"I don't have a set program. I play it by ear."
At the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games, Rich Froning, 24, proved his fitness. He left the weekend competition with the title Fittest on Earth. As this year’s Games competition approaches, Froning will soon be fighting to hold onto that title.
It is only days before the world’s fittest take on the competition they have been vigorously training for. This will be Froning’s third time competing at the CrossFit Games and he is preparing himself well for the unknown and unknowable.
Offense vs. Defense
Last season, Froning played more of an offensive role at the Games. “Not much of a difference,” Froning says about offensive versus defensive roles. “Everybody plays defense. Well, really, you're always doing both at the same time.”
Froning has pushed himself to world record-breaking lengths while simultaneously keeping an eye on every other athlete around him, assuring they remain behind him. “You always go all out, but you also see when you need to pace,” he explains.
One Year, One Weekend
“We have trained all year, for one weekend,” Froning says of the three-day Games competition.
Froning has an untraditional programming method compared other top-level Games athletes.
“I don’t have a set program. I play it by ear,” Froning says. “Man, we all do CrossFit, and we all lift heavy weights. You don’t know what the workouts are going to be, so why worry about it?”
Froning does what he does for the love of the game. The fans, the sponsors and the shoes are just a bonus.
He says he varies the time domain of his multi-workout days greatly. He adheres to the need for constant variety and says he includes such variances as, “shooting rifles, handguns, and bow and arrows to get ready.”
Although some may criticize Froning’s training regimen, he doesn’t let it get to him. “I guess people could train smarter than me, but I won’t let anyone out work me,” he says.
Mentally Prepared
Froning is not only physically ready, he is mentally tuned-up “A lot of over training is psychological, not physical,” he says.
Froning has prepared his body and his mind for the competition. Despite skepticism, he has shown his method works for him. Now, he has the world asking, “Does he have what it takes to be the first repeat champion?”
We will soon find out.
