Stronger, Faster, Smarter: A Guide to Your Most Powerful Body - Softcover

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Ryan Ferguson spent the last ten years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Now at age twenty-nine, Ferguson advocates for wrongly accused people and shares the fitness program that kept him alive and healthy. He has recently appeared on Dateline, Nightline, CBS This Morning, Today, and 48 Hours.

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A Note of Gratitude

Many thanks are in order, for without the love, encouragement, support, and help I’ve received along the way, this book, my very first attempt at writing one, would almost certainly not exist.

I would like to first thank the two incredible individuals who played the central role of taking my crazy idea of a book from words handwritten on notebook paper in prison to something that felt real, professional, and, most important, presentable. If Myka Cain and James Dunn, a.k.a. Young Dizzle, hadn’t believed in my drive and vision, this exercise in creativity would likely have been nothing more than a short-lived moment in time. Worse, I’d probably still be staring at notebooks full of chicken scratch and useful information with no clue of how to transfer it onto one of those things I hadn’t seen in a decade . . . a computer! You two helped bring this to life with a lot of hard work, while not once asking for or expecting anything of me. Even more than for getting this book off the ground, I would like to thank both of you for showing me what true friendship is all about. As far as I am concerned, we are, and always will be, a team. I can’t wait for the day you get out of there, James, so we can work, and work out, together once again. As you know, I’d acknowledge more of your editorial skills here, but I don’t want the pettiness of prison to hamper your current existence.

Myka, my beautiful love, what can I even begin to say about you? So many times you have saved me on this book. The hours you’ve put in . . . you are an incredible woman! I don’t know how you do it, but this should be your primary job. Editing, communications, design, technical skills, social media expert, you’ve got it all. And that’s not even talking about your radiant personality and charming smile! I am one lucky man to have you in my life!

I’d also like to thank the individuals who helped on other aspects of this book, primarily reading it over for ways to improve it, as well as those who fought for my freedom and took the time to review the evidence, thus not only believing in my innocence but knowing of it. The reason for thanking both at once is because, more often than not, these people were one and the same. Richard Drew, your name pops up first in my mind, since you have been and continue to be a huge part of my life. I’m very lucky to have a friend who looks out for me as you have. Much love, man!

Ben Hamrah, Ashley Hennerich, Affton Hennerich, Mike Rognlien, Andrew Jenks, Anthony Galloway, Dylan Ratigan, Erin Moriarti, Gale Zimmerman, Jason Flom, and Chip Rosenbloom also come to mind here. I’m grateful for so many aspects of what you’ve done for me and this book. Whether you know it or not, you’ve all contributed a great deal to my success in not only various aspects of this book but also, and more important, my success in finding the freedom that had been unjustly taken from me.

Speaking of the fight for freedom, I must say a huge “thank-you” to the brilliant Doug Johnson and my “lifetime attorney,” friend, adviser, and mentor, Kathleen Zellner. If not for their drive, passion, belief, and superior skill in the field of law, my family, my supporters, and I would likely still be fighting for justice.

Supporters! Yes, I have a special place in my heart for all of the beautiful people out there who have supported my family and me. It is you who showed me that even though there is much evil in the world, particularly from those in positions of authority, there is also an overwhelming abundance of kindness, generosity, and love. Just when I was about to give up on humanity, it is you who bonded together, bringing me the gift of peace and happiness that comes with knowing you’re part of something much larger: a worldwide family!

Which brings me to the last and ultimately most important people in this book, in the fight I’ve endured, and in my life in general: family. Bill Ferguson, Leslie Ferguson, Kelly Ferguson, Don and Kappy Frazier, Alberta Ferguson, Bob and Steve Frazier, the balance of the Fraziers, and the Norrises, as well as the rest of my extended family. Thank you so much to all of you for showing me what family is all about. I could not have made it through this past decade without you. This book wouldn’t be a reality or have even been a dream of mine if you hadn’t chosen to sacrifice, suffer, and endure the pain of the reality that held me hostage. You had the option not to care and I will never forget, or take that for granted. You are everything and I love you so much!

Especially Bill, Leslie, and Kelly Ferguson. No one in this world could have anticipated the brilliance of one family. Both in their fight and their love. I’ve said it a million times, but what’s once more? I would be nothing without you. My life begins and ends with you three. Always. I love you.

Thank you.

—Ryan W. Ferguson

Preface

God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how.

—HENRY WARD BEECHER

My Life Behind Bars

Hello, my name is Ryan Ferguson. Thank you for picking up my book. This is the story of a young man who came of age within the confines of a maximum-security prison. What makes this story unique is that this man was locked up for a crime he did not commit. In total, he lost nearly 10 years of his life. Friends turned their backs on him. The world called him a murderer and a liar. The experience could have broken him. Yet he chose to fight back and persevere. That man is me, and my story began on March 10, 2004. That was the date I was arrested for murder.

Over the last decade I have experienced more setbacks and defeats than most people experience in a whole lifetime. I have seen the inner workings of the U.S. justice system at its very worst and how the truth comes second to securing a conviction. I never gave up, though. I fought endlessly to prove my innocence, and now I continue to fight for others.

Once convicted, I was faced with two options: fight or flight. I was a terrified 19-year-old kid who had never been in trouble with the law and who suddenly found himself locked up in county jail and later in a maximum-security prison. It didn’t seem possible. After the initial panic attacks subsided and I faced the grim reality of a possible life sentence staring down at me, the only thing I knew how to do was fight. Fight for my future; fight for my life; fight for my mind, my body; and, most important, my innocence. I knew I had to find a way. More than that, I had to find my way. My way to fight through the stresses, the pain, and the fear in order to make myself tougher.

Throughout this torturous journey I have endured many trials and tribulations that probably should have destroyed my strength, my hope, and even my will to carry on. That is not me, though. Backed by an incredible family and an overwhelming set of documented facts, I refused to allow someone to get away with taking my life for something they knew I did not do. As time went on, media attention rose and my case was featured on several national television news programs. Maybe you’ve seen these or know my story from another source. If not, I’ll start with the basic facts. Here’s where it all began: Halloween night 2001.

Around 2:10 a.m. on November 1, 2001, Kent Heitholt, sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, logged off his computer and left his office in Columbia, Missouri. Within minutes he was savagely attacked and murdered next to his car in the newspaper’s parking lot. A tragic death, Kent’s murder shocked the...