This is part 3 of the article, "The CrossFit Masters" If you missed part 1 you can find it here ans part 2 here.
In this interview and the three additional, I have gotten the chance to interview some of the CrossFit Master Athletes, actually the fittest on earth. All placed amongst top three in the 2017 CrossFit Games.
I have asked them about how and why they started CrossFit, how they train, how they eat and how they stay so extremely fit even though they are not in their 20's, 30's nor 40's any longer.
Please enjoy!

Please tell us about yourself:

I am 62 years old. My husband, Pat, and I have two children, Will, age 27, and Mara, age 25. I am a Health Educator with the Public Health Department in the town where I live. My resume regarding Crossfit would read that I am three times Crossfit Games participant. I was 12th in 2012 in the 55-59 age group, first in 2016 and 2nd in 2017 in the 60+ age group. In 2014, I won the 55-59 age group NorCal Masters competition, which is a Regional two-day competition in Northern California. I also attended the 2017 Crossfit Games at the same time my son competed there on a team. That was super fun although we did not really see much of each other during the competition!
What my resume would not say is that I am stronger and fitter than I have ever been and I consider my best achievement regarding Crossfit to be-be that I am in a position to continually improve at the movements and do things I could not do when I was younger.


When did you start with CrossFit and why?

I began Crossfit in the autumn of 2009. I had been following my normal fitness routine of running/swimming/biking, hiking, Nordic skiing, and practising yoga for years and was starting to believe I needed a more specific routine than doing whatever I felt like. My son introduced me to Crossfit. I resisted for probably three months, as I just did not see myself spending time in a gym exercising. It sounded boring. Also, I had never picked up a barbell and I could not imagine enjoying it. When I finally began, I committed to one month, three times a week. Part of my commitment was that after one month, I would reevaluate whether I wanted to continue. If I did, I would continue for another month. If not, I would walk away. After the first two weeks, I was smitten.
I started training seriously in late 2011 when my son encouraged me to compete in the 2012 Open.

How and to what extent were you physically active before CrossFit?

As an adult, I exercised 4-5 times a week, mostly outdoors doing things I loved to do, but with little training or formal coaching. I occasionally would "compete" in a fun event but only very occasionally. When I was younger I was a competitive swimmer, ran on the track team in high school, and played tennis. Keep in mind that there were not many sports activities available in school for girls when I was growing up. For some reason, my mom believed it was very important for my sister and me to be just as physically active and engaged as my brothers so she sought out opportunities for us. I owe a lot to her for that.

How often do you train today?

My training week is typically 5 days a week. I take one complete day off and the other day I do some sort of recovery workout. Typically, my training sessions are 2.5-3 hours a day. My favourite training day is Saturday when the gym is full and I have a longer time to do my work. I don't like feeling rushed to get everything finished, but that is often the case.

Do you follow a specific programming?

Yes. My coach, Alex Hausserman, from Crossfit Davis, in Davis, California, programs for me.
I live about an hour's drive from Davis, so I drive there every week or two to train with him. Otherwise, I work out at my local gym, Crossfit Goldrush. I feel very lucky to have Alex as a coach. He has coached for almost ten years, is thoughtful and deliberate in his approach, and is a former Games/Regional athlete. He is also very smart. Alex coaches all different levels of athletes and one of the things I really appreciate about him is his attention to detail for all of us.

Is your training structured in a specific way?

My training is very structured but also has flexibility built into it. Alex programs strength, aerobic, HIIT, Olympic Weight Lifting, skill, and gymnastics work for me. I also, of course, do WOD's. He also programs my warmup and mobility. I do additional mobility on my own and I usually add stuff into the warmup, especially in the winter. Our winter this year has been particularly warm so I am grateful for that. It is most assuredly related to climate change, however, which is of grave concern. (Sorry, I had to get that in.) For me, this structure is the best way to improve. I still do smashing WODS but I could not do those for the duration of my training sessions and I do not believe doing so would help me improve.

Do you follow a specific diet?

Basically, I try to eat so I feel good and can sustain my training. I do not follow any specific diet.
I try to eat only real food. I eat lots of protein, vegetables, and rice. I also eat lots of healthy fats.
I am conscious of how I feel in relation to my food intake so am always ready to adjust my calories. I rarely eat anything with added sugar. I drink a glass of wine or have a beer probably once or twice a week. I suppose some people would consider this a diet but I do not. I love ice-cream and when I first started Crossfit I was thrilled because I felt I could eat it more than I ever had. The problem is with the volume of training I do, I don't feel good if I eat lots of sugar regularly. I still consider ice cream the perfect food but only eat it when I am feeling celebratory or as a treat.

As a Master Athlete, do you think that nutrition is more important than it is for younger athletes?

I have a degree in nutrition, so obviously have been interested in the subject for decades. The elite level younger athletes are so very aware of what they eat, how they recover, how they sleep, etc. I do not really see that much of a difference between what/how they eat and what I do. Except they eat way more. I think for anyone starting Crossfit, you quickly learn that you feel better eating well. The more you feel better, the better you eat. I think this is true for every age group, not just masters. The great thing about Crossfit is that you can still eat the things you like to eat, but you might find your diet evolves as you observe how your body reacts to training.

The Sacramento Rolling Kings, a wheelchair basketball team out of Sacramento, California recently began training at Crossfit Davis. Sometimes I am in the gym when they are training as a team and also when individuals come to work out. There are some great athletes, both men and women, on the team and it is fun and educational to watch them.

Also, when my husband and I travel, we always try to find a Crossfit gym. It is a great way to meet people and you can walk into a gym and immediately feel comfortable even if you don't speak the language of the country you are in. I absolutely love that. Crossfit is a common language.
If I had not started Crossfit, I would have missed out on all of this. I believe that would have been a tremendous missed opportunity.

However, there are definite downsides to my level of commitment. I probably don't have as many friends as I would like. My closest friends are those who have a passion and understand what it takes to pursue that passion so doesn't have hurt feelings because I don't spend time with them every week. That has been a bit hard. I am very fortunate that my husband and children (when they are around) all are committed, Crossfit athletes. They are very supportive of the time it takes to train. My sister is a competitive masters mountain biker and she also is a great source of support.

What do you think is important for older athletes to focus on when doing CrossFit? 

It is most important to focus on form. There are so many layers to peel away to improve your movement and perfect your form. This is especially true for masters athletes because recovering from injury for us takes longer and possibly has more consequences than for younger athletes.
But, focusing on form and the intention of the movement rather than your performance in a WOD is very hard. It is easy to target the short-term goals of improving a time or lifting a heavier weight. It is more difficult to work towards the long-term goal of having great form, which does eventually lead to improvement. Pursuing good form often means doing less so that you do it well in the long term without injury. That is an adjustment I see many masters athletes having difficulty with.
The form is very definitely related to mobility and many older athletes and adults, in general, have not necessarily maintained their mobility. Athletes coming to Crossfit from another sport may find the mobility demands of Crossfit exceed what they have experienced in the past and so while they may have the strength or endurance required for some movements, they more than likely have limited mobility for others.

And what should they absolutely not focus on?

Absolutely avoid heavy weights, body weight gymnastics, and any movement that is not scaled to their degree of flexibility and strength before they have the strength/form to do them.
Training these movements is very different than getting into shape for a 5k run. It takes a long time to build strength and a very long time to improve mobility. Everyone hears that but I think they don't believe it. I know I did not when I first started. The fastest route to improve is to strive for good form and mobility and build on that. One can still get a very excellent workout with this formula.

For older athletes that are considering to take up CrossFit what is your advice to them and what can they expect if they start?

Find a box where you feel comfortable and you like the coaches. Make sure the gym prioritizes form.
Most gyms now have members who are masters, so know you will not be the only master athlete.
Know you will find many things hard, but you may find some things that are easy for you. And you may be challenged physically but also in other ways you did not expect.
The most important thing is to show up and be consistent, keeping in mind that life can get in the way.
Everything in Crossfit can be scaled to where you are in your body. Usually, in class everyone is scaling on some movement, so you will not be the only one.
Each class seems to take on its own personality, so you will develop a community in the classes you attend and also within your gym as a whole.
Do not be intimidated. The beauty of being a master is that you have nothing to lose and you are old enough to know it. And there is loads of potential for improvement, even for older bodies.

For you as a CrossFit Master Athlete what is your plan and expectations for the future?

I intend to continue to practice Crossfit for as long as I can. Hopefully, I will catch up with Grandma Betty! '
As for competing and especially competing at the Crossfit Games, that may only last a while longer unless for some reason Crossfit as an organization decides to add a 65+ age group. Women competing in the age groups below me are superstars in what they can do and how fast they do it. Standing next to them, I honestly feel they are a different human breed than me. It is so wonderful to see! But I also know that no matter what I do and how hard I train, there is no way I can compete with them at the Games for much longer.
Crossfit as a sport has given women, including Masters women, the opportunity to excel physically at all levels and to continue to push the boundaries of what can be expected of us. It has also provided an avenue to get fit in a way that focuses not on how we look but how we can best perform. I consider this revolutionary and am very proud of the fact that I have participated in a small way.

Thank you for asking me such thought-provoking questions!

Please tell us about yourself:

I am Craig Eisman, 51 years old. I have a beautiful wife named Elisa whom I have been married to for 12 years and three daughters, Jessilyn, Graciela and Emilie. I was an oil field worker until a few years ago and then started a personal training business (including Crossfit coaching). Presently I am in the process of opening a Nutrition and Supplement retail outlet. I started Crossfit in August of 2013 and fell in love with it. The Open of 2014 was my first Open experience and it was gruelling, to say the least. I ended up ranked 36th in my age division, missing the Games by 16 spots and from that point on I was driven to succeed at the sport. I made it to the Games the following two years (2015 + 2016) in the 45-49 division, finishing 4th and 8th respectively. In 2017 I made it as a 50-year-old and came in 2nd. I have my Level I and enjoy coaching at Anchor Crossfit in Commerce City Colorado, I also write some of the programmings for Anchor which I really enjoy.

Do you follow a specific programming?

I write all of my own programming, I have since my first time to make the Games. I borrow the well-known strength and Oly programs to improve in those areas but the rest is my own.

How often do you train today?

I do a lot of two-a-days when the Games approach, but for the rest of the year, I do half of my work with the classes and the other half on off hours. Strength, Olys and accessory work I do on the off hours along with a lot of skill work and strict movements to build that base strength. I love EMOMs and hard cardio intervals with timed recovery periods which decrease as important events like the Open and Games near. Offseason sometimes 3:1 or 2:1 recovery is fine and then it gets down to 1:1 or less recovery time between intervals, whether it is rowing, assault bike, bar work, gymnastics or combinations of them.

As a Master Athlete, how do you train differently from younger athletes and why?

I found out the hard way, through injuries and overtraining fatigue that as a master age athlete I need to be smarter. I have found ways to train just as hard and to keep the volume relatively high without overtraining. It took me until last year to get this down as my affinity for working out is hard to temper, I never wanted to give in two days off. Days off are much harder mentally for me than the hardest of workouts, I usually find myself devising workouts for the following week to keep me occupied and still feel like I am doing something productive towards my fitness goals. My wife keeps me in line as well, besides being my strongest supporter she tends to know what is best for me and is pretty blunt when it comes to telling me when I need to settle down.

Do you follow a specific diet?

I don't follow any specific diet or nutrition plan. I tried the Zone for about 6 months and kind of fell off of that wagon, but I took from it the importance of balancing the carbs, proteins and essential fats with each meal. I try to stick with that to the best of my ability. I love my Saturday wings with some Budweiser's during the offseason although I am pretty good about cutting all of that out when it comes crunch time.

As a Master Athlete, do you think that nutrition is more important than it is for younger athletes?

I think proper nutrition is just as important for youngsters as it is for Masters Athletes, although I do believe the unwanted byproducts of bad eating are harder to get rid of as you age. When metabolism slows and age creeps in it is much harder to regain an elite level of fitness once you lose it. Regardless of how old a person is, nutrition plays a big part in reaching the pinnacle of this sport.

What has CrossFit given you?

Crossfit has had a major impact on my life and my family's life as well. Personally, it has allowed me to discover the kind of person I believe I was born to be. I love being at the gym and spending time with the athletes at the gym. The early morning classes I coach have become filled with more than just clients, they are friends and people I can share just about anything with. I look forward to seeing them every day. Afternoon workouts with my closest workout partners, Adam and Jesse are always something I look forward to.
My wife and I have our Sunday morning workout routine, we head to the gym at 7:30 and get a strength workout in and then the rest of the workout crew come in around 8:30 for our conditioning and WOD.I remember my family coming with me to my first local competition a few months after starting CrossFit, I wanted to test myself and hadn't told anyone else about it. On the way there I told my wife that was the day I was quitting chewing tobacco, she just nodded having heard this a hundred times before; I have never chewed again since that day. Crossfit has made what I consider "living right" easy. I feel I am a better family man and a better person overall.

What do you think is important for older athletes to focus on when doing CrossFit?


Master athletes should focus on doing their best, maintaining mobility and forever try to better themselves with speed and skill, no matter what age. I was going to say Masters athletes should not worry about keeping up with the youngsters, but on second thought we absolutely should. Healthy competition keeps us sharp and hungry. The better the competition I face, the more I leave it all out there.

For you as a CrossFit Master Athlete what is your plan and expectations for the future?

Personally, I am going through my own trying time with osteoarthritis in my right knee. The bone on bone really impedes a lot of movements and sometimes takes the joy out of workouts. I plan on seeing what I can do during this Open season and maybe try to make the Games one more time. If I do, this will definitely be my last go around. If not, then 2017 and 2nd in the world will be a memorable year for me to say it was my last. I will continue Crossfit for as long as I can, maybe just dial it down a bit.