Training tips

One of the biggest challenges in training has nothing to do with fitness. Its identity. Whether you’re holding on to who you used to be or struggling to accept how far you’ve come, a mismatch between identity and reality can limit your progress. Understanding where you are right now is what allows you to move forward.

Coaching an athlete over the long term is often seen as a reflection of great programming. But the reality is far more complex. Coach Jake D. takes a look at what nine years with the same athlete really teaches you. Not just about training, but about trust, growth, and what it takes to build a relationship that lasts and continues to evolve at a high level.

Most CrossFit athletes have experienced it. A movement feels fine on its own, but the moment it shows up in a workout, everything falls apart. Improving skills isn’t about repeating them under fatigue and hoping they click. It’s about understanding what’s limiting you, developing the movement in a controlled setting, and then progressing it in a way that actually translates to performance.

Strength and endurance athletes require different training approaches. Learn how to identify your bias, focus on your weaknesses, and build a more balanced, competitive fitness profile.

Thirty years ago, I picked up a barbell and found a home. To mark this milestone, I asked my colleagues to interview me, and what followed were some of the most honest conversations I've had about my journey in this sport. Here is my story, told through the questions that matter most.

Running more isn’t always the answer to becoming a better runner. Staying healthy, consistent, and able to train week after week depends just as much on what you do around your runs as the runs themselves. This blog breaks down the key elements that most running programs miss and shows how simple additions to your routine can help reduce injury risk and keep you progressing.

For our July HWPO GIVE project, we’re looking to help a HARD WORKING teacher start the 2024-2025 school year off STRONG. Have you had an educator who’s shaped who you are? A professor who really made an impact? Or a teacher that really set the bar? Let us know, and they could win $5k (and some other surprises!).

We’ve got some killer content straight from Knoxville, TN. That’s right, Mat Fraser and the HWPO Training crew are back, and the energy is off the charts. Get ready to dive into all the action from the North America East Semifinal, where every rep counts and every second matters.

For the June HWPO GIVE initiative and in celebration of Pride month, we are thrilled to support The OUT Foundation. We believe that HWPO is a place where HARD WORKERS can be themselves.

HWPO Training is back in Carson, CA, where Mat won his first CrossFit Games title! Join us as we catch up with Patrick Vellner, Sam Kwant, and more at the West Coast Classic. Get exclusive behind-the-scenes action you won’t find anywhere else and intense competition highlights.

Sammy and O’Keefe have put in the HARD WORK to run the 2024 Boston Marathon. Not just for bragging rights, but to help support an organization close to our hearts: —One Summit. Catch up on all the BTS, training lead-up and race day action here.

In May, our HWPO GIVE initiative is teaming up with ABLE Games, a fantastic project by TNT. ABLE Games is a yearly fitness charity event that honors athletes of every skill level.

Catch up on an eventful weekend at HWPO HQ in out latest Vlog. Our PRO athletes SHOWED UP, and we had the opportunity to catch up with Mat on his latest training approach.

Individual Quarterfinals are approaching, and we caught up with a few of our coaches to share some advice as you prepare for the tests ahead.

Our inaugural Friday Night Lights at HWPO HQ was a hit! Over 80 HARD WORKERS joined for a pro-athlete experience with friends and partners of the brand SHOWING UP to elevate the event. Check out the highlights in our two-part vlog!

Coach Jake questions why redoing the Open workouts has gotten a bad rap. In short, his views are: If you’re doing The Open for fun with your community, redo it. Be reasonable, but have fun. That's the point. If you’ve got Semifinals or Games goals, practice executing on the first try and living with the result.

This March and April, we’re not only supporting One Summit, we’re running for them! This organization is near and dear to our hearts, and Sammy and O’Keefe are running the Boston Marathon, targeting their fundraising efforts to One Summit.

Sammy Moniz shares a heartfelt and inspiring journey through her pregnancy, the birth of her child, and the postpartum period, with a special focus on how her lifelong commitment to fitness played a pivotal role throughout.

This February, we’re supporting West Point’s Functional Fitness Team, known as the Black and Gold Team. These cadets compete in national and collegiate competitions while demonstrating West Point’s time-honored values of Duty, Honor, and Country.

HWPO PRO Head Coach, Ste Fawcett continues his review of coaching Sam Kwant to a third-place finish at the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza competition. Read all the action from day 2, including the warm-up strategies, executing the workouts, and all the emotions from the last day of competition.

HWPO PRO Head Coach Ste Fawcett stood in for Coach Josh Godinez at the last minute to coach Sam Kwant through TYR Wodapalooza 2024. Learn how day one of the competition went through the eyes of the coach.

2024’s competition was a blast. We’ve rounded up what the HARD WORKING community got up to in this collection of pictures from the weekend.

Katie Moore created ABC Hopes, a 501(c)(3) organization, in 2013 to provide greater opportunities to her younger brother, Christopher. The name stands for All Because Christopher Hopes, and the charity has since become a leading provider in wellness and empowerment for persons with intellectual disabilities.

This December, we’re aiming to help provide food to Vermonters facing hunger through the Vermont Foodbank. HWPO HQ and our founders, Mat and Sammy, are based in Vermont, and we’re honored to contribute to helping this local community thrive this holiday season.

For November’s HWPO GIVE initiative, we’re thrilled to partner with a foundation near and dear to our HWPO GOLF Head Coach and 3-Time PGA Tour winner, Scott Stallings. The Knoxville native and his wife Jen created a foundation to support Kids Play Free and the Tennessee Junior Cup.

Instilling healthy habits through fitness is how Redemption Road Fitness seeks to improve the future of those in the prison system.

Join Mat Fraser and Matt O’Keefe for a tour of our new gym facility. Learn why Mat chose the things that he did and get an insight into the significance of equipment and more.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, the Ultimate Hawaiian Challenge (UHC), an initiative of the Keala Foundation, raises funds to support the youth of Hawaii by providing a safe place to workout and embrace community.

Catch up on the 2023 Games with an exclusive behind the scenes look through the eyes of 5x Fittest Man on Earth, Mat Fraser.

In the spirit of once again celebrating the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, we wanted to give back to the city that SHOWS UP for the CrossFit athletes and community each year. HARD WORK has taken place in those local waters, and we encourage you to learn more about their history and get involved in preserving them for years to come.

For the July HWPO GIVE initiative, we are proud to partner with The Big Fish Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and reminding Veterans of their resilience.

For the June HWPO GIVE initiative and in celebration of Pride month, we are thrilled to support The OUT Foundation. We believe that HWPO is a place where HARD WORKERS can be themselves.

We are celebrating the HARD WORK that our HWPO Training members have put in to qualify for the Semifinals of the games.

For the May HWPO GIVE initiative, we’re partnering with ABLE Games, a project of TNT, which is an annual fitness charity event that celebrates athletes of all abilities.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the opening of HWPO Training headquarters in Vermont.

For Aprils’ HWPO GIVE initiative, we’re supporting Kiss the Ground, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by a group of activists who have been empowering individuals to make a difference in their communities for the last decade.

Earlier this week, we spoke to one of our incredible #HARDWORKERS, Christina Prevett, a pelvic floor specialist and a member of our HWPO FLAGSHIP program. She shares her knowledge of pelvic floor health, training whilst pregnant or postpartum and the relationship between fitness and the menstrual cycle.

As part of the HWPO Training GIVE initiative for March, we’ll be donating $5k to Alliance for Period Supplies as well as encouraging our community to donate and create awareness around womens’ access to hygiene products globally.

Participate in the ‘OLETA’ workout throughout the month of February and help us spread awareness.

As part of the HWPO GIVE initiative for February, we’ll be donating $5k to One Summit and participating in the NATE WOD CHALLENGE.

To start 2023 off the right way, the HWPO team has set some of their New Year’s resolutions which we want to share with our community. These are both fitness and personal goals, and we know how difficult it can be to follow through with resolutions, which is why we’re sharing our tips on how our HARD WORKERS can hold themselves accountable.

HWPO is excited for the start of a new year, but first, we want to reflect on 2022.