How Leveling Up His Health Recreation Made Neen Williams A Higher Skater

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Since Neen Williams started his skating career at the tender age of 13, his body has been through a lot. The first pull he landed was a heel flip, a trick he’s been adored for ever since, but only after hitting the ground more than a few times. Eventually, the falls took their toll and over the course of a decade some of his injuries had to be seriously repaired.

To stay in the game for as long as possible, the pro skater moved south to prioritize health and fitness. Uproxx chatted with Williams about his wellness trip to one of his turf, the Onnit Gym in Austin, Texas. Check the convo below.

When did you start to take training seriously?

I had a few serious injuries while skateboarding, including some tears, until I had to do a full reconstruction. Because of these setbacks, skateboarding was taken from me for a long time. Each time I had to go back and rebuild my body. After these operations, I went to physiotherapy for months.

These workouts were incredibly important because they built strength to keep my knees from buckling or even bending in the wrong direction and causing further damage to my legs. Physiotherapy for these injuries sparked my interest in exercising and how exercising could actually help me prevent these injuries.

How did you start the learning process?

I started small, but the more I started learning about it, the more I focused on it. I think it’s important to start small and learn the basics as it can be very easy to outdo yourself. But learning these basics is key to making sure you are getting it right. There are resources out there, from social media to the internet, and I’ve even posted a lot of information on my own website to help people the way I’ve been helped.

What are your goals when you hit the gym?

Being a skateboarder means being agile and mobile, so I train. I want to be trained like an athlete and I want to have my central nervous system sharp. That speed of reaction is key, especially when trying to land tricks. This reaction can help you get there, and more importantly, if you miss your board, it will help you stay alive when it comes to recovering and making sure you hit the ground right.

I realized that I need to take care of my body in order to do the things I love for as long as possible. I want to get faster on my board too, and it all started for me with speed. I’m not trying to get big to get big I try to stick to what I call “flying weight,” which is between 145 and 165 pounds.

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We had some epic sessions here at Onnit Gym, when did you start training here?

I became aware of Onnit a few years ago and when I did I connected on social media with Eric, who is on Instagram as @ primal.swoledier. I was living in Los Angeles at the time and he was traveling through to host a kettlebell certification class. I was curious about it at the time, so he invited me to take part.

Do you have a device or a lesson from those onnit sessions that you capture?

I really enjoyed the kettlebell flows that I learned from the crew here. I believe the kettlebell is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment in the gym. It works cardio. It works strength. It can work every single muscle in your body. They are also great for on the go.

On the skating side, people say you have one of the best heel flips in the game. Is there anything you are doing at the gym to improve that?

Funny story, the first trick I ever landed was a heel flip. I haven’t been able to do kickflips in my life. So I decided to switch to heel flips instead. As for training, for heel flips you definitely want to open your hips. There are shin box warm-up exercises that are great for achieving this flexibility. And then it’s time to grind that practice. In the end, practice will always be your best friend when it comes to learning a trick and then perfecting it.

Has your diet changed since you started focusing more on health?

Diet was a tremendous learning curve for me. Proper nutrition is a big part of making sure that your body is working properly. I will save a lot of my carb intake during either my workouts or my skating sessions and try to avoid carbs whenever I want. I enjoy drinking a protein shake after a good workout, and fresh fruit is a great treat when you need one.

Are you doing something to recover from a tough session?

I make sure to stretch and lather as much as possible, sometimes three or four times a day. So I’ll definitely try to start every single morning workout. I will hop in an ice bath three times a week just to help with recovery.

Do you have an achievement that emerged from this work that you are really proud of?

I am very proud that through training I was able to come back from these two ACL reconstructions and still jump 14 flights of stairs. This is a huge win for me. As always, I’m in top form.