I have had the pleasure of knowing Ryan for quite awhile. We first met back around 2008...while we were both college students (at different academic levels), and the first thing that struck me was how incredibly focused and goal oriented he is.
Fast forward to now, he's launching a new venture which explores the mental side of training, he also explains what drew him to powerlifting and when we can see him onstage as a bodybuilder.
ENJOY!
 |
| Ryan Doris |
So let's start this off by introducing yourself to the peoples! Yes, I said peoples...
You’re a bit of an enigma in powerlifting and bodybuilding, performing at a high level in both.
Can you explain how you got into both?
I originally got into the bodybuilding scene first because that's what is more dominant in the Chicago area. I think I would have gotten into powerlifting first if it had a larger presence in the Chicago area. It is super popular but the area is so large that the bodybuilding scene really dominates a bit more, as with most metropolitan areas. For me it really came down to exposure and random chance.
I don't think that there is really much of a fundamental difference between the two. The only difference is the competition. Everybody bodybuilder with a long off season always works to get a stronger bench, squat, and deadlift.
In that way I think all bodybuilders are powerlifters, they simply don't compete. Powerlifters want to gain muscle and strength all the same.
At the end of the day the specifics of it are about competing. Albeit, the small details and differences between the two are drastic when you inspect it closely. But fundamentally, it's kind of all the same when you look at the big picture. If it weren't similar we wouldn't be In the same category whatsoever.
At the end of the day the specifics of it are about competing. Albeit, the small details and differences between the two are drastic when you inspect it closely. But fundamentally, it's kind of all the same when you look at the big picture. If it weren't similar we wouldn't be In the same category whatsoever.
The rise of raw powerlifting has made it much easier to compete as well. Body builders lift raw and they don't even realize it. I decided to compete in powerlifting because it's what I am doing anyways. May as well specialize for a few years and see what I can pull off.
When you started competing, did you even think you’d turn pro in a natural association?
No, I had no idea. I just wanted to do it and compete. It just so happened that the first I ever heard of bodybuilding was a natural organization. Again, just down to proximity and random chance. The knowledge of the NPC was really a secondary thing for me. So I guess natural bodybuilding is just home for me. I've been in it so long I honestly don't know anything else.
After my first show I realized there was a beauty and art associated with competing at the highest level. And I just fell in love with it. Exhibiting your highest self in physical form.
They just so happen to call it pro in bodybuilding because they have the financial structure. For example, there is no pro powerlifting organization. All of it is amateur. So the real thing for me is just going against the best. Whether they call it pro or not. Pay or don't pay. I just wanna compete and feel that fight between two men trying their absolute best in their finest hour.
What would be your typical workout for bodybuilding in a typical offseason?
All the standard hypertrophy stuff really. Except instead of one big chest day. I would do chest twice a week and bench twice a week well. That way I get in about 1.5x the work volume a week on a body part by spreading it across two days rather than one. Same for the other body parts and compounds. One thing I learned from powerlifting is the power of frequency. It's really an amazing tool and often people are afraid because of overtraining. Or in fact they do overtrain. 'Tis a fine line you have to remain objective with.
 |
| In prep mode |
Let’s shift to powerlifting a little bit. When you first got into the sport, was it a huge culture and training shock to what you were accustomed to before?
No not at all. It felt exactly the same. It felt smaller if anything.
That way the community was more tight knit and friendly. I actually prefer powerlifting in some ways because I feel it is socially more healthy. Less about individuals and politics. It is about the sport, community, and objective numbers. Ironically those things give it an edge to feel like a, "sport" where bodybuilding doesn't.
The difficulty in contest preparation for both is about the same in terms of difficulty. The type of struggle is different but comprehensively both feel not fun. Although the lifting is much more difficult and mentally exhausting in powerlifting, the around the clock hunger and low energy in bodybuilding is equally as bad. I don't prefer either. They are both extremely hard. The suck, sucks.
What memories do you have from your first meet?
Wanting to tell people shut up! It was weird because lots of people at the meet, knew me from online content as well as from bodybuilding. Internally, it was my first meet and I was so nervous. I think people assumed since I am good at bodybuilding that I was good at powerlifting. They didn't realize this is an entirely different sport and I am so lost and confused just like any other novice.
So, in an odd way I didn't get to have the first meet experience where it's just your family and friends supporting you. The expectation to succeed from the public strangely didn't matter. But..it did matter in terms of how it affected me lol. It was a combination of being a "noob" in one world mixed with people wanting to take pictures and ask questions about the parts of my life I have mastered . Really odd contrast.
 |
| In The Hole! |
What attracted you to compete in the USAPL versus other associations?
It has really high standards. Almost impossible at times. I want to compete where the drug testing is the most dependable. Also, where the judging and rules of technicality are most fair. I really succeed off of raw talent but also being able to have technical wins.
You see so many athletes in sports who are talented but don't grasp the actual full idea of a game being played. Sort of why the Harlem Globetrotters aren't in the NBA. Skill isn't just enough. Playing the game is just as important as raw talent.
Part of being successful in USAPL is being good at playing the technical game. Knowing the ins and outs. Being brute strong isn't good enough and I find that pretty fun to be honest. The mental stimulation keeps me interested.
When you went knee deep into powerlifting, did you reach out to anyone to help you craft an approach towards how you should train for it, or was a lot of it your own experience under a bar?
The group I was in was one of the more elite powerlifting groups at the national level. I was so lucky.
Part of the reason I went in so knee deep was because they were in knee deep, so it was easy. I have learned from some of the absolute best when it comes to powerlifting which I am forever grateful for. All of the people I was associated with during my DeNovo Nutrition years are responsible for all I know. Again, proximity and luck. Just got really lucky and all I had to do was listen and try hard to learn.
What is your philosophy to being good at both on a platform and onstage?
Don't take it so personal. I think people struggle with trying to get better and they get so frustrated. They are frustrated bc they are taking it so personal. I focus on just trying hard. Frustration is literally your mind saying this is your chance to prove who you are. Don't take the feeling personal and get mad. Listen to it and it'll tell you where you suck. It speaks in the language of failure, frustration, uncertainty.
Also, I don't romanticize about it. I don't have a vision of myself at a certain ranking or dream. I just want to compete. Whatever I place, I place. I don't even have a trophy display. To me the doing is really what I like and find the most joy in. The process as they call it in football. In my struggles and obstacles I find who I am more and more. And that self love you get from discovering who you are is quite beautiful.
 |
| Ryan at the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival USAPL Meet |
Let’s talk about your current business endeavors. You traveled from Florida, previously launching DeNovo Nutrition, going all the way to the West Coast launching Fortis EQ Training. Why the change and what is Fortis EQ?
I think my time with supplements was just up. I realized that supplements are important to the industry, but my true impact is greater with another skill I have. I am ok with managing a company and growing it from start up. I truly believe I am much better for the community and myself if I make content that helps people mentally.
Fortis EQ is a content project. Fortis is Latin for strong and EQ is shorthand for emotional intelligence. The counterpart of IQ. My aim is to make as much content as possible that helps athletes mentally. A lot of people graze over the topics of athlete mindset but no one dives in. I am simply going full on with it.
It is something I am passionate and most natural at. Psychology and philosophy are in my thoughts everyday of my life on the hour. Supplements can never compete with that. I think the move is just from a matter of confidence in myself. Everyone thinks the thing about them that is most honest isn't the best. I always thought they were random cool sounding thoughts. But something clicked that I realized with some effort and organization this could be a thing to present to the world.
Why launch in Los Angeles versus Florida?
Weather and environment are a huge component of my productivity.
As much as I would love to go back home to Chicago I feel that 6 months of the year are wasted struggling with seasonal depression there. It really does affect me for the worst. So I have a bit of an informal vow with myself, to not return back to the cold as long as I am working long hours I am in my career.
I can technically be anywhere, but I love the beach, sun, mountains, busy city, and fitness culture of LA . All of my favorite things are here. It just works with for me to have strongest base in being my best self. Except it's absurdly pricey.
Let's Talk about your family a bit. Your brother is an Olympian that competed in Rio last year for Guyana. How’d it feel seeing him raise your home country's flag?
 |
| Ryan & his brother Troy in Rio for the 2016 Olympics |
Yea it feels oddly normal. He is very similar to me in regards to what I was saying earlier about just wanting to compete and not caring about the status or awards. After he got done with finals at the Olympics in Rio. The first thing he said to me was, "Man, that was just a normal meet. They just call it the Olympics?"
So yeah, it is pretty awesome. But whatever others may get from it my family simply doesn't. Just feels regular. Maybe ironically that is why we can achieve at high levels. We just don't think much of it and don't let the pressure of it being a "big deal" affect us. Everything is easy when it's not a big deal. Just a regular thing that we are super grateful and happy to be doing.
How instrumental was your mom in all of you guy’s successes?
 |
| Enjoying the beach with Mom |
She is THEE instrument! She is our why...She is our purpose and reason. If my previous answer sounded jaded I think it is because this is where I find my life enjoyment. I am unbelievably ecstatic when I talk about how lucky I am to have my mother.
The bond we have is the the most important thing I have in my life to be totally honest with you. My heart is full to dream and self-actualize because of her. Without that love and support I wouldn't be able to do any of this.
What can people expect from you in the future?
Most definitely me making the switch back to bodybuilding. I missed looking jacked. Honestly no deeper reason just that! I missed looking awesome and that is enough for me to be ready to go back.
I'm going to continue with Fortis EQ. Expand the style of content as well as continue to grow my online coaching business. I have no current goals of grandeur or anything big. I am enjoying this period of self-growth and diving into Fortis. I love where my life is and have no reason to let a future egotistical goal ruin the simplicity of it.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
YES! You for having me, my family for having my back and giving me a healthy life. I'm able to take chances and fail because I have them to support me. So many people don't have that and for them failing once means disaster with no one to help you rebound. Also, everyone who is part of the Fortis EQ team. Anna, Logan, and Jake. I would be nothing but bundle of exciting ideas without them. My most humble thank you to them for them giving me their talent, autonomy, and time.
You can connect with Ryan via social media and the web by visiting.....
No comments:
Post a Comment