Mat Fraser

Mat Fraser (born 1990 in Colchester, Vermont, USA) is widely regarded as the most dominant male athlete in CrossFit history. He won five consecutive CrossFit Games titles from 2016 through 2020—the only athlete to achieve this feat—earning the title of “Fittest Man on Earth” by the largest margin in the event’s history Players Bio+13+13GQ+13. Before CrossFit, Fraser was a talented Olympic weightlifter, securing a 2009 Junior National Weightlifting title, and later balanced elite training with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management at the University of Vermont +4+4+4.

After retiring from competition in 2020, Fraser founded HWPO Training (Hard Work Pays Off), where he continues to inspire through coaching, writing, and speaking about mindsets, recovery, and sustainable training +15+15Players Bio+15. He has also authored the training book HWPO, sharing detailed insights about his preparation philosophy. His journey from weightlifter to CrossFit icon underscores the power of discipline, consistency, and purposeful decision-making.

Fraser’s mindset is reflected in many direct quotes: “Hard work pays off” has become both his mantra and the name of his training brand Players Bio+6+6FixQuotes+6. He’s also said: “Success is not given. You have to work for it every single day.” and “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” Quotesanity+1The Narratologist+1. On his competition mindset, Fraser shared: “I literally cut everything out of my life… just for those four days” of the CrossFit Games, underscoring his singular focus during performance periods BrainyQuote+15+15+15.

Let me know if you'd like more quotes, insights into his training philosophy, or stories from his competitive years!