Fitness
Fitness
How Noah Ohlsen prepares for the World Fitness Project
Functional fitness pro Noah Ohlsen has faced the world’s fittest for years. In an exclusive interview he reveals how he trains for the WFP – and the exercise he still dreads, no matter how fit he is.
Noah Ohlsen has been at the top of functional fitness for over a decade, competing against the world’s best across major events. Now the 35‑year‑old American is turning his focus to the World Fitness Project, a new competitive fitness league with a season format that rewards preparation, strategy, and versatility. The WFP season includes multiple tour stops throughout the year and culminates in the World Fitness Finals, scheduled for December 18–21 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
At each tour event, athletes compete in multiple workouts across several days, earning points toward their season ranking. Unlike some competitions that reveal events only minutes before they begin, WFP releases workouts in advance, giving athletes time to prepare and refine their approach.
Why the World Fitness Project format challenges every aspect of fitness
Athletes tackle a mix of movements at the World Fitness Project
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
In an exclusive interview, Ohlsen breaks down how he’s training for WFP – how it differs from other competitions and what athletes new to functional fitness should know before stepping onto the competition floor.
How do you prepare specifically for the World Fitness Project?
Mid‑rep on a bar during training
© Drew Reynolds/Red Bull Content Pool
How does WFP’s early workout release affect your training?
In a lot of other competitions in our space, sometimes we’ll wait weeks, days or even hours before the competition to tell you what the events are going to be. And so you really have no way to specifically prepare to the best of your ability. With the World Fitness Project announcing all of the events, I can practise them two or three times, change my strategy, find the breaks that make sense for me, and show up feeling more prepared than I know.
Warming up at the World Fitness Project event
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Are there exercises you still find challenging or tough, no matter how experienced you are?
I don’t think so. I definitely used to have movements that I would dread if they came up in a workout, either because I wasn’t going to do well in them or I knew it was going to hurt. Now I just feel confident enough with all of the movements that even if it’s not the best one for me, I know how to manage it so that it won’t be too damaging to my score and physically won’t hurt as much. That being said, still thinking about doing an echo bike sprint gives me butterflies in my stomach – that is always tough, no matter how fit you are.
Thinking about doing an echo bike sprint gives me butterflies in my stomach
Digging deep during a World Fitness Project workout
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
There are different divisions in the World Fitness Project, from amateurs to pros. Do you think the World Fitness Project is beginner‑friendly, and why?
I think WFP, having different divisions, allows it to be beginner‑friendly. There is the pro division, but they also have qualifier and community divisions that give you the opportunity to grow through the sport. If you aren’t automatically the best, you have different levels that you can work your way up through over time.
Where should someone start if they want to get into WFP for the first time?
I think just getting into a gym and starting training the variety of movements we do is key. They’re creating an affiliate program that I think would be very helpful. But just watching some of the WFP events, getting inspired by the movements they do, and then going back to the gym and giving your best on some of the workouts the pros are doing is a great way to see where you stack up.
