Ryan Atkins​

Ryan has been involved in athletics and training since childhood. He started playing traditional sports like baseball and basketball until he discovered his passion for martial arts when he was 12 years old. He studied Tae Kwon Do and Karate throughout his teenage years, gaining a black belt in the latter by the time he was 18.

 

During his days at UW-Madison, he would study other arts: Aikido, Kendo, and Ninjitsu, but his passion was reignited when he was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. After graduating, he would later study western boxing and wrestling. In 1997, he competed in his first UFC-style competition and took his division, winning three fights in the same day. Ryan had his last fight in 2001 and maintained a winning record during those years. Knee problems later hindered his efforts to reenter the sport. In 2002, a friend suggested he turn to Olympic Weightlifting to stay in shape. A cursory Internet search on the subject led him to CrossFit and he was soon hooked, both to the workouts and to the web community.

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Ryan’s main goal is to use the tools he has learned to empower the lives of others, whether it be in their daily lives around the house, on the battlefields of foreign lands, in our city streets upholding the law, or in the pursuit of victory in athletic competition. Over the years he has worked with a broad range of clients including world class endurance athletes, national level UFC/MMA fighters, firefighters/fire science students, soldiers, law-enforcement personnel, high school/collegiate athletes, children and grandparents.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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• Current Olympic Lifting competitor, WI State record holder for snatch (M40-44, 105kg)

• 2016 Pan Am Masters 3rd place finisher

• Former MMA fighter with winning record

• Author of fitness-related articles in both CrossFit Kids Magazine and the Performance Menu online magazines (2007-2012)