When it comes to preparing Masters athletes for peak performance in CrossFit, tapering is an essential yet often misunderstood component of the training process. As a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with athletes across various age groups, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of a well-executed taper. In this essay, I will outline the most important aspects of tapering for masters athletes, explain how to effectively implement a taper, and delve into why tapering is crucial for optimizing performance and recovery.

In the dynamic and demanding world of CrossFit, the pursuit of excellence is not just for the young. Masters athletes, those bravely competing in age categories ranging from 35 and above, face unique challenges and opportunities. Embracing an elite mindset is crucial not only for performance but also for longevity in the sport. Here’s how you can cultivate this mindset, backed by strength and conditioning principles and inspiring stories of athletes who have mastered the art.

In the realm of sports, setbacks are not only inevitable but also integral to the journey of growth and success. I understand the disappointment that comes with an unsatisfactory end to a season. However, it's crucial to recognize that adversity presents an opportunity for evolution and transformation. In this blog, I'll delve into how athletes can strategically approach their off-season training following a less-than-ideal season conclusion.

Maybe, you already possess the skills AND conditioning you need to be successful. However, you may have too many energy leaks that contribute toward your overall fatigue and expenditure – which prohibits you from expressing your true abilities.

When you’re in your 20’s (or even younger), some things may not be as important for you to focus on, but as age, volume, and priorities change, it’s vital to take a look at the whole picture if you hope to continue down the path of progress.

The following elements all have a huge impact on your training, your improvement, and your longevity.

To maximize your athletic potential, long-term thinking has to be part of your mindset.

A big portion of that includes training smart, training consistently, and avoiding injuries.

For better or worse, the typical CrossFit athlete is focused on performance. How do I get a faster time or more reps? And in some instances, that can be a hindrance toward progression.

CrossFit is an intense and effective training regimen. Many individuals who have dedicated themselves to CrossFit wonder what to do next once they feel they've achieved their goals or are ready for a change. In this blog post, we'll explore the various options for transitioning your training once you're done with CrossFit.

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.

Dealing with a setback after a CrossFit competition can be challenging, especially if you have been training for months or even years for the event. However, setbacks are a part of life, and how you handle them can have a significant impact on your ability to bounce back and move forward. In this blog post, we'll discuss some strategies for handling setbacks from the CrossFit Age Group Online Qualifiers (AGOQ) and/or Quarterfinals.

This weekend marks the second/third stage for the age group quarterfinals. I say the second/third stage because I look at stage two as the teams and stage three as the age group, of which both are competing this weekend. With the release of the floorplans, I am very excited to see these workouts. Here are my thoughts on the floorplans and potential difference makers, as well as a few tips to mentally prepare for the Quarterfinal weekend.

Everyone has, at some point in their training, experienced a plateau regardless of how fit they are. It can be very frustrating and leave you feeling disinterested and unmotivated with your training. This feed-forward cycle can wreak havoc on long-term success which is why I want to discuss some ways coaches and athletes can break through plateaus before they become problematic.

Master CrossFit Athlete Coach Jason Leydon lists a 10-step approach to programming for a CrossFit Masters Athlete. Read more.

If you're a Masters athlete and your goal is succeeding at the SPORT of CrossFit, then listen up. It’s time to stop focusing on just “being good” at CrossFit. Yes, to be successful, obviously, you have to be good at the skills you’re going to see in the tests, but it’s time to start focusing on becoming athletic in a broader sense. Read more.

Over the years, I have seen the CrossFit Masters world grow and grow, and with that I have seen more and more companies coming out looking to capitalize on this market. The biggest problem I have seen from this lies around snake oil sales to these athletes.

There’s so many options out there for you as an athlete. My goal here is to help you pick the right choice for your ability level and your wallet. Finding the best fit for you will keep you consistent, and consistency is more times than not the thing that’s stopping you from achieving your goals. First what I’ll do is summarize each and then we’ll get into more of the specifics of choosing what’s right for you…

In the sport of CrossFit, you may have heard the phrase “that athlete has an engine”. What that really means is the athlete is very aerobically fit. This athlete who is known to have an engine will look like they can just keep going for hours on end, without ever needing to stop. An athlete's aerobic capacity is the base of their performance. Aerobic capacity is the maximum amount of oxygen an athlete can utilize for a period of time.

Burnout is no joke; you begin to see a dip in performance, increased anxiety around training, and just generally feel like you don’t want to “grind” anymore. Some people would say that you’re not burnt out, but rather you're just under-recovered… Personally, I think that’s bullshit.

Plan accordingly. Too often athletes jump into programs without truly understanding what they need and what their priorities are. CrossFit Masters athletes need to really break down the last year of training and establish where they did really well, and where they fell short.