I Competed in American Ninja Warrior – Show Secrets About What Competitors Do to “Warm Up” Might Surprise You

A contestant on hit TV show American Ninja Warrior reveals filming secrets on how to prepare for the challenge of an obstacle course.

american ninja warrior 13- and 14-year-old contestant Zack Eikenstein spoke EXCLUSIVELY to the US Sun about his time on the show.

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Known for challenging obstacle courses and quality courses competitionthe show has inspired athletes around the world and even the facilities where they train.

Eichenstein reveals that American Ninja Warrior is not what many believe.

“A lot of people think it’s like a game show where you can progress randomly and actually win a million dollars.

“But it really takes a lot of training and a lot of work.

“So this place [Ferox Athletics] Existence. “

Eichenstein will build a 40,000-square-foot facility and open its doors in Brooklyn, New York in 2022.

Ferox is The East Coast’s largest professional ninja parkfeaturing many obstacles and elements similar to those seen in the TV show.

behind the scenes story

Most viewers expected the ninja to be stretching and doing push-ups in the warm-up tent, but Eichenstein revealed what’s really going on.

“If you go to a warm-up tent in the middle of a shoot one night, half the people will just be sleeping on blow-up mattresses.

The ninjas “are trying to sleep anyway because it’s 2am,” he said.

Eichenstein said he brought his own blow-up mattress and slept before it was his turn to run the course.

“I wanted to stay awake and watch over all my friends, but at the same time, I knew I would be very tight and stressful all the time.

“You just force yourself to relax,” he said.

Sleep isn’t a bad thing, according to Eichenstein, but it’s a pretty smart tactic on the show.

“Often you’ll see people nervous for about six hours, and then you can see them standing up and shaking,” warned Eichenstein.

“Lunch is around 1:00 a.m.”

When watching a ninja run through a course, most viewers are paying attention to the obstacles, but they may not be paying attention to the pitch black background.

Production for the show doesn’t begin until it’s dark outside.

Eichenstein revealed that the ninja will be on site from 5pm to 5am.

“Lunch is around 1:00 a.m.,” he said.

In Eichenstein’s first year on the show, he was the third person to run the course.

However, in the semi-finals of his second year, he “ran around 5 in the morning, almost when the sun came up.”

“It was cold and we were there for about 12 hours,” he said.

Eichenstein admitted that the most difficult part of running a course is the margin of error.

He revealed that ninjas cannot practice the course in advance and shared details about the unknown obstacle.

“If you think the bar will turn, or it won’t turn, or you think it’s going to be slippery, you’re not ready.”

“You have to trust your muscle memory and be able to focus fully without straining.”

Application inspiration

Eichenstein said he was inspired to apply for the show because it “looks like a lot of fun.”

He tried working out, and admittedly “wasn’t very good” at first – but that didn’t stop him.

“I just got a bug. I had to keep going,” he said.

As such, Eichenstein pursued full-time competition and training, opening Ferox Athletics in the process.

As for the application and audition process, he said it wasn’t as complicated as some might think.

He had to create a three-minute video explaining himself and his training a little bit and send it along with the written application to the producers of the show.

“Get into the Zone”

In regards to preparing to run the show’s course, Eichenstein said, “Everyone has different routines and different things work for everyone.”

He said some people focus on obstacles and think about the techniques they need to employ to be successful.

“Personally, I listen to certain songs over and over again by doing about 45 minutes before a show,” he said.

“I literally go into the zone and transform into a robot.

“If you look at my run, you can see I’m still uttering the words of the song through the first two obstacles.

“Otherwise my nerves will overtake me.

“You just have to zone out,” Eichenstein said.

act of balancing

Eichenstein has opened up more about his time on the show and the specific elements he’s obsessed with.

He shared each year on the show that the third obstacle is usually an element of balance or agility.

During his first season on the show, he fell into an imbalance, which he called “a bit of a slip-up.”

“So the next year all I could think about was that balance impediment,” Eichenstein said.

“When I got through it in the first round, it took a weight off my shoulders and finally made it to the final.”

Eichenstein continues his job as director of Ferox Athletics, but is waiting to see if he’ll be accepted into the next season of American Ninja Warrior.