Isn't it crazy how one decision can change your entire life?
In December 2015 I walked into an unremarkable industrial building on the wrong side of town and took my first CrossFit class. It was me, aged 47, 20 lbs overweight and tired. And 2 ladies in their late twenties.
The coach tightened his man bun, and wrote on the whiteboard *“*10:00 AMRAP. 10 burpees, 10 sit ups, 10 kb swings, 10 wall balls”
Secret code. Cool.
Man bun explained we were going to do a 10 minute workout, with 4 movements. We were to do as many rounds as possible in that time. He showed us the 4 movements, we did a 6 minute warm up, and he grabbed a black plastic tv remote and pointed it at a giant red digital clock.
“10 seconds. Athletes stand-by. 3..2..1…go!”
It’s kind of blurry looking back, but I remember halfway through the second round after I got up from the situps that the shorter girl was already finishing her wallballs. I had a thought in my mind of utter confusion, and I was convinced she was cheating.
I had thought I was in ok shape. I had thought I would mop the floor with the 2 ladies. WRONG!
Humility comes in the form of enlightenment sometimes. By minute 3 I was greyish-green and wheezing. I was holding pace with the tall girl. The short girl was a full round ahead of me.
“ONE MINUTE!” Man bun was cheering us on.
Another bizarre moment. What did he do to the clock? How did 6 minutes vanish completely?
“TIME!”
I remember being on my hands and knees, staring at the floor as sweat pooled below my face. I was slightly annoyed at only getting 6 burpees into my last round. I like round numbers.
I rolled over onto my throbbing back, and a grinning coach high fived me and the ladies. We did a cool down, and he told me to come back tomorrow night to roll out my DOMS.
DOMS? He didn’t ask me for money. This is the weirdest gym I’ve ever been in.
The shorter girl high-fived me. They do that a lot here don’t they?
“Boy you came out of the gate flying! Nice job. I’ve been coming for 8 months, I’m down over 40 pounds. Nice to meet you. See you tomorrow!”
She’s been coming for 8 months. No wonder she was so far ahead of me. She wasn’t cheating! She’s just way better than me.
And at that moment, I was in. All the way in.
Oh, I showed up the next night. And I learned that DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. I was walking like a cowboy after 3 days in the saddle. My butt cheeks hurt! That little piece of meat above the knee hurt. It hurt to sit on the toilet. It hurt to walk down stairs.
Oh, I showed up the next night again! And the next. And I’ve been showing up 4-5 times a week for a decade.
Fast forward in life to February 2025. I’m now 57 years old. I’m semi-retired living in Mexico. And I entered the CrossFit Open. It’s the largest online fitness competition on Earth.
They give you 3 events. You do them according to the standards, and film it. And then you enter your scores and submit your Youtube Videos for judging.
Of the 3 events, the first was my best. I like dumbbells and burpees! The second event had a heavy barbell that really exposed my weaknesses. The third event was fun to finish.
Out of the 4000+ competitors worldwide in my age group, I was 1123rd in the world, and the 6th Fittest 57-year old man In Mexico. Que padre!
Here’s my Crossfit Open Athletes Profile .
What I Eat
Boring. That best describes my eating profile.
On January 2nd I cut all beer and wine out of my diet for 8 weeks.. I love to float around in my pool and drink a beer on a hot Mexico day. But in competition season, I go ZERO. If it’s not in my house, I don’t get tempted. I started to eat the same foods every day. It reduces Decision Fatigue.
Breakfast 4:30 am - Nutrimeal Chocolate Shake mixed in water with ice and 1 teaspoon instant coffee
Workout 6-8 am
Post workout 8:15 am Shake 2
Breakfast 9:30 am: 3 whole eggs, 2 slices thick bacon, supplements
Lunch 12:00: 4 oz white rice, 5 oz ground beef or Instapot roast, salsa, supplements
First snack: 3 oz mixed nuts from Costco
Dinner: 4 oz white rice or potatoes, 6 oz Costco hamburger patty, salsa, supplements
Second snack: 1 piece homemade fudge, 2 oz mixed nuts or 2 hard boiled eggs
Every 2 days I would bbq 6-8 Costco patties. My wife would stir fry ground beef or cook a Costco roast in the Instapot.
Total Macros
Adding up the macros from all items:
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Protein: 54g (shakes) + 48g (patty) + 5.4g (rice) + 30g (eggs) + 15g (nuts) + 10g (bacon) + 1g (fudge) = 163.4g
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Carbs: 64g (shakes) + 0g (patty) + 55g (rice) + 2.5g (eggs) + 18g (nuts) + 0g (bacon) + 15g (fudge) = 154.5g
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Fat: 14g (shakes) + 6g (patty) + 0.5g (rice) + 25g (eggs) + 45g (nuts) + 10g (bacon) + 4g (fudge) = 104.5g
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Calories: 560 (shakes) + 276 (patty) + 250 (rice) + 390 (eggs) + 510 (nuts) + 130 (bacon) + 100 (fudge) = 2016 calories
Summary
- Total Macros: 163.4g protein, 154.5g carbs, 104.5g fat, 2016 calories
Anytime I was extra hungry I would eat a bowl with rice, a cut up hamburger patty, and some habanero salsa. I know what you’re thinking.. “What about vegetables?”
My salsa was super chunky. It had tomatoes, onions and habanero peppers. I’d add 2-3 tablespoons every time I ate beef, rice or potatoes.
TRAINING
I trained 4 classes per week, plus I went to the Saturday morning team training to work out in teams of 2 or 3. Overhead barbells kill my neck and shoulder, so I have to limit intensity and maximize recovery. I love running, and hate thrusters.
SUPPLEMENTS
At 57, my shoulders feel 97. I got messed up at a jiu jitsu tournament in 2006. A kid from Venezuela caught my left arm, went belly down and arm barred me until it went POP!….POP!…POP!. The third pop is NEVER good. My left arm doesn’t fully extend at the elbow, which messes up my shoulder on overhead stuff.
I’ve been taking supplements since 1994. My wife is an affiliate for a billionaire scientist we met on a cruise. If you buy anything from this link she gets a couple of bucks. Thanks in advance.
For my achy joints I take a product called Procosa. That left arm is jacked, it helps a lot.
For my inflammation in almost every body part I take a product called Proflavenol. My neck and shoulders are vulnerable from BJJ, this is my secret sauce!
I drink 2 protein shakes a day. I try to be at 75 grams of protein by 9:30 am everyday.
I take the multivitamin and mineral complex. I’m supposed to eat a pound of veggies a day but I never do so this is magic.
I take vitamin D and fish oil because everyone in CrossFit does for the performance edge.
I made a list for you here. Try what makes sense to you. I’ve been using the same supplement routine for almost 30 years. I swear by their products.
RECOVERY
I get up at 4:15 am. So I go to bed around 9 pm. I take a 45 minute siesta mid-day and listen to an app called Binaural Beats Brainwave. It puts me out in under 2 minutes.
I foam roll that tight band on the outside of my quads 3 times a week, my neck, back and shoulders.
I use my TENS machine 2-3 times a week. An electric TENS machine (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is a small, portable device that delivers low-voltage electrical currents through electrodes placed on the skin to help relieve pain. I bought it on Amazon.
At the gym I met a lovely lady at the Saturday classes. Her husband owns a clinic with their own hyperbaric chamber! I did a total of 10 sessions in that, going up to 2 atmospheres. I’m convinced it filled me with extra red blood cells to help oxygen transport to my muscles.
I got weekly massage therapy, chiropractic treatments, and fascial scraping. I twitched to magnet therapy, compression therapy, and cupping. I was a blank slate, willing to try anything to keep me able to perform.
DELOAD WEEK
The week before any competition I do a light workout on Monday. Then I get a chiro and massage treatment on Tuesday. I eat clean but with 10% more calories all week. Wednesday and Thursday is pure rest and stretching. I focus on letting my nervous system recover. NO AMOUNT OF ANXIETY WILL CHANGE ANYTHING. So I don’t stress. I just chill.
AFTERMATH
Before a competition I go into “monk mode”. I put that competition date on the calendar, and I get this laser focus. It gives me a reason NOT to drink beer, not to go to parties, to eat the same boring Costco burgers and roasts, to get sweaty and sore and tired, knowing it will end.
AFTER an event, I still go to the gym on Monday. I ache. Everyone is shocked that I’m there. At my age I need to show up and lubricate everything. Sitting on the couch is too close to the fridge.
My mindset is ME VS ME. I can’t change anything about a workout, or any other athlete. All I can do is show up, do my warmup routine that I’ve practiced a thousand times, and have fun getting sweaty. My victory is in showing up. Most people never show up.
How about you? Are you happy with your current progress, or secretly frustrated?
DM me on Nostr or text my cell 1-234-542-3963. Tell me about your journey and what’s going on in life for you. It’ll be cool to hear your story!