Today was a pretty special day for the fitness world. Mat Fraser (5x Crossfit Games World Champion) was a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience, comedian Joe Rogan’s world renowned podcast. As I listened to the interview, I really enjoyed how authentic, genuine, and knowledgeable Mat was. As a coach of aging athletes, I perked up when he mentioned some concepts that I too ascribe to. Here are 5 takeaways from the the podcast that you can use with your fitness, wellness, and nutrition:
Mat rarely maxes out-In his interview with Joe, Mat saw what most Crossfitters were doing to get strong, and went the other way. Mat trains with loads between 70-80% of his max to get stronger. This allows him to engrain proper form while allowing his muscles to grow and adapt.
Mat eats for performance-Many individuals look at magazine and articles and copy their favorite athletes or celebrities only to realize they don’t have the same goals. During training season, Mat would eat 2,000 calories in liquids alone during the day. That didn’t include of the solid food he was eating. Mat eats to fuel his goal, you should do the same.
Mat prioritizes recovery-A big turning point for Mat’s career was when he started working with “Body Coach” and soft tissue therapist Guerro (also works with Tom Brady). Mat knows that as much as he pushes in training, you need to recover in order for the body to come back stronger. Investing some time and resources in to recovery is just as important as the training itself.
Mat focuses on technique-Mat mentioned in the podcast that whenever he would hit a road block in training, he would seek expert advice to overcome those obstacles. If he had trouble with his deadlift, he would ask the best powerlifters in the world what to do. When he needed running advice, he reached out to a world class Ironman. Instead of training harder, Mat trainers smarter.
Matt learns from his mistakes-During Mat’s time at the Olympic Training Center, he broke his back and had to have surgery. He came back from the surgery to show everyone that he could do it and prove the naysayers wrong. It left him with a bad taste in his mouth and he lost close friends in the process. In stepping away from the sport of Crossfit at age 31 with his body intact and his love for the sport and those in the community still vibrant, he preserves something that has brought him such joy.
I would suggest giving the podcast a listen, it’s definitely worth it!
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