Earlier this year, Mat Fraser revisited some of his greatest and lowest moments from his CrossFit Games career with the help of videographer and creator Carlos Bown.
- In that video, Fraser watched footage from those events for the first time and shared his perspective and mindset during those moments.
On the first-ever “Legacy Day” on Thursday, June 24, HWPO Training will host its “biggest sale ever,” featuring discounts on programming, apparel deals, and new products. Free community workouts inspired by Fraser’s career will also be shared.
HWPO Training shared what “Legacy Day” means.
- “On July 24, 2016, Mat Fraser began his legacy by winning his first CrossFit Games. A legacy built on heart, discipline, and HARD WORK. Following (Fraser’s) 5x CrossFit Games titles, HWPO Training was born – the next chapter in his legacy that inspires, motivates, and supports individuals around the globe every single day.”
To kick things off before the big event, HWPO Training released a new video where Fraser reflects on some of his most iconic workouts.
Here are our three favorites.
2223 Intervals – 2017 CrossFit Games
This workout required athletes to work during set time intervals: three two-minute rounds, followed by one three-minute round with a minute rest in between. Each round started with rope climbs and calories on the Ski Erg, and during the remaining time, athletes performed max overhead squats until they reached a total of 75 repetitions.
For time:
- 2 rope climbs
- 10/7 cal Ski Erg
- Max rep overhead squats (155/105 pounds)
Fraser said he was excited as soon as the workout was announced.
- “The money, the bread and butter to me, is the overhead squat. Lightweight overhead squats – I feel I get to knock those out of the park,” he said.
He was racing Brent Fikowski, who was in the lane next to him. Fikowski had the advantage on the rope climbs, but Fraser would descend faster, keep pace on the Ski Erg, and catch him on the squats, ultimately winning the event.
The Standard – 2019 CrossFit Games
This workout combined three classic CrossFit benchmarks, including two of the original “Girl WODS” – “Grace” and “Isabel” – with 30 ring muscle-ups in between.
For time:
- 30 clean and jerks, 135/95 pounds (“Grace”)
- 30 muscle-ups
- 30 snatches, 135/95 pounds (“Isabel”)
Time cap: 12 minutes
Unlike with 2223, Fraser wasn’t as excited when it was announced. If you’re an athlete competing at the CrossFit Games, Fraser explained, you excel at the standard – light barbell cycling and gymnastics.
Heading into the workout, Fraser was in first place just ahead of Noah Ohlsen by a narrow margin.
It was the final event of the Games that year, and if Ohlsen won the event and two or more people finished between him and Fraser, Ohlsen would take the title of Fittest and end Fraser’s run of consecutive titles. It was all or nothing.
He had chosen the song “We Will Rock You” by Queen as his walk-out song for the Games, and specifically for this workout.
- “When I’m walking out for my last workout, and I’m in first place, I want to hear the entire fucking stadium, playing along with that song. So it’s like boom boom clap, boom boom clap. You’re under the tunnel, you hear that song come on, and then you hear fucking 12,000 feet. And I just sat in the back, and I’m like, ‘It’s over, …I’m winning guys, like I don’t care what the fuck you bring, I don’t care how good you are, I’m fucking winning.’”
Fraser knew he had to be shoulder to shoulder with Ohlsen heading into the snatches. To do that, he would need to put the pedal to the metal from the very start, which he did. And it worked.
Acid Bath – 2018 Dubai Fitness Championship
Immortalized in the Buttry Bros’ documentary The Fittest in Dubai, this iconic workout will be remembered as one of the most painful in CrossFit history for the athletes who competed in the desert.
For time:
- 500-meter Ski Erg
- 500-meter row
- 1,000-meter Bike Erg
Time cap: 6 minutes
In 2018, the Dubai Fitness Championship served as a qualifier for the 2019 CrossFit Games.
On this type of workout, Fraser felt there wasn’t much to plan besides maintaining a fast pace and transitioning quickly.
All of the machines’ monitors were linked, allowing them to track each other’s pace.
Fraser recalled seeing Roman Khrennikov’s stats and his significant lead from the first pull of the Ski Erg. Khrennikov ultimately won the event, with Fraser in second. As more men crossed the finish line, the carnage set in.
- “It was one of those workouts where the pain keeps climbing,” Fraser said.
Fraser recalls walking off the competition floor while men were hobbling back to the warm-up area, rolling in discomfort and just waiting for the “acid” to fade.
Fans of the documentary will remember Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson and Fraser lying on the floor next to a trash can in a stairwell under the arena in case they had to vomit.
In the full HWPO Training YouTube video, Fraser shares two more workouts that added to the highlight reel of his career.
Make sure to give it a watch.
More CrossFit Stories
- Training With Tia — Games Rookie Lucy McGonigle Learns From the Best at PRVN
- 2025 CrossFit Games Event 4 Revealed – Axle-Bar Deadlifts, Handstand Walks, and Running
- Forging Elite Finance – Ben Beck’s Plan to Help Athletes and Gym Owners Build Wealth
Featured Image: CrossFit Games
