What does your daily routine look like?
Day-to-day has remained the same. I wake up at 8am, Sammy has breakfast ready and Tia and I start training around 9:30/10. Our training has backed off a little simply because all major competitions have been cancelled or postponed. Training wraps up around 5pm, we have dinner and spend the evening stretching, rolling out or reading, playing a game and relaxing.
Has it been hard to keep your fitness up in isolation, how have your workouts and eating changed?
I’ve worked hard to set up my house to be full-serve to ensure I only have to rely on myself if ever the local gym is closed. That preparation has set me up to keep things running in these uncertain times. I’m grateful to have a great home life and a wife I truly enjoy the company of. We are enjoying the extra downtime at home together and everything else is business as usual.
Obviously it’s a great time for a bit of reflection, how does it feel looking back over what you’ve accomplished in the last few years – particularly becoming the Crossfit Games Champion for the fourth time in a row?
Obviously there's pride in each of my accomplishments but I view it as a pat on the back, reassurance I'm doing right things in training. Every competition I do goes by in a blur. I'm living those 4-5 days only looking event to event, a few hours at a time. It's the process I've fallen in love with, the long days of training in the garage with my team that I'll remember the most. Reflecting on this past season, from the start of my career, all I heard was winning the CrossFit Games four times in a row in this modern era of the sport would never be possible. To be able to accomplish it, to stand atop the podium more times than any other individual athlete, is a great sense of pride.
How has it felt watching it all back through The Fittest?
I loved it. I was there, going through each event but to say I remember it would be a stretch. Watching it on the big screen and seeing all that's happening around the event helps me relive those blurry memories. Marston and Heber did an incredible job capturing the atmosphere so even when I watch it in my living room I get amped up and goosebumps. This film is something I'll be able to share with kids and grandkids some day, it's very special.
The film looks at the changes from the 2018 to 2019 games, what does the COVID pandemic mean for the 2020 games? And if they go ahead, what are you expecting from the competition?
We are trying to keep our mental space clear, there’s no point in spending energy on speculation. There’s a lot going on and we are doing what we can to keep focus on the things we can control. Right now, we can control how we choose to spend our time. We are choosing to map out shorter term goals to help us stay focused on training while also focusing on not burning out.
Mat Fraser stars in the new documentary The Fittest by The Buttery Bros, available to download globally on iTunes.
