Ymran is certainly no stranger to many when it comes to Crossfit competitions! He's the person you know even before the start of the race, you'll most likely be competing for second place! In addition to his life as an athlete, you can also find him as a Coach in Binks Base where he takes people to a higher level with his coaching. Add to that his mega accessible personality and you have a killer combination! We are very happy to welcome him as a Hydr8 athlete!
Can you tell us a little more about your background? Especially sports related.
Ymran: I've actually been exercising all my life. I have been wrestling since I was 4 years old. You should know that this is really the national sport in Russia, the country I am originally from. When I came to Belgium this was not really known here, so I started doing Judo. I have practiced Judo for just over 12 years. When I continued studying at college, I eventually stopped doing this and learned to discover Crossfit little by little. In the meantime I have also evolved more towards weightlifting and this is also the reason why my lifts are quite good. But in the end I was drawn all the way back to Crossfit.
Okay! Very cool how you master different sports disciplines! You currently also provide coaching in Binks Base. How did you end up here?
Ymran: Yeah right! At Binks Base I am one of the three coaches. I really try to make it as pleasant as possible for everyone. Crossfit has different disciplines and of course just because I personally like a certain aspect doesn't mean that everyone else likes it too. As a coach, I really try to give the bigger picture to the people I teach. Within Crossfit it is important that you can do something from every discipline and I really try to convey this.
Are you very concerned with nutrition in your daily life?
Ymran : To be honest, I don't really eat according to the sport. A number of years ago I once followed a strict diet. This was when I competed in the Belgian Weightlifting Championships. Here I wanted to break a Belgian record and then had to drop my weight to the -81KG category. To break this record, I of course followed a structured diet. But now in general I don't really do this.
This was mainly because I was talking to another coach who asked me if I could maintain this diet for the rest of my life. I responded with “actually not.” And then he told me that it would be better to do small things every day instead of struggling to stick to my diet every day for the rest of my life. And this way just works best for me! We have to be honest that making food prep is a bit of a challenge. There are only a few who can really maintain this for the rest of their lives.
Do you ensure that your protein intake is high enough to recover from your training?
Ymran : Yes, this really is! I make sure I eat double my weight in protein every day. I currently weigh 85kg, so I consume 190 grams of protein every day. Towards the evening I also try not to eat a lot of sugar to promote my sleep. These are small things that I do to get the best out of my diet. Now you should know that when friends invite me to a BBQ, I don't necessarily pay attention to what I eat.
In addition to nutrition, are you also working on supplements?
Ymran : Yes, I do take the most important things such as Vitamin D, Omega 3 and of course electrolytes! Of course you can go really far with this and it will cost you a fortune, but I mainly take the basics. Electrolytes are really the most important thing for me!
You are now a Hydr8 Athlete! How do you feel about this and why did you join our story?
Ymran : I was already taking electrolytes and was already into the story and the benefits of electrolytes. But when I saw that you are a Belgian company and that there had already been contact before, I quickly fell in love with Hydr8. I can really say that I fully support Hydr8! It was a no-brainer for me to become a Hydr8 athlete when you asked me the question.
Where do you see Hydr8 in 5 years?
Ymran : Of course a difficult question, but I really hope that you are on the same level here in Europe as an LMNT in America. Because your product is really good and tastes good. For me it really has everything an electrolyte product should have and I am convinced that in 5 years you will really go far as a company! By the way, I really hope that a Lime or Citrus flavor will be released soon! I personally think the current Blueberry flavor and especially the new flavor that is going to be launched are great!
