Tag: Ryan Crowley
Ryan Crowley Gets Extremely Honest On How Social Media Hate Emotionally Affects Him
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Ryan Crowley gets surprisingly candid about his relationship with social media and online hate.
Ryan Crowley, in part, discovered bodybuilding due to being bullied as a child. It’s a story we’ve heard countless times before in the sport. He sought to become physically strong to avoid being bullied in his future. Now Crowley is a promising bodybuilder (recovering from a major injury) and looking to make a big splash in the industry. Yet somehow he still faces the same kind of bullying he remembers from childhood. This time in the form of hateful online comments. Has his past experiences helped him develop thicker skin? In our latest GI Exclusive, Ryan Crowley opens up about how he interacts with social media online bullying – and how it still emotionally affects him.
Whether you like it or not, social media is here to stay. It’s also a big part of modern bodybuilding. No longer do pro competitors need magazines to display their stunning physiques. They can each amass followings on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. They can directly engage fans. They can share updates whenever they want. There is no longer a gatekeeper between the athlete and the audience.
In many ways this is fantastic. It opens the doors wide open for new kinds of success. But it also brings a very ugly side of the internet front and center into every bodybuilder’s inboxes. Bullying and hate from anonymous users can mount across comments and DMs. There’s a lot of positivity too, which must be acknowledged, but the hate comes through in a way that was otherwise impossible before the web. This is something Ryan Crowley is all too familiar with.
We’ve spoken with others about the vitriol that can come through online commenting. In the case of Chef Rush, for example, it took the form of hate speech. Joey Swoll also revealed to us the death threats he would receive. It can get very dark. Ryan Crowley is a bodybuilder who has experienced bullying far before the internet. As a chubby child, he was often the butt of many jokes. This certainly emotionally affected him. To combat the sadness – he sough to become strong and eventually discovered bodybuilding.
Now an adult, he strangely finds himself, in some ways, back where he started. While he is no longer overweight, he faces hateful comments online due to having a rather large social media following. During our video conversation, Crowley became extremely candid and open about how this affects him. In some ways, he becomes the same young boy that he was being bullied in his past. He admits to reading the hurtful comments and letting them deeply affect his mood.
He tells us this with a smile on his face in the moment. It’s as if he is completely aware how silly it is to let strangers have such a hold over him. But he’s also aware that he can’t help his gut emotional response to these kinds of comments. We’re all human after all. He knows he should simply not read the comments. Just ignore them. But he reads through them anyway.
He also admits that being so easily affected by the comments triggers more comments:
“I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m very sensitive. And they know this. This is why they say this stuff because they know it gets to me. It’s just something I get on with, you know? It gets to me and then I get on with it.”
This is classic bullying. The more the bully knows that they are triggering a response. The more they continue to push harder. Of course, Ryan Crowley is not disabled by these hateful comments. They do not freeze up his life into misery. As he states, he’s able to move on. But he also comes back for more. He pours over his comments, gets upset by certain hateful statements, uses his girlfriend for support, and then tries to shake it off and go one with his day.
There have been many reports in the bigger picture beyond bodybuilding of how social media affects anxiety and happiness. Recent whistleblowers at Facebook even stated that there are mounds of data showcasing the psychological damage it can cause – but they chose to bury those facts and move forward with their policies anyways. It’s a problem bigger than Ryan Crowley or bodybuilding. But it’s refreshing to see a public figure in the sport speak so honestly about it.
You can watch Ryan Crowley discuss his interaction with online hate – as well as his future plans for recovery and his bodybuilding career – in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Ryan Crowley: The Pros and Cons Of Being An Endomorph Bodybuilder
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Ryan Crowley shares his personal experience on successful training techniques as a person who genetically gains weight easily.
A core school of thought when it comes to fitness and bodybuilding is that everyone falls into three body types. An Ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Ectomorphs have a heard time gaining weight with little body fat, mesomorphs have a natural high muscle to fat ratio, and endomorphs have a naturally higher fat to muscle ratio and gain weight easily. Ryan Crowley was bullied as a child for being an overweight kid and to this day falls in the endomorph category. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Ryan Terry shares his experiences and tips on how to keep his fat ratio low while building a successful bodybuilding technique.
In competitive bodybuilding, there are some who struggle with building size and forcing themselves to eat enough food. But some bodybuilders gain weight easily during bulking. Typically, these bodybuilders would fall under the endomorph category of genetic body type. This might seem like a blessing. Building weight and size is the first step towards becoming a competitive bodybuilder. But when a competitor ultimately steps on stage, they also want to be as lean as possible. That can be more challenging to pull off for endomorphs.
Ryan Crowley is one such bodybuilder who falls into that category. He has been open about being an overweight child and being bullied. This was part of the reason why he eventually discovered bodybuilding and started sculpting his physique. This doesn’t mean that his genetic predisposition to gain fat disappears. In fact, Crowley’s fans have often been in disbelief how easily he can maintain his weight at around 300 pounds.
It’s so easy for him to stay heavy, in fact, that his bulks can sometimes go too far in the wrong direction. He describes bulking up to near 320 pounds and feeling unhealthy carrying that much weight on his body. Not only that, but he eventually needs to cut back on the fat, try to maintain as much size as possible, and keep it all as lean muscle. This is much harder for endomorphs who gain fat much more easily.
While cardio is often seen as an enemy for bodybuilders (due to cutting muscle alongside the fat), Ryan Crowley finds himself sometimes doing three hours of cardio to keep himself at a respectable weight – even during bulk. This seems to be Crowley’s biggest takeaway about being an endomorph. Bodybuilders who fall under this category need to embrace cardio in order to stay lean.
At the end of the day, Ryan Crowley keeps on weight at lower calorie levels that would cause others to lose weight. This has led fans to call him a liar about his weight and demand he shows video of stepping on the scale. The plus side is that he can keep weight with eating less food and avoiding more carbs. But the downside is if he doesn’t keep an eye on it and add extensive cardio into his routine – he can fall too far into bulking and make his cutting phase a nightmare in prep for a show.
You can watch Ryan Crowley talk in more detail about the pros and cons of being an endomorph bodybuilder in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Ryan Crowley On His Injury & Larry Wheels: “I’d Be Dead If He Wasn’t There”
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Ryan Crowley props up Larry Wheels’ actions immediately after the viral pec tear injury.
Ryan Crowley’s pec tear was the injury heard around the bodybuilding world. In an attempt to lift a bit higher than usual alongside Larry Wheels for a viral video – the worst happened. Crowley’s pec teared right off. He has since been in and out of the hospital slowly recovering. There are those who have commented that Larry Wheels pushed Crowley too far. But Crowley finds that to be furthers from the truth. In fact, he thinks Wheels being there prevented the injury from being worse. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Ryan Crowley details how Larry Wheels’ actions helped prevent further injury.
Ryan Crowley’s pec tear injury was a major talking point of bodybuilding in 2021. Bodybuilding fans around the world sent well wishes, contributed to a GoFundMe to help pay hospital fees… and couldn’t stop watching the viral video of the moment the injury occurred. Despite the massive setback – Crowley is confident that he will be back in full form by next year and ready to start making a dent in competitive bodybuilding.
The injury itself was due to a social media video involving both Crowley and the massively popular Larry Wheels. Known for his heavy lifts – the video collab was meant to be a motivational video showcasing the two lifting together. Ultimately, things went south under the serious heavy weight. A pop and a snap later – and Ryan Crowley found himself in a world of pain.
There have been some comments online blaming Larry Wheels for the injury. That he pushed Ryan Crowley too far. During our conversation with Crowley – we asked if he had seen those comments and what his thoughts were. Crowley dismissed the comments – claiming they are simply individuals looking for attention (or perhaps bored looking to instigate arguments online).
In fact, Ryan Crowley believes that Larry Wheels was the sole reason he didn’t get injured further. During the lift, when his pec tore – Larry Wheels held the bar completely stable preventing it from falling onto Crowley. If he was not prepared or strong enough to hold up the bar – it would have hit Crowley with a thud – and possible led to more injury.
“I don’t blame him at all. You know, if anything he saved my life,” Ryan Crowley states in our interview. He goes on:
“I’d be dead if he wasn’t there. If Larry Wheels wasn’t there I would have died for sure… I slid under and he held that bar solid still… that bar doesn’t even move for two seconds. He’s got that 220 kilos in one hand. If I was spotting someone, I would be scared by grabbing that bar that I would tear something. I’m just so lucky he was there. Even if I didn’t die, I’d at least have cracked ribs or worse.”
Ryan Crowley goes on to say that Larry Wheels was also kind enough to also promote and share the GoFundMe campaign raising funds for hospital fees. They ended up reaching past their goal – all thanks to the further exposure made possible by Wheels and his massive following.
You can watch Ryan Crowley’s full comments about Larry Wheels in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Ryan Crowley Answers: Can Flex Lewis Match Up To The Size Of Men’s Open?
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Ryan Crowley shares his thoughts on Flex Lewis’ future in the Men’s Open division and going up against mass monsters like Big Ramy.
Flex Lewis announced in 2018 that he was going to retire from Men’s 212 and move into the Men’s Open division. Since then, we have sadly not seen him compete due to unforeseen circumstances. After over a year of training for the transition, he dropped out of the Olympia 2020 due to injury. He then dropped out of the Olympia this year due to focusing on starting his own gym and having another child. Needless to say – fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for his official reveal in Men’s Open when it finally happens. Until then, all we can do is speculate how he will match up to the larger size competitors. In our latest GI Exclusive, bodybuilder Ryan Crowley weighs in on how Flex Wheeler will compare in the Men’s Open division.
Ryan Crowley is an up and coming bodybuilder who made headlines this year due to a gruesome injury that went viral. Crowley tore his pec severely – which threatened his entire bodybuilding future. He is in recovery now and optimistic he will return better than ever – but it will take some time. We connected with Crowley via video chat this month to discuss his injury and also his thoughts on the latest trending topics in the sport.
In today’s segment, we asked Ryan Crowley to name his favorite bodybuilder physiques in the sport. There was no question – he placed Jay Cutler, Dallas McCarver, and Flex Lewis as his favorite bodybuilders. In fact, Flex Lewis specifically provided him much of his inspiration to become a competitive bodybuilder. Much like Crowley, Lewis is a UK bodybuilder – and Lewis’ enormous success in the Men’s 212 league is of create motivation for Crowley to follow in his footsteps.
Upon mentioning his admiration and respect for Flex Lewis, we ask Ryan Crowley for his thoughts on Lewis’ transition to the Men’s Open division. Does Crowley think Lewis can bring the same level of champion status to the Mr. Olympia proper? There’s no doubt that Lewis has one of the most finely crafted physiques in history – but can the size difference put him at a disadvantage.
Ryan Crowley struggles to answer this question. He respects Flex Lewis so much that he doesn’t want to cast negativity over his transition to Men’s Open. That being said, Crowley can’t help but wonder how the size change will effect Lewis’ chances. Even if Flex Lewis brought his best physique of his entire life – could it stand up to the pure mass of Big Ramy?
We make mention that Hadi Choopan made a similar transition from Men’s 212 to Men’s Open. While he hasn’t won the Mr. Olympia yet – he has placed in the top five both years upon competing in Men’s Open. It was a shocking success story – and one that could pave the way for Flex Lewis.
Ryan Crowley agrees – but also states that until we see Flex Lewis next to the other competitors at Mr. Olympia, it’s impossible to really know for sure. There are many factors at play. What will Lewis look like with added pounds on his frame? Will he lose the sharp conditioning that made his Men’s 212 reign so iconic? We can’t know these answers – and the extended delay before seeing Lewis compete only makes the tension stronger.
Ryan Crowley has the highest hopes for Flex Lewis to succeed – but the realist in him worries about the various factors that can be hurdles in Lewis’ first year in a new division. For now – only time will tell.
You can watch Ryan Crowley talk about Flex Lewis’ Men’s Open future in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Ryan Crowley On The Trauma Of His Pec Tear: “The Worst Pain I’ve Ever Felt”
Ryan Crowley reflects on his pec tear injury, his recovery, and how the incident was both physically and mentally traumatizing. In March of 2021, Ryan Crowley went viral due to a video of him suffering a pec tear injury while training with Larry Wheels. Since then he has been on the long road to recovery…
After Terrible Pec Injury, Ryan Crowley Shows Unbreakable Mindset in Recovery
Ryan Crowley has been putting in some serious work.
After suffering a terrible pec tear, Ryan Crowley appears to be making great strides in his recovery. The young bodybuilder is showing a truly unbreakable mindset as he battles his way back to his former glory.
It takes a bulletproof mindset to come back from a major injury and become better than you were before. Major injuries can completely derail an athlete’s career. Knee injuries, shoulder injuries, there are so many that can completely alter an athletes life. But some individuals are capable of taking terrible situations and making the most out of them. In fact, some of them can even excel.
Enter Ryan Crowley.
By now Ryan Crowley has become well known in recent memory for a certain incident. While training with Larry Wheels, Crowley injured his pec in one of the most hard to watch training videos ever. It was a truly terrifying occurrence for the young bodybuilder who hoped to further improve upon his physique.
Many bodybuilders will tell you that after certain severe injuries it can be hard to bounce back. That was also the case for Ryan Crowley. He was doing pretty well with his recovery when he sadly reported that he once again injured his pec. Certainly not the kind of news you want to hear after doing so well with the initial recovery. But it appears that he didn’t let that get him down. Rather than the second injury throwing him off his game, Crowley redoubled his efforts to recover.
Battling Back
It’s clear that Ryan Crowley is a man possessed. He isn’t content to simply sit back and accept his lot in life. Instead Crowley is choosing to defy the odds and come back stronger after his pec injuries.
Now Ryan Crowley has gone from being injured to clawing his way back to his previous glory. The young bodybuilder is hoping to not only improve upon himself, but inspire others while doing it.
ALWAYS WANT MORE ?
Run towards everything and say YES let’s fkn go!!
Ryan Crowley has become a real inspiration to those facing terrible injuries. After almost two months in recovery, Crowley is certainly on the way to getting back to his prior greatness.
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.