Who says you can’t be a student, go to work, and compete as a CrossFit athlete at the same time? Well, certainly not Patrick Vellner. He is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic who became the second fittest man in the world while he was still a full-time chiropractic student who worked three times a week.
Patrick Vellner CrossFit
An Introduction to Patrick Vellner
Interested in how he did he did it all? Continue reading and find out more about his life before CrossFit, workout and diet tips, stats and a whole lot more.
Life Before CrossFit
Before he became a CrossFit athlete, Patrick Vellner was a competitive gymnast and lacrosse player. Additionally, he played rugby when he was young. Patrick did gymnastics with his older brother and played lacrosse with his younger brother. After competing nationally for several years, he retired from gymnastics in 2010. He continued to play lacrosse until 2015.
In 2012, Patrick moved to Montreal to study Kinesiology at McGill University. At this point, he was only trying to keep himself fit. He was introduced to CrossFit by some friends at school who worked out at the school gym. He started working out with them as training partners. Patrick eventually enjoyed the fitness regimen and started to learn new skills, particularly weightlifting since he never did it before.
His gymnastics background allowed him to get used to the challenging training in CrossFit. Moreover, the habits he acquired when he was young facilitated his quick development in CrossFit. He already had good abilities and skills before he started in the sport. This answers the question many people have been asking on how he was able to rise quickly in the hierarchy of elite CrossFit athletes.
Patrick Vellner’s Stats
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 195 lbs.
Country: Canada
Born: 1990
Affiliation: CrossFit Nanaimo
Benchmark Stats
Check out Patrick Vellner’s results in some popular CrossFit exercises.
Back Squat: 455 lbs.
Clean and Jerk: 355 lbs.
Snatch: 285 lbs.
Deadlift: 595 lbs.
Fight Gone Bad: 389
Max Pull-ups: 64
Fran: 2:14
Grace: 1:17
Helen: 9:46
400 m sprint: 1:06
5 km run: 18:50
CrossFit Games Results
2015: 20th Team
2016: 3rd
2017: 3rd
2018: 2nd
2019: 16th
One of the fittest men in the world
CrossFit Tips from Patrick Vellner CrossFit
Patrick Vellner achieved something quite amazing on his way to becoming the second fittest man in the world, coming in runner-up to the dominant Mathew Fraser.
He was able to cop his notable numbers in several CrossFit exercises while he was working part-time and a full-time student. You would probably be interested in how he did it. Well, you can check out the following tips from this outstanding CrossFit athlete.
#1: Focus On Your Goals and Abilities
Training in the gym can become an informal competition with other CrossFit athletes since everyone will be comparing their performance with the others. This is particularly true in the weight room where you will be tempted to check out the weights lifted by others.
But this may not be a good way to get into your winning form. You may want to compete with your friends at the gym, but it is still important to focus on what you want to achieve. You should always put in your best effort each time you train. Instead of checking out the performance of others in the gym, you should pay attention to your own abilities and goals.
#2: Avoid Constantly Testing Your PR
Being a chiropractor, Patrick thinks it is not a good thing to always go big. While it may boost your ego each time you surpass your personal record, you may put too much pressure on your body if you max it out too often. A one-rep max will have a lot of impact on your body so he avoids doing it often.
Instead, you should build strength by focusing on lower weights. You will benefit more from doing more sets of three or five weights that are somewhat lower than your max. This will allow you to build strength and eventually reach your max down the road.
#3: Work On Your Deadlift
While Patrick was in the top two finishes in total weight at the games, he did not exactly blow everyone away in all disciplines. He was not on top in the squat and press, but he was amazing at the deadlift. His personal record of 595 lbs. is quite impressive that it made up for the difference in the other exercises. The deadlift is a great way to increase full-body strength. This means your squat and press will increase as your deadlift max increases.
#4: Be Consistent
For Patrick, there is no magic formula in doing something. Due to this, you should be consistent in what you are doing. While it may be a cliché, it’s actually just doing your best every day. It may be challenging on some days, but you should still show up. Once you are at the gym, follow your coach and perform the exercises. After everything’s done, go home.
When he was still studying, he consistently followed a schedule and avoided delays. He wakes up, takes breakfast, and goes to the gym or class. At the end of the day, he packs his bag and goes home. He tried to follow two-hour blocks for the things he needed to do. Two hours of training, two hours of studying, two hours for errands, and another two hours for training before heading home.
#5: Be Patient
Since the journey to the CrossFit Games is long, it is important to be patient. He says there are no shortcuts and doing more may not always be the way to do it. Patrick also says it is important to consistently do small things over time. Aspiring athletes should also stay healthy. If they encounter exercises they are nervous about, they should perform it with a friend instead of shying away from the challenge.
Find out more about this elite male CrossFit athlete
Patrick Vellner’s CrossFit Diet
After becoming the second fittest man in the world in 2018, people may think Patrick Vellner has a special diet that allowed him to achieve the result. While his diet is similar to what any ordinary guy would eat on any given day, he eats more than an average person, especially when he is training.
For Patrick, nutrition is important in allowing him to benefit from his training. Since he is quite busy, he needs to have enough energy to get things done. His meals are mainly protein and carb-heavy meals.
He normally starts his day with two eggs along with a half a cup of egg whites. Then, he would have a cup-and-a-half of oatmeal. He also has black coffee but would have it with milk on some occasions. While he is not a fan of big meals, he tries to eat every three hours. The meals would consist of rice and lean protein.
He does not normally eat vegetables until the evening. While it may sound boring for some, Patrick does not think about it. His meals are his fuel for his training. It has become routine for him and he does not want to focus on it. He would rather focus on other things, like his training.
But, he does have a sweet tooth. He loves chocolate. Patrick also has a bunch of candies in a jar that he eats in the middle of his training session.
Training Day in the Life of Patrick Vellner
Are you wondering what a day in the life of Patrick Vellner looks like? Check out the video below and see what he does on a typical day.
Patrick Vellner’s Instagram
The quick rise of Patrick Vellner in CrossFit has attracted the attention of many enthusiasts. This is evident in his Instagram account where he currently has over 518,000 followers. Check out his Instagram account here:
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Not only is he an avid CrossFitter, but he is also a coach, holding level 1 + 2 CrossFit coaching designations. You will usually find Tony at the local gym where he uses his knowledge of proper nutrition and exercise to help athletes achieve their goals.
