ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP

'American Ninja Warrior' TV show features local competitor

Show will air Monday on NBC

Gene Myers
NorthJersey
Eric Totten practices on the ninja obstacle course he created in his Rockaway Township backyard.

ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP — Eric Totten said his life had no purpose or direction. That all changed when he was cast in the NBC TV show “American Ninja Warrior.”

The 36-year-old Rockaway Township resident said he was coasting along uninspired working at McDonald’s and the Rockaway Diner. 

“Nothing kept me interested,” he said. 

Overweight and "lumbering" through his days, Totten said he decided to give the warrior competition a try since it was one of the things that made him happy. 

Eric Totten practices on the ninja obstacle course he created in his Rockaway Township backyard.

“I decided to do it because the show made me happy. It was something I always wanted to try,” Totten said. 

Anyone who tunes in Monday to watch him compete will see a new, changed and driven man. He said his life turned around after he submitted his video to American Ninja Warrior.    

He built the iconic obstacle course as seen on TV in his backyard. Once he began to use it the pounds started “falling off.” 

Eric Totten competes in the tenth season of NBC's American Ninja Warrior.

The 300-pound man, who used to spend $40 on fast food for one meal lost 80 pounds. He said people stopped and took photos of him working out on the course from the street.

The course included the Salmon Ladder, two Warp Walls, Floating Steps and more. 

“I just kept going and going and then I met people from the show and that community made me push even harder,” Totten said. “Practicing for Ninja has changed my life.”

He has lost weight and gained wealth.

Totten started a business with Lucio Battista also known as “Mustache Ninja,” from last season's show.  Totten said he realized contestants don’t have much training equipment at their disposal when they are on the road. 

Battista and Totten, who met at a local competition, now make training equipment under the business Monstro Holds. Battista said the business has had “amazing” success. 

Battista said he was so impressed with Totten's success. He said he'll be cheering him on when Totten's Philadelphia qualifier airs Monday. He said the the show is set up to encourage ninjas to be more encouraging than competitive with each other.  

“We are all friends with each other. We compete but at the same time it’s us versus the course. It’s not like a traditional sport where you are competing against another team,” Lucio said.   

Totten said he practices every day and does “heavy training” two to three times a week. Heavy training for him means going from obstacle to obstacle and back again.

Obstacles and transitions that require him to hang with one arm are the hardest for Totten because he said his arms are not yet as strong as he wants them to be.

“The cliff hanging is definitely one of the hardest obstacles for most people. You pretty much just have one inch of grip on a ledge,” said Totten. 

Battista said he has faith in Totten.   

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“I have never seen somebody who has grown so fast in the sport,” Battista said. “Regardless of how much weight he lost, he is still a big guy. He is 6-foot-4. To do fingertip exercises where you are hanging your whole body on just your fingertips on a 1-inch rail with his frame size, that is massively impressive."

Email: myers@northjersey.com