Alexander Anasagasti - Meeting MRWK

A kickboxer at CrossFit

If you practice CrossFit, it's rare that you don't know Alexander Anasagasti. Not only because of his sporting side, but also because of his great activity on social networks.

Discover her limited clothing brand MRWK at bileven.com

Anasagasti Biography

How old is Alexander Anasagasti? October 16, 1991

How tall is Alexander Anasagasti - Mr Weak? : 1'74cm

Weight: 74 Kg

Residence: Basque Country

Box: CrossFit Zurriola - CrossFit Zarautz

Instagram: mr_weak7

Alexander Anasagasti is MrWeak. In addition, he is the only Spanish athlete who has competed in the individual division of the CrossFit Games. But you only need to see his current position as 112 in the world and 35 in Europe and know that his deadlift is 220 kg while weighing 75 kg, to understand that this alias is, above all, a provocation: “it comes from when I was living in the United States. I went with the goal of improving and I realized that my marks were always the lowest. So I gave myself the name because it was funny to me and also to motivate myself.”

After many years of kickboxing and boxing, this athlete decided to start CrossFit training because he wanted to stay strong and was “bored of lifting weights.” It seems that the decision was correct, because it has become one of the absolute references of this sport in Spain. They attended the 2022 CrossFit Games in teams, in Madison, Wisconsin in the United States, and we are going to learn about their training, nutrition, sports and life in general.

It seems that not even an injury can make you stop...

I have had several injuries and, in the end, you develop self-improvement skills. Even if I am injured I never stop training. What you have to do is know how to adapt and do exercises that do not cause pain. But at CrossFit we do such a variety of exercises that it's easy to adapt a workout. If a soccer player injures his knee, he cannot play. If a CrossFitter injures their hip or shoulder, they can continue doing CrossFit. That is the advantage we have.

Do you train with pain?

Something always hurts me. I'm a little weak.

Are you one of those who prefers to train sore or do you prefer to rest so that the training is more effective?

When you train a lot the body hurts, so you have to get used to this unfortunately. If it is an injury, better to stop.

If you only had an hour a day to train, what would you do?

The class of the day.

How have you felt participating as a team as opposed to when you have done it alone?

The good thing about competing individually is that you yourself are in charge of managing training, breaks and your own emotional state. When competing as a team you have to fit in with the other athletes and this adds difficulty. But depending on the type of competition, participating as a team can take more pressure off of you and you can also enjoy the event with people. That's cool!

Aside from training, how do you prepare from a nutritional and rest point of view?

I have the help of a nutritionist for my diet and I try to sleep 8 hours a day, not always successfully. I don't follow a strict diet, I try to eat well and healthily frequently. Although between healthy food and healthy food, a chocolate Neapolitan is great.

What would a typical week of training be like to prepare for a CrossFit competition?

We spend many hours in the gym. In CrossFit you never know what you are going to find in a competition until the day itself. So we have to have many things prepared. We can spend 8 hours a day in the gym. Not always training, sometimes warming up or doing strength work.

We also spend time discussing the type of strategy we are going to carry out in the test. I usually arrive at the gym at 9 in the morning and do a short session, have breakfast, do another session, eat, rest a little and finish with a last long session in the afternoon. But this is not only to prepare for a competition, but it is my daily life practically throughout the season.

And rest times, how do you manage them?

I train 6 days a week. On Thursdays I have active rest and do some type of gentler exercise. Sunday is the day of total rest. I spend the day doing nothing and recovering. I take advantage and eat whatever I want! Pizza, ice cream, cereal with milk…

How did you start in the world of Crossfit?

I had done kickboxing for 9 years and also had some boxing fights. I wanted to do something that would keep me fit and strong while I was training kickboxing and was bored of lifting weights. I started doing CrossFit on my own and then joined a gym. I saw that I was good at it and little by little I left kickboxing. I think that if you are going to do something halfway it is better not to do it, so after winning the first two competitions I entered, I decided to dedicate myself professionally to CrossFit.

Are there some exercises that you like more than others?

I am very good at the ones that have to do with body weight skills. Whether hanging from the bar, doing handstands, burpees... I am very good at all these types of exercises.

What is so engaging about this sport?

People get hooked on CrossFit for two reasons: it's a lot of fun and it's a quick way to get in shape. In addition, there is a very good atmosphere and friends are made. A special connection is generated that makes people really like it. It is a very young sport, so much so that many people believe that it is a fad that will pass, but it will continue to grow.

And, finally, what are your next professional goals?

I am going to continue my path as an individual. If the possibility arises of doing something as a team I will consider it, as long as it is an 'enjoyable' competition. Now my priority is to recover from my injuries and continue training just as hard. If I can qualify for the next CrossFit Games, welcome. If not, then nothing, keep training and let this take me wherever it takes me. But, above all, evolve in all aspects of life.