"I've just got to believe in my abilities. I think that's something that I have always struggled with, just believing I am good enough."
One of the first things you may think upon meeting Travis Mayer is he must have put his shoes on in the dark. But you’d be wrong.
“One day, just right after I started CrossFit, I thought, ‘Well, two different shoes will go with (what I’m wearing) today,’ and it stuck," he explained. "I like to stand out in my own way, and I guess two different colored shoes fits that. In motocross, I used to wear custom helmets, and now in CrossFit, I wear different colored shoes.”
After a third-place finish at the 2014 South East Regional, Mayer is making his second consecutive trip to the CrossFit Games. This year, Mayer, 23, is feeling more comfortable in his mismatched shoes. He said his confidence has been his biggest improvement since his appearance in last year’s Games.
“Last year was a big eye opener,” Mayer said. “Just to see and believe how good you actually are. I think that is the biggest thing for me. It’s like, next thing I know, I’m lining up with Dan Bailey and Rich Froning Jr., all these guys, and I was like, ‘Wow! These are the people I’ve looked up to ever since I’ve been in CrossFit.’ It was a bit intimidating … for it being my first year.”
“It kind of set me back,” Mayer admitted. “I was thinking, ‘Oh, how am I going to do?’ Or I would think to myself, ‘I’m probably not going do as well on this one.’ I think there was a bit of doubting my own abilities instead of just going out there, working out and having a good time.”
Racing motocross for eight years at the amateur level gave Mayer a firm foundation as a competitive athlete.
“Growing up, my dad always made sure I worked out as a supplemental way to make sure I didn’t get hurt when I wrecked,” Mayer said. “That’s how I initially got into working out with weights and lifting both at school and at home. If you can imagine a bike going 50 mph, jumping, turning and then next thing you know, you get thrown off and hit the ground at 45 to 55 mph—you don’t want to break like a twig!”
“(Most people) think you can hop on a bike and just ride, but there’s a lot more in-depth going into it,” Mayer said. “It is core stability, your forearms. It’s everything and just being able to maintain your stability.”
Mayer has had a busy year. Co-owner of CrossFit Passion with his partner, Marjorie Greene, his gym moved from a 6,000-square-foot space to an 11,000-square-foot space right before regionals. In addition, Mayer recently got engaged and is in the midst of wedding planning. Regardless, he is looking forward to competing at the Games.
“Going into the Games is a lot less stressful than going to regionals,” Mayer said. “Once you make it the Games, that’s the fun thing. You train all year, and you’ve worked for the past three or four years to get to the Games, and it’s like … you’ve done the hard work to get there, now it’s time to just give it everything you have and just have fun with it.”
“I think regionals is so stressful and tough because you have to perform on that weekend,” he said. “It has to be your best. You can’t mess up.”
Consistency is the key to doing well at regionals, Mayer said. Despite not finishing any regional event higher than fifth place, his consistent performance put him back on the podium in third place.
“Consistency is what you have to think of instead of winning this (event) and having a 25th finish on the next one,” he said. “That was my game plan since last year’s regionals. I told myself, ‘Stay consistent and you’ll be back.’”
Looking back on his past year’s training, Mayer said he has spent a lot of time on getting stronger—not only on his lifts but mentally, as well.
“After I returned from last year’s Games, I talked with my coach, and we did some reflection on what we (thought of my performance), and I think the big thing that came out was that I’ve just got to believe in my abilities,” Mayer said. “I think that is something that I have always struggled with, just believing that I am good enough.”
Mayer has been working with his coach, Max El-Hag, for the past two-and-a-half years.
“The way he connects and responds to emails and bases my program and listens to my body,” he said. “It’s been the perfect fit for me having him as a coach.”
Though Mayer said his conditioning is up to par, strength has always been a weakness.
“Strength is something that has always been a little tough for me so this year we worked a ton on overhead work, clean and jerk, snatch, getting conditioning right. We have also worked on fixing my mobility in my hips and ankles, and I’ve put a ton of weight on both those lifts since last year,” he said.
“Last year I failed at 315 lb. on the Clean and Jerk Ladder,” he continued. “Now I’ve cleaned 370 lb. and jerked 370 lb. from the blocks, but I haven’t put the two together. I am up to 345 lb. on my clean and jerks, and I’m hitting it consistently and that’s kind of the big thing. I don’t want to clean and jerk 370 lb. one time and not be able to hit it again. Now I’m able to get 345 lb. and hit it consecutively. It’s really about being consistent with all these lifts.”
Mayer firmly believes rest days and recovery, along with the eating to perform, are critical to his performance.
“I believe 100 percent in the rest and longevity. I can’t do six to seven days in a row,” he explained. “My body doesn’t need that, and I’m going for longevity in the sport, not trying to beat myself up in a year.”
“I also have a nutritionist I work with that helps me dial in each and every day,” Mayer said. “I will send her my programming, and she looks at everything, and then we talk about how many grams of protein, carbs, fats, all of that so that I know what I am supposed to do pre-workout, post-workout and how much I am supposed to eat. That for me has been a significant thing in my recovery process, as well.”
Mayer added: “I think a lot of people don’t eat enough. I know for me, I thought I was eating good and then when I first started working with her, she told me ‘You are just out of fuel.’” Mayer is ready for the Games.
“This year, I need to stay mentally strong going into each workout,” he said. “Looking at it as taking one workout at a time, not thinking about the next three workouts or what is going to happen. Just go out there, give it everything I have, and have fun with it. That’s all I can ask for.”
