Josh Santhou

Road to Regionals – TWL Athlete Interview Josh Santhou

Josh a 25 year old up and coming star currently trains at PH CrossFit New South Wales. He’s “only” been a crossfitter for 3 years but has already qualified for regionals twice! With support from the likes of The Wod Life, ASN, PH Crossfit and Raw Athlete, we know this guy is going places.

We sat down with Josh and grilled him on getting into regionals this year:

You finished 19th (in Aus), in this year’s Open. Did you prefer the Clean and Jerk of 15.1A or the Handstand Push Ups in 15.4?

Definitely the Clean and Jerk! Heavy workouts for me are what I’m suited to, so I was stoked when it was announced. Handstands have always been something I’ve fatigued on pretty badly and even though I’ve worked super hard to eliminate that weakness it was still the workout I stressed out about most.

Are you a one and done guy, or do you approach workouts multiple times?

Definitely NOT a one and done guy! I think when the competition is as tough as it is these days you’re crazy if you do a workout once and don’t attempt to better it. I did every workout 2-3 times and didn’t regret it at all.

What did you do before starting CrossFit?

I played Rugby League growing up. I’ve discovered from travelling to competitions that most South Australia and Victorian people don’t even know what that is. Haha! But it was doing as many school sports as I could to have more days off then footy on the weekends.

Last year was your first year competing at Regionals, what was it like to get a taste of high-level competition?

I absolutely loved it but it was definitely an experience I learnt from! I discovered some big weaknesses which I needed to address but at the same time it gave me so much passion and focus to better it this year!

How has your preparation been going for Regionals this year?

Straight after regionals last year I got in contact with Rob at RAW STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING. I figured after regionals I needed an outsider to program for me that would cover EVERYTHING.

You find programming for yourself you do things you like and avoid some movements and that’s how weaknesses come up. Going into this year’s open I felt as though nothing that could come up could damage me too much and I’d be able to post a decent score for every workout. I couldn’t have done that without RAW.

How does it feel to qualify for your second Regionals experience, compared to the first?

Definitely feels sweeter this year! Qualifying this year proved to me it wasn’t a fluke and being top 30 it was so much more competitive. I worked my arse off this year so it felt good when it payed off.

Do you prefer to train alone or have training partners?

I HATE training alone. Anyone who knows me knows I recruit as many people as I possibly can for my sessions! Getting results is all about your intensity and the more people I’m training with the better the atmosphere and the higher the intensity.

You recently opened a new affiliate. Tell us some information about it, what is it called, when did you open it and where is it located?

I’ve just Opened Powerhouse Fitness Charmhaven. It’s located on the central coast of NSW about 1hr north of Sydney. Powerhouse has been where I’ve trained since I started CrossFit and we just opened another affiliate in a different area. I couldn’t ask for a better crew of people to coach and throw down with! No matter what the workout, I always have someone pushing me to go harder and when it comes to crunch time for me they are always there for support. Look out for a sea of blue at regionals 😉

What is your favourite aspect of being a CrossFit coach?

Seeing people achieve their goals! I’ve been in the fitness industry for 8 years now so I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. Knowing from my own experience how much focus, determination and drive a person needs to achieve big goals its always so inspiring seeing them finally get there. As I say to my clients it’s not going to be easy but it will definitely be worth it.

How much sleep do you get at night?

My favourite question! I LOVE sleep. Some would say too much. Ideally I get 8hrs at night and two in the day. Sometimes I miss my midday naps but I try my hardest to get them in everyday! Worse than a baby!

AMRAP Quick stats:

Age: 25

Fran: 2.11

Back squat: 200kg

If there was a WOD named after you, what would be in it? Heavy barbells and muscle ups

Affiliate: PH CROSSFIT

Coach: RAW STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

To read more about Josh, read The Wod Life’s athlete profile here.

Photo Credit: David Ross Photography