As you age, especially in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you learn quite a few things. First, despite your age, you can still train extremely hard. Second, if you opt to do that with high frequency, you’re also looking at time away from the mat due to injury. So how do you find the balance?

All of it simply comes down to training smarter, not harder. With that in mind, here’s my take on training jiu-jitsu for the masters athlete.

This is single handedly the most prevalent question within the Sport of Fitness. Everyday I have this conversation, whether by phone, Zoom, or in person with aspiring athletes who are looking to progress up the proverbial CrossFit ladder. So, here I am going to build a framework around what I project (as of this day) are and will be the driving principles that will give you the tools to do well within CrossFit. This is not a manual that you can open and find a one, two, three step process. This is more of an outline around three guiding principles that will set you up for success to be a better CrossFit Masters Athlete.

Masters athletes, individuals who continue to compete in sports well into their adulthood, often face unique challenges as they strive to maintain peak physical performance while dealing with the demands of daily life. To excel in their chosen sport, especially such a complex and taxing sport like CrossFit, Masters athletes must not only focus on physical training but also develop a strong mindset. The saying, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks doesn’t hold true when you are talking about masters athletes. They are some of the most adaptable athletes out there, however, the mindset and mental approach to training and competing can be a new landscape if they haven’t come from a background of sport. So, below are a few ways masters athletes can work on cultivating a strong mindset.

CrossFit, known for its dynamic and diverse training approach, demands a combination of strength, endurance, agility, and more. To excel in this multifaceted sport, athletes need a training strategy that optimizes various fitness attributes simultaneously. This is where concurrent periodization comes into play. By blending different training components within a single training cycle, concurrent periodization empowers CrossFit athletes to enhance multiple facets of their performance.

In the world of CrossFit, the ultimate test of fitness and athleticism is the CrossFit Games. Athletes from around the globe converge to push their physical and mental limits, striving for greatness and the title of "Fittest on Earth." Our journey to the CrossFit Games was one of perseverance, dedication, and teamwork, culminating in a remarkable achievement: our team's 13th place finish in the world.