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Aparecido’s New Workout Regimen Pays off as he Tries to Enter 2020 World Title Race

By: Justin Felisko

KANSAS City, Mo. – Eduardo Aparecido pointed down at his chest and smiled.

“You see, I am more skinny,” he said.

Aparecido had just capped off Caterpillar Classic with an 89-point ride on Rising Sun to finish his weekend in Kansas City a perfect 4-for-4.

The 29-year-old finally saw the kind of results he had been hoping for since he began a new workout regimen this season, finishing a season-best second overall (71.5 world points) inside the Sprint Center.

Aparecido has been participating in an intense cardio workout program three to four days week. The workout can last for up to an hour, depending on how he is feeling, and it involves a treadmill (20 minutes), stationary bike (10 minutes) elliptical (25 minutes) and stair climber (5 minutes).

“It has been good,” Aparecido said. “I train more fast. I want to be skinny. I do a lot of cardio.”

Aparecido is riding at a career-low 163 pounds, and he believes he has found the ideal weight at which to contend for a world title. Three years ago, Aparecido weighed around 170 pounds when he finished a career-best fourth in the world standings.

The eighth-year pro began his Kansas City weekend with 85 points on Smooth Gangster in Round 1 before finishing the 15/15 Bucking Battle in third place with 88.75 points on Air Assault. Aparecido kept things going Sunday with 86.5 points on Invizibull Fire and 89 points on Rising Sun.

 
Aparecido had previously bucked off Rising Sun on two different occasions, but that did not stop him from selecting the Chad Berger bucking bull with the second pick of the championship round draft.

“Rising Sun bucked me off two times before, but I talk to Claudio (Montanha Jr.) last night, and (I told him) my first bull, (would be) Rising Sun,” Aparecido said. “(It was a) surprise for the crowd, but I like this bull. He has a lot of buck. Good bull. Thanks God for helping me this time, and my friends.”

Two-time World Champion Justin McBride said on CBS Sports Network he was happy with Aparecido’s selection.

“This is what I love to see, when you are not going into a draft picking a bull because he goes a certain direction,” McBride said. “You are going into a draft picking a bull because you can win an event on him.”

Aparecido had previously won Kansas City two times, including during his stellar 2017 season.

“This event is very important for me,” Aparecido said. “I win two times. I concentrate this week to ride my bulls. I waited for this event, I thought about this event. Very important for me. With the 15/15, I ride four bulls. This is good for me.

“I’m riding bulls. Not just for 8 seconds, but for a World Championship.”

Aparecido heads into next weekend’s Bad Boy Mowdown ranked seventh in the world standings. He trails world leader Jose Vitor Leme by 372.5 points, and he is riding at a career-best rate of 55.56% (15-for-27).

With injury concerns looming for Leme and defending World Champion Jess Lockwood, there may be an opportunity for Aparecido to work his way into the world title conversation in the coming weeks.

“Yes, I’m a contender to ride my bulls and be a world champ this year,” Aparecido concluded.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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