Mat Fraser is the fittest man on Earth.
Granted, that’s a bold claim, and hard
to substantiate. It’s dependent on how one
defines fitness, and by which values that
definition is quantified. But he is.
Fraser can claim the title of Fittest Man onEarth™, having won the men’s CrossFit Games
for the past three years in a row. The event
began in 2007, according to the website, “to
fill a void. From Ironman triathlons to the
NFL, all other athletic events neglected to
accurately test fitness.” Sure, you might be
able to swim 3.8km, cycle 180km, then run a
marathon, or blast past the defence to score try
after try. But how many muscle-ups can you do?
Broadcast on US network CBS Sport andbeamed around the world on Facebook, the
Games are the Super Bowl of CrossFit, “the
sport of fitness” that comprises elements of
strength, conditioning, Olympic weightlifting
and gymnastics. One of this century’s defining
fitness trends, CrossFit engineered a shift from
static gym equipment to utilitarian rigs, ropes
and sleds. It prescribes “varied, high-intensity,
functional movements” – particularly “moving
large loads, long distances, quickly”. It was
founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman, who as
a teenage gymnast discovered that lifting
weights and cycling made him a better all-
round athlete than his single-discipline peers.
It has since spread across the globe, thanks
to its cultish sense of community – and the
fact that it is undeniably effective. Perhaps the
key ingredient of its secret sauce, however, is
its measurability: anybody from the fit to the
infirm can complete the Workout of the Day
in one of the 15 000-plus “boxes” (CrossFit for
gym) worldwide, and see how they compare.
“I have no perception of what it would
be like to play basketball against LeBron
James,” says Fraser. “The thought of
someone that big who can move the way hedoes, it’s unfathomable. I watch him and
appreciate him; but if I faced him, I’d have
a whole new appreciation. I’m sure 99% of
people who watch someone do a snatch are,
like, ‘Okay, whatever.’ Go grab a barbell and
try to do one. Now you can compare.”
The climax of the CrossFit season, the
Games are a series of demanding events
unknown to the athletes until moments
before they hear, “Three, two, one, go!” For
example, the male qualifiers (there are also
women’s, masters’, teenagers’ and team
categories) might have to cycle 10 laps of a
1 200m track, perform 30 muscle-ups, row a
marathon (42.2km) or squat, shoulder press
and deadlift a one-rep max. In fact, they did
all of that on day one of the 2018 Games, which
then went on for another four days. (Although
the second was a rest day...)
Each event awards first place 100 points,
second place 99, and so on. To win the Games
with a record 1 162 points out of a possible
1 400 and claim the $300 000 (R4.3 million)
prize money, as Fraser did in 2018, you have
to be good at a lot of different things. Fraser
finished fourth or better in 10 of the 14
events, and first in two: the Fibonacci – five,
eight, then 13 reps each of handstand push-
ups and deadlifts with two 92kg kettlebells,
followed by 27m of lunges, holding 24kg
kettlebells overhead – and the Aeneas – five
pegboard climbs, 40 thrusters (a squat and
overhead press with 38kg) and three 10m
walks carrying a yoke (a kind of squat rack-
cum-sled), loaded with 193kg, 256kg, then
302kg. In both cases, he’d already completed
two gruelling events earlier the same day.
Fraser’s record victory margin of 220
points broke his own record of 216 points, set
in 2017 (after tearing the lateral collateral
ligament in his knee at the end of the first day),
which broke the record of 197 he'd set in 2016.
In other words, he’s getting better at being
better than everybody else. CNN contrasted
Fraser’s unrivalled position in CrossFit to other
disciplines in which rivals spur each other on to
greatness: Ronaldo vs Messi, Federer vs Nadal,
Ali vs Frazier. In CrossFit, it’s Fraser vs Fraser.
“We don’t even know how good he is,”
said CrossFit’s then-media director ahead
of his 2018 victory. “He should have to run
a marathon before the Games, to level the
playing field.” Ominously, Fraser booked his
place at the 2019 Games at the first opportunity
by winning the first qualifying round last year,
giving him eight months to focus on August’s
Games. And at 29, he’s still in his prime.