts that we do here are only 20 percent of what you have to do to achieve your goal. So, 80 percent is nutrition or what you’re eating.

It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go on a super strict diet for a year. We do six-week challenges here, so we’ll pick a diet and people will sign up for that throughout the gym.

So, say its paleo or a keto, whatever diet we decide on, we set guidelines.

Six-weeks is an appropriate timeline for someone to try and stick to it without cheating and take things from it, learn from it and see what works for them, without having to go a whole year of doing it.

And within those six-weeks people will see their results they are looking for as far as weight or body fat, inches off their waist, whatever. So, from there, it turns more into a lifestyle.

Nutrition plays a big part in it just because CrossFit is a lifestyle and you can’t outrun a bad diet.

WS: What made you want to become a trainer?

RS: I grew up in Winchester, and I’ve always been into fitness since I was about 14 years old.

I grew up as an athlete here. I played basketball, football, baseball. You know, always motivated to keep myself in shape and as well as excel in my expectations, trying to always push myself.

I went military, stayed in shape, worked out pretty regularly, and I ended up coming back. I got out of the military and a year later started CrossFit.

Within a few years after that, this gym opened up, and I ended up becoming a member shortly after they opened. I trained with Josh, the owner, for a long time before I became a coach and kind of saw myself here more than I was anywhere else.

All the members motivated me, just because you see people that are super intimidated by a gym and they were able to take that first step, and come into a CrossFit gym which is super intimidating for most people. Just trying to work out with a large group of people.

I just got motivated, and Josh had a part-time position open. So, I applied for it and then we did somewhat of an internship, and I got my CrossFit level one, and I just stayed with it.

I see myself doing this for as long as I can do it.

Everybody’s motivated to make more money, which is nice, but at the same time, the benefits of seeing hundreds of people change their life are, in my opinion, better than money. It’s kind of why I became a trainer. I kind of always saw myself as one, just because I’ve been doing it for a long time, not necessarily getting paid for it, but I’ve been showing people what to do and how to do it, in fitness.