Watch Mat Fraser Perform a HWPO Training Session In His New Gym

On July 6, 2021, five-time Fittest Man on Earth® Mat Fraser took to his YouTube channel to share a workout from phase two of his Hard Work Pays Off (HWPO) program. The day focused on the posterior chain with deadlifts, snatch-grip overhead squats, bike intervals, hamstring curls, and more.


The backdrop was a fully tricked-out gym that seemed like a significant upgrade to his garage gym decorated with unique items that he trained in before retiring from competitive CrossFit. Check out where the all-time winningest individual CrossFitter trains now:



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HWPO Training
A warm-up for Fraser might seem like a full workout for people who aren’t elite CrossFit athletes. Through heavy breath, Fraser lays out how he starts the workout:


Warm-Up
Three rounds:



Each movement is specifically chosen to warm up a muscle group recruited for the higher intensity portion of the training session — shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, and core.


I use the warm-ups as putting in that pre-hab and accessory work.

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Once the warm-up is complete, Fraser hops into deadlifts with 67 percent of his one-rep max (1RM) superset with straight-leg box jumps.


Deadlifts, Box Jumps, Snatch Balance, Overhead Squat
He performed the deadlifts raw without a belt, using a mixed grip. The combination of heavy tension during the deadlifts and the explosiveness of the fast box jumps left him little time to catch his breath. Once those were finished, he grabbed a lifting belt and lifting straps and kicked off six sets of snatch balances into overhead squats.


The progressions for the snatch balance and overhead squat were one plus one, meaning one snatch balance plus one overhead squat of the following percentages of his 1RM:

• 62 percent
• 70 percent
• 77 percent
• 83.5 percent
• 89 percent
• 70 percent

By his own admission, this is one of the “heavier days.” At one point, he was holding a barbell with what appeared to be three 45-pound bumper plates on each side.




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Fan Bike
The workout on the fan bike consists of four rounds that are each four minutes long, with a minute of rest between each round. This particular workout is an indicator of overall fitness by taking the average wattage across all four rounds and dividing that by the athlete’s body weight in kilograms. According to Fraser, the result will “usually be a number between three and seven.” Here is what those numbers mean:

• Below Four — out of shape
• Four and Up — in shape
• Five and Up — CrossFit Regionals and CrossFit Games level fit
• Seven — “Tour de France wattage”

Due to Fraser’s shorter stature — he is 5’7 — and relatively heavier body weight of 195 pounds, this workout is rather difficult. Early in a season, his number will hover around four. As he got lighter and fitter during training, his number would increase.


I always do it as a good test to see where I’m at fitness-wise compared to my bodyweight.

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Fraser did not share what his number was after completing this portion of the workout. He went straight into the following metcon:


Metcon
Two-two-two-three minute intervals of:

• Sandbag Clean — six reps
• Calorie Bike — Men, 15 calories | Women, 12 calories
• Toes-to-Bar — max reps

One minute rest between rounds.


The five-time Fittest Man on Earth® finished the workout with the following accessory work:


Accessory Work

• Prone Hamstring Curl with Resistance Band — Three sets, 20 reps
• Sandbag Bear Hug Walk — An accumulated total of five minutes — Men, 100 pounds | Women, 70 pounds

The total workout from beginning to end took Fraser one hour and 43 minutes to complete.




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Fraser’s New Gym
As Fraser went through his workout, there was a big difference in his training environment — it was a full gym that was much larger than the one he built in his garage. Here are some of the notable pieces of equipment in his new gym:


Fraser’s Gym Equipment

Although Fraser’s garage gym did have a lot of similar equipment plus unique items like a Fiity Spinner, a jump rope grip trainer, an Iron Neck, and a strongman log, the amount of added space Fraser acquired with this new gym is vast.


Fraser may not be competing in CrossFit at the competitive level anymore. Still, between his new gym, HWPO training program, supplement company Podium with the Buttery Bros, and the aggressive surge in his YouTube following (190,000 subscribers at the time of this article), he is definitely still a major player in the CrossFit space.



[Related: Buttery Bros CrossFit Documentary “Resurgence” Will Release July 20, 2021]


2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games
The 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games is currently set for July 27 through Aug. 1, 2021, in Madison, WI. All 10 CrossFit Semifinals events and the Last Chance Qualifier are complete, and the 2021 Games roster is set. Here are were the results of each:


2021 CrossFit Games Semifinals Results

The events for the Games have not yet been revealed, but CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro did hint that the first event will include swimming and paddling. This will be the first year since 2014 that Fraser will not be competing at the Games, and a new Fittest Man on Earth® is guaranteed to be crowned and take home a portion of the largest CrossFit Games prize pool ever.


Feature image: @mathewfras on Instagram




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