Five-time CrossFit champion Matt Fraser’s daily routine includes 9,000 calories, intense 8-hour workouts, and gruelling rowing intervals.
We’ve covered some pretty ripped fellas here at DMARGE — from Chris Hemsworth’s Furiosa-ready rig to Zac Efron’s mind-boggling bulk for Iron Claw — but it turns out that a humble CrossFitter, far from the ivory towers of Hollywood, might just put them all to shame.
Matt Fraser — the five-time CrossFit Games Champion who absolutely dominated the sport from 2016 to 2020 — is widely regarded as one of the most successful athletes in CrossFit history. To understand what makes him so exceptional, fitness YouTuber Will Tennyson decided to endure a single day of Fraser’s rigorous training regimen. Here’s how it went…
WATCH: Will Tennyson Goes Toe-To-Toe With Fraser
A Grueling Start
Fraser’s day begins with an intense warm-up session, underscoring the importance of preparing the body as he aged:
“As the age clicked up a little bit higher, warming up became more important.”
Matt Fraser
Next, came clean and jerk primers. Fraser’s humility about his extraordinary capabilities belies his near-godly strength. His personal best lifts are absolutely eye-watering for a man of his size — he competes at around 77kg bodyweight — and sport: a snatch of 132-133 kg (about 290 lbs) and a clean and jerk of 154 kg (around 340 lbs).
The squats that followed — that’s right, while most of us struggle to do squats once a week, Fraser does them twice in a day — pushed Tennyson to his limits. Fraser gently peer-pressured Tennyson into upping his load to 445 pounds after evaluating his form at 335 pounds. While his belief in Tennyson was touching and well-founded, by the time the sets were over Tennyson was something of a hot mess…
Rowing And Recovery
One of the hardest segments of the day involved rowing, a favourite of CrossFitters everywhere. Consisting of nine intervals at a minute and forty seconds per interval with the goal of hitting over 500 meters each time, Fraser hit this mark effortlessly. Tennyson, on the other hand, struggled to keep up.
Fraser himself was quick to fess up to the brutal nature of this workout, describing it as “mind-numbing.” The relentless pace and the sheer volume of work left both their muscles screaming for relief. Fraser sums it up perfectly:
“You put the handle down, take three breaths, and then you’re like, ‘Oh sh*t, I’m going in 5 seconds.’”
Matt Fraser
And yet, the session still wasn’t over. The pair continued with various exercises including handstand practice. Here, Fraser’s experience and expertise shone through as he provided Tennyson with invaluable tips and corrections, given that handstands are hardly Tennyson’s bread and butter…
Feeding The Beast
Fraser’s daily calorie intake during peak training was staggering — around 9,000 calories. His wife, Sammy, handled all the meal prep, ensuring he had the necessary fuel to become a world champion. Eating for performance, Fraser explained, was something of a chore, essential to maintain his energy levels and support his gruelling workouts but far from pleasant.
“I gained 33 pounds in one month,” Fraser recalled, emphasizing the sheer volume of food required.
The Finish Line
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the pair were back to the gym after a feed. The day ended with a burnout finisher: a terrifying EMOM comprised of assault bike sprints, burpees, jumps, and heavy wall balls. By the end, Tennyson was completely spent, claiming to be “tasting pennies” from exhaustion.
Suffice to say, I’d rather him than me. But I already feel fitter just from watching the pair get to work, even if I don’t think I’ll be trying this one anytime soon.