The CrossFit legend has an upgrade for his athletes.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
CrossFit legend Mat Fraser has a new HWPO (Hard Work Pays Off) training facility in Burlington, VT and, by the looks of it, it is quite the fitness marvel to prepare for elite CrossFit competition.
On Apr. 19, 2023, Craig Richey of the TeamRICHEY YouTube channel toured Fraser’s new gym. In the process, Richey gave a comprehensive look at what the five-time CrossFit Men’s Individual champion (2016-2020) is now offering his athletes.
Mat Frasers NEW GYM FACILITY is Incredible (New HWPO HQ Tour!)
The main benefit of Fraser’s new HWPO facility is space. The headquarters for the preparation of Fraser’s CrossFit athletes has 6,500 square feet of space and 5,000 square feet of office space. What’s apparent is that if an athlete needs to tackle a multitude of training objectives for CrossFit competition, they won’t be short on options (or breathing room) at this gym.
Aside from sheer training space, there’s a studio for content creation, video, and management of social media platforms. Any athletes who have the pleasure of using the headquarters get the benefit of a “Recovery Zone” lounge, with a sauna and cold therapy. That’s in addition to standard personal lockers, of course.
In terms of CrossFit machinery and equipment offered, Fraser’s team appears to have pulled out all the stops. There is a full array of Concept2 machinery with multiple SkiERGs, BikeERGs, and rowers. A 55-foot-long strip of space defines a strength and conditioning area seemingly ideal for sled pushing, sprinting, and agility drills. There is also a massive competition rig for pull-ups, rope climbing, and muscle-ups. It has two 15-foot-tall uprights for that design. The massive facility also offers eight separate squat racks with an abundance of barbells and weight plates.
Fraser even incorporated what he called the “bodybuilding” section with pulley stations for lat pulldowns and cable crossovers, as well as racks of dumbbells and kettlebells.
At the time of this article’s publication, Fraser’s new HWPO facility is still in its developmental stages. He and his team are figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
At the very least, Fraser seems ready for new ventures in CrossFit training at any time.
“Every gym I’ve moved into, I was like, ‘Oh, we’ll never run out of space here,’” Fraser said in the video. “I’m to the point now that I’m like, ‘No, I wanna outgrow these spaces,’ I want to build it bigger and better.”
Featured image: teamRICHEY / YouTube
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).