"My “Y” is my family and my faith." Cameron Monzadeh
What's Your "Y"
Interview with Cameron Monzadeh, Michigan State University Wrestling
Give us a brief background of how your sport journey has evolved?
My wrestling journey started around when I was in 6th grade. When I first started it was some of the toughest workouts and practices I have ever experienced out of all the sports I had played up until that point.
Then at some point, I realized I really loved this sport, I loved the grind and the competition involved in the sport. I worked hard for countless many years and I was blessed to be able to continue my wrestling career at the Division 1 level.
Who has been your main source of motivation over the years?
My biggest motivation source over the years has been my family. Whenever the going got tough my family would continue to push me to chase my dreams and continue to be there with me every step of the way.
Where do you find more motivation: doubters or supporters?
Definitely get more motivation from doubters.
Who doesn’t love proving someone else wrong that doubted you? Supporters definitely have a huge impact on my motivation as well.
What is the biggest mental challenge you've had to face in your sport and how have you conquered that?
I would definitely say the biggest challenge that I have had to overcome was in my senior year of high school. This year was by far the toughest I decided to go down a weight class to have a better chance of winning and placing at elite tournaments.
During the season it was so hard to maintain the school, the weight cuts, and go through the training all at the same time. It really made me question if I wanted to continue to do this and continue doing it at the collegiate level.
I continued to push myself mentally and physically and had an amazing season and all felt worth it in the end.
What do you do to make sure you're physically and mentally prepared for competition?
I try to physically push myself in training so when it is time to compete I am conditioned and can compete at the athlete level.
I also continue to see my trainer daily, and eat the right foods to fuel my body.
Mentally I try to calm myself down before competition so I am not anxious. I try to relax my mind before competition because you don’t want to overthink it just go out there compete and have fun.
Describe your recovery strategies.
On a daily basis, I recover with warm and cold tubs, cupping, and stim. Most importantly though is fueling your body with the right food and supplements.
YOLKED has helped me recover after my grueling training sessions. It has played a key role in my recovery and has my body feeling great for the next training session.
What's Your "Y"? What keeps you going and training as hard as you do?
My “Y” is my family and my faith
My family has always been there in times of need has supported me and provided for me through every step of my life to help me succeed. God has helped me face obstacles and challenges down the path he is taking me. He has a plan for me and with his strength and guidance, I can accomplish anything.
Where do you see yourself as an athlete in 5 years?
I see myself as a very high-level athlete and in 5 years I may or may not still be competing on the wrestling mat. If not I see myself still being involved with the sport and being a very successful businessman.
Favorite motivational quote or song.
“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift." ~Steve Prefontaine
"The elite level of training I go through every day YOLKED product allows me to optimize my recovery and allow me to fuel my body. It helps me with muscle recovery and allows me to build and gain muscle while maintaining such a high and strenuous training schedule."