How to Train to be a Competitive CrossFit Masters Athlete
Written by Nichole Kribs

So you want to be a competitive CrossFit Masters athlete but aren’t sure where to begin? Well, as a training camp that has helped hundreds of Masters make it to AGOQ and the CrossFit Games, we are here to give you our top tips so that you can work towards your competitive goals. Below are our top 5 recommendations (in no particular order) to help you become a more competitive Masters athlete. 

How to Train to be a Competitive CrossFit Masters Athlete

Focus on building strength

You can’t fake strength. Period. Not only is this strength foundation going to help you with event tests like 1-RM or moving heavy loads for time but having a solid foundation of strength is also helpful for injury prevention.  If you are curious to see some guidelines for strength numbers among some of the top Masters competitors then check out our extensive list here. 

Prioritize your recovery

This is really important and is one that often gets overlooked or is the first thing to go when your schedule gets busy. But your recovery is crucial to your success because if you aren’t recovering well then your training will suffer. Recovery = better training and … is helpful for injury prevention (you’ll notice a theme with injury prevention). If you need some guidance on what to do for recovery, check out this article.

Avoid doing too much volume

This is a TOUGH one for many people because CrossFitters tend to be volume junkies! But, if you focus on everything, everywhere all at once then you’ll feel as chaotic as that movie. Plus, you’ll limit your gains because the added volume will hinder your (1) strength gains and (2) your recovery which could lead to an overuse injury. A safe way to add volume without overdoing it is to add skill work. An easy way to do this is to incorporate a little more skill work into your warm-ups. This provides the opportunity to add some more ‘volume’ without loading or making you overly sore.

Focus on your nutrition

Your nutrition is one of the most important things to dial in if you want to be competitive. This will look different for each person as everyone’s needs are different but ideally reducing inflammation, balancing hormones and maintaining a relatively healthy Body Composition will be a tremendous help with your performance and recovery. You’ll often see athletes hovering around a certain performance threshold and then, when they get their nutrition dialed in, their performance has a breakthrough and they ascend to that next level. 

Improve mobility

Honestly, this is for anyone wanting to make improvement in their athletic journey. Better mobility will help with not only improving positioning but will also help significantly with injury prevention. Tom Brady, the G.O.A.T., was a huge proponent of his pliability being a leading factor in helping him play football at such a high level for the length of time he did. When your muscles are pliable and joints can move through full ranges of motion then you are more likely to avoid injury and recover quicker if you do happen to have an injury. 

Want more help training to become a competitive Masters Athlete?

This list is just a starting point for your competitive journey. If you’d like a dedicated Masters plan that incorporates these principles then please check out our Masters program here on SugarWOD or BTWB.

Enjoy your training and drop us a comment if you have questions!