Deer Lakes grad Brett Horchar named Fittest Man on Earth at CrossFit Games

Competing in the CrossFit Games doesn’t provide a clearly defined path for athletes. Brett Horchar, who competed in the men’s neuromuscular division, knows that Crossfit is always working to involve what fitness means.

Being able to find different ways to work out is a perfect challenge for Horchar, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018. Horchar found a way through working out to be able to stay on the move after losing the ability to walk with his right leg.

For the second straight year, Horchar won the men’s neuromuscular division to earn the title of Fittest Man on Earth.

“There are still parts of my lower body that I don’t really feel,” said Horchar, who is a 26-year-old Wexford resident and Deer Lakes graduate. “I have to focus and concentrate on my movement to make sure my body is doing the proper thing here. My whole posterior chain doesn’t activate properly like it should.”

Horchar grabbed his second straight title by a comfortable margin with 655 points, finishing ahead of fellow American Benjamin Fallon, who finished with 495 in the event that was held in Madison, Wis.

Horchar won the skills chipper and final sprint events, while placing second in the mixed mode madness, parallel Elizabeth and carry Karen events and third in the rinse n’ repeat events. To train for the event, Horchar works out at R.A.W. training in Gibsonia.

Amy Butteri is Horchar’s coach.

When it comes to developing the workouts for the CrossFit games, Butteri said there are a lot of things athletes need to prepare for.

“They need to get used to volume and performing under pressure,” Butteri said. “With Brett specifically because he has the neuromuscular disorder, the climitization needs to happen before he goes to the CrossFit Games. The majority of the workouts were outside and heat impacts his MS.”

Horchar started with CrossFit because he found that he wasn’t enjoying the regular routine of traditional workouts. Originally, Horchar started coming up with his own workouts at home that were made to mimic everyday things in life.

Doing so allowed him to stay engaged with doing fitness. It also helped provide the motivation for Horchar to get back on his feet and relearn how to walk.

“My gait pattern is back to where it was before the diagnosis,” Horchar said. “That’s due to muscle memory. My muscles know what to do, but my body doesn’t feel it.”

This is Horchar’s second straight championship win in this event. He was the only returning competitor from the inaugural field last year.

“Brett was an absolute gift as coach,” Butteri said. “Not only does he know the sport well. He knows how to manage his body so he can keep training. He was 100% committed and 100% determined.”

Horchar’s decision to return was in large part due to the shared community that competed in a division created. It provides him an opportunity to hear the stories of people from all around the world in similar situations to himself.

“A neuromuscular condition is something that happens internally rather than externally with the body,” Horchar said. “Unless you have it, it’s hard to explain what you are going through and how hard it is to make it to that level, but to continue to compete is a blessing to have that community of people there. To have a bunch of guys out there doing the same thing as me, trying to show the world what we’re able to do is a good feeling overall.”