“I’ve always aspired to be as good as the best and consider any progress towards those goals a step in the right direction."
"I started that writing 'I Can, I Will' down my arm last year when trying to qualify for the Games as a reminder when my hands go to my knees, or I'm in the middle of burpees to snap me out of it. It is a regular thing for me now. That shot was taken on my way to the gym for one of this year's qualifying workouts."
Courtesy of Brent Maier
When Brent Maier signed up for the 2013 Open, he had a mantra: “I can, I will.” He wrote it on his left arm and looked at it when he had doubts during Open Workout 13.1.
“It’s just a little thing I do when the going gets rough,” Maier said of the mantra.
Maier went on to qualify for the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games in the Masters 40-44 Division and finished in third place overall, behind John Lynch and Michael Moseley.
A competitive martial artist of 25 years, Maier holds two black belts in tae kwon do and unified martial arts. Training under one of the most sought after coaches and instructors, Bob Leiker, he began martial arts at 16 years old, and tapped into a fierce work ethic and intensity.
At 19, after graduating high school, he married his high school sweetheart and joined the Air Force. Maier continued martial arts training for his six years of service. In 2000, he and his family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to live among the mountains.
With the Olympic Training Center nearby, Maier quickly found himself surrounded by some of the best names in wrestling and mixed martial arts. But the desire for more strength and stamina eventually led him to pursue Olympic lifting, which led him to CrossFit.
“I saw things like handstand push-ups, muscle-ups and thought, ‘What are these?’” he remembered. “I did main site for two years. It was so raw at the time but it’s all I did.”
In 2006, Maier made a decision to retire from martial arts and dedicate himself to CrossFit.
“My stamina and strength were so much better than before, but I got tired of the bumps, bruises and broken things,” he said. “(Martial arts) was holding me back in CrossFit.”
He trained mostly alone in his garage and in 2009, 2010 and 2011 competed at the regional level. In 2013, when the Masters 40-44 Division was announced, he wanted a spot at the Games.
“I’ve always aspired to be as good as the best and consider any progress towards those goals a step in the right direction. As long as I’m progressing at a faster rate than others, that’s all I can ask,” Maier said, who now follows CrossFit Invictus programming.
But as intense and fanatical as he is about CrossFit, he keeps his head steady and his priorities in order. His wife of 23 years and his children, Arilyn, 16, and Luke, 14, all do CrossFit at CrossFit Pandora’s Box in Colorado Springs. When they aren’t working out as a family, Maier fits in workouts during homework time or when they are doing their own workouts.
“Something changed for me at 42,” Maier said. “I don’t want to have any regrets about the time I spent doing CrossFit or time I didn’t spend with the kids. I don’t want to break myself either. Then I’m broken and I can’t do CrossFit.”
Maier said this year, he’s dedicating his performance to fellow athlete Jason Fine. The two met at the 2013 Games, and recently Fine was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma. He is currently undergoing treatment.
“I broke down in the garage when I heard about (Fine),” Maier said. “I promised this year’s effort at the Games is dedicated to him and the battle he is fighting. Life is precious and (it’s) hard to see someone so fit get hit with such an evil thing. He is such a wonderful guy.”
