The Most Unique Items in Mat Fraser’s Garage Gym
On Feb. 22, 2021, five-time Fittest Man on Earth® Mat Fraser gave an inside look at the layout of his 440 square-foot garage gym and all the equipment in it. Some of the items and variants of them one might expect from an elite CrossFit champion, but others are so unique, even the now-retired Fraser himself did not even know their names until looking them up for his video. We’re talking strongman logs, pegboards, an upper body arm-cycling contraption, and an over-sized literal safe.
Mat Fraser’s Garage Gym Equipment
Before we dive into the treasure trove of equipment under the training hood of Fraser’s figurative fitness-mobile, check out the video of the tour of his garage gym below courtesy of the FRA5ER YouTube channel:
[Related: Meet the First 10 Members of CrossFit’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council]
Normal Equipment
Here’s a quick rundown of the stuff that anyone might expect from a full garage gym with a slant towards CrossFit training:
- Bench
- Squat rack
- Barbells
- Kettlebells
- Dumbbells (up to 125 pounds)
- Pull-up bar
- Set of weight plates
- Concept 2 Bike
- Rogue Echo Bike
- Assault Bike
- GHD
- Slam balls (up to 200 pounds)
- Treadmill (Assault AirRunner)
- Weightlifting platform (plywood and gym mats)
- Handstand push-up wall and head cushions
- Gymnastic rings
- Dip belt
- Jump ropes (regular, drag, weighted, heavy, beaded)
- Elbow straps (for abdominal training)
- Curl bar
- Resistance bands
- Weighted vests
- Sit-up pad
- Reverse Hyper
- Ab wheel
- Parallets
- Sliders
- Sandbags
Here are some items that jump out as a bit more unique but are not double-take worthy in a CrossFit-focused training facility:
Pegboard
One of the more unique events in CrossFit competition is a pegboard, where athletes insert pegs into holes on a board built into a wall in order to climb it. If you aren’t competing at a high level in CrossFit or on America Ninja Warrior, it is unlikely you’d see this in a normal gym. Fraser’s is fairly compact — it is in a one-car garage after all — but he made it work.
Pulley System
Most gyms will have a pulley or cable system in place. They are pretty routine in most commercial gyms and offer a variety of exercises like tricep extensions, chest flyes, and more. What stuck out here was the adjustment Fraser made for his garage gym. His pulley system slings over his pull-up bar and voila, he has a cable system. This version can be detached and hung alongside his weightlifting belts, which saves a ton of space.
Log
Fraser eludes to acquiring equipment in preparation for the potential that they might show up in sanctioned CrossFit competition. It is unlikely to see athletes outside the sport of strongman attempting log lifts, but Fraser was prepared. He admitted to only ever using it twice.
CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro — who Fraser flipped off during the 2020 Games Ranch Loop event — has yet to incorporate log lifts in Games competition. Had he dared to do so, Fraser would not have been caught off guard.
Phew! That’s a lot of equipment to pack into 440 square feet — something Fraser even seemed to be surprised he managed to do.
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[Related: While Most Were Distracted by Froning Drama, Mat Fraser Shared Insight Into His Elite Mindset]
Unique Equipment
Below are the items that stuck out as the equipment that you are unlikely to come across in a non-elite, not-specifically-Mat-Fraser’s CrossFit home gym.
Fiity Spinner
This is a hand, forearm, and shoulder trainer that looks like two wheels each with a cross-handle bound by a frame that allows them to be rotated around each other. Imagine a boxer hitting a speed bag and that is the movement it offers. Fraser’s Fiity Spinner weighs 12 pounds, which he learned is quite heavy. If he could go back, he admits that he’d have opted for the eight- or 10-pounder.
He’s had the Fiity Spinner for approximately three to four years — a majority of his reign as the Fittest on Earth®. The reason why it never made its way into the eyes of the public is because of the supposed edge Fraser thought it gave him over the competition:
I never allowed it to go on camera because I thought it was a super valuable tool that I wanted to keep a secret.
Wow.
[Related: Mat Fraser — Two-Movement CrossFit WOD Is ‘One Of The Hardest I’ve Done’]
Jump Rope Grip Trainer
Made for strengthening grip during double-unders without applying the unwanted stress on the calves, Fraser attached what looks like a lacrosse ball to a jump rope handle. He would spin the ball around the handle for 30 minutes at a time to practice his double-under grip and not have to endure the cardio.
Although they could have their own category, Fraser also whipped out his plethora of “weird” grip accessories that range from a wide square tube to what looks like a cowbell from a distance.
Iron Neck
The Iron Neck looks like a contraption an evil villain would strap to the hero in order to extract all their deepest thoughts. What it is used for in the gym is to train the neck. It’s a circular headpiece that can attach to a cable system or weights and allow the user to lift the weight with their neck. This is one of the newer additions to Fraser’s gym and in his words:
There’s no cool way to wear this.
Contrarily, all the ways one could wear an Iron neck look cool.
A Human-Sized Safe
This very large, very conspicuous safe was just ominously hanging out in the background of the entire video. It received no mention until halfway through minute 14 when Fraser slapped it and confidently exclaimed:
Every gym needs a nice, big safe, right?
He did not explain what he meant. Although his competitive CrossFit career has come to a close, perhaps some tools, like the Fiity Spinner, were so uniquely valuable to his success, that they must continue to remain a secret. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll talk about what’s inside on his podcast. Fraser is known as an avid firearms collector, and it’s possible that’s the safe’s true purpose, though we’re leaving it up to our imaginations until then.
Featured image from Mat Fraser’s Instagram page: @mathewfras