Six-Time Games Athlete Brent Maier: A legacy of grit and greatness at the CrossFit Games

Brent Maier is a six-time CrossFit Games masters athlete. He stood on the podium with a third-place finish in the Masters Men 40-44 Division in his debut appearance at the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games, following the performance with a seventh-place finish in 2014. Though he missed Games qualification by just three places after the Masters Qualifier in 2015, he made his comeback in 2016 with a career-best finish of second place in the 45-49 Division. In 2017, he had another dominating performance in Madison with another 2nd place finish in the 45-49 Division. Finishing out in 4th at Madison in 2018 proves he is one of the most consistent high-level performers in the sport. He qualified for his sixth appearance again in 2021, and finished yet again with a 2nd place podium finish to wrap up another exciting year! Before entering the masters division, Maier competed as an individual at the regional level from 2009-2011. A martial artist with two black belts and a former member of the U.S. Air Force, Maier took fourth and fifth in the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Worldwide Liftoff weightlifting competitions, respectively.

In 2018, I finished 4th place at the 2018 CrossFit Games in Madison, WI.  It was an exciting year and as always I was honored to have made it back for my 5th games appearance.

My boy is just starting his 2nd year of college and daughter just finished her first 4 years and was accepted into the Pharmacology program and working towards her PhD.  I'll be spending the next few years adjusting to the kids being away and hopefully give me a mental break from the day to day rigors of games training.

We'll see where we are here in 2021 as I roll into a new age division.  Until then, I'll continue living, loving and learning on this journey we call life!

At this point having a 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th place finish at the CrossFit games, if I walked away today, I'd be fully satisfied with my efforts knowing I didn't sacrifice everything to reach those goals.

-Brent

Finished this year in Madison, WI at the Crossfit Games 2017 with a 2nd place finish and took home the silver.  It was an exciting venue and quite a bit different than Carson, CA.

This year also marks the year my wife's dad passed away and my boy became a senior in high school, 3 years behind my daughter.  Taking it a day at a time and we'll see what the future holds.

Another update to let everyone know I'm still alive.

Took 4th in the world in the CrossFit 2015 1st annual LiftOff and won a nice bearing Rogue bar.  The great Josh Everett finished 5th so that alone was worth the experience.

In 2016 I ended up taking 5th place in the 2nd Annual CrossFit Liftoff and won another liftoff bearing bar.  5th place was the cutoff for prizes but was able to pull it off so that I can give them to my kids once they grow up and have a house of their own.  In the meantime, workouts with friends/family are a little easier the more bars you have around the house.

I ended up making it back to the CrossFit Games in the 45-49 year old division and ended up taking 2nd place with the silver medal on their 10 year anniversary and last time in LA.  The final workout was in the tennis stadium so it doesn't get much better than that.

As of 2017, I have qualified again to go back for my 4th CrossFit games appearance now in Madison, Wisconsin.  We're exactly 2 months out from the games and training is going well.  Trying to stay healthy and injury free as we ramp up volume and weights!

Family is healthy and doing well.  Onward!

-Brent

I haven't posted in a while so figured I would at least leave a brief summary with how things are going.  Numbers have gone up over the past year, I'm around 250 snatch, 335 Clean, 415 BS, 515 Deadlift.

In 2013, I qualified for the Crossfit Games in 17th place of the top 20 invited world wide.  I ended up taking 3rd place and bringing home a medal.

In 2014, I qualified again and went to the Crossfit Games in 5th place of the top 20 worldwide.  There were about 12,500 athletes that year that competed in the open.  That year I ended up taking 7th place.  The workouts didn't work to my advantage that year but it was an exciting year.

Both in 2013 and 2014, I ended up taking 1st place in the final workouts.  I have a history of gaining momentum as the competition goes on and end up finishing strong.

At the time of this post, I'm currently sitting in 33rd out of 18,000 in the Crossfit Games 2015 Open.  The semi-qualifiers to determine the top 20 out of the top 200 in the world is only one week out.  Make it or not, I'll give it my all.

Job is good and the family is healthy.  Everything else is second to that.  Onward!

Severly pulled tendon/muscle in my best shoulder while trying to rehab the other 13 days ago.  I believe it was where the long head of the bicept ties into the shoulder.  Couldn't move my arm for 3 days and pushup was out of the question 7 days post injury.  Attempted a pushup with sharp pain still present 10 days post injury.  Took 10 days off from doing anything other than a little running.   13 days after the injury I'm just starting to work back into it slowly.

No idea what the future holds as I typically take it day by day.  This may have been a sign from the good lord to take some time to rest my shoulders.  6 years of Crossfit and never had a shoulder issue.  I don't think this is related to age although I think my body went through some changes at 42.  I'm seeing a lot of shoulder injuries from a lot of young athletes today and never remember seeing of this the first 6 years.  Why?  I think we're all pushing weights and reps at a very intense level relative to what we are capable of because of size, flexibility, etc.  I think we've finally crossed that line where it must be addressed

I'm addressing it and on a mission.  If I find a cure, I will be sharing it.

-Brent

AM: IronScap

Done

PM @ 10pm after girls vball game
CS Warmup: Done
Hold L Seat for 2 minutes
RPushUps: 7 OTM for 10m
Hold Superman for 2 minutes
Hold L Hang for 2 minutes
100 Superman Rocks
CS Gymnastics warm down

Done

A.
Six sets of:
Halting Snatch Deadlift + Mid-Hang Snatch + High-Hang Snatch
Rest 2-3 minutes

135, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195#

B.
Four sets of:
Snatch Balance x 1 rep
Rest 2 minutes
Terminology: Different coaches have different terminology, when I refer to “Snatch Balance” I expect a dip, drive and foot movement into your receiving position at the bottom of your snatch. If I want only a drive under the barbell – no dip and drive – I will refer to the movement as a “Snatch Drop.”

135, 165, 185, 205#

C.
Back Squat
* Set 1 – 5 reps @ 75-80% of 1-RM
* Set 2 – 3 reps @ 85-90%
* Set 3 – 1 rep @ 90-95%
* Sets 4-6 – 8 reps @ 70-80%
Rest 2 minutes between sets.

325x5, 365x3, 385x1, 325x8, 325x8, 325x8
The 385 single was easy. The 3 sets of 8 were difficult although the last set was my strongest and most focused mentally and w/breathing.

D.
For time:
50 Double-Unders
5 Muscle-Ups
40 Double-Unders
4 Muscle-Ups
30 Double-Unders
3 Muscle-Ups
20 Double-Unders
2 Muscle-Ups
10 Double-Unders
1 Muscle-Up

Time: 3:22 - got mentally weak on the set of 3 & 2 MU's.

OPTIONAL A.M./Additional Session:
A.
Easy 1-Mile Warm-Up Run
B.
Six sets of:
100 Yard Accelerations
(Perform these barefoot on grass if possible – starting at roughly 60%, build every 10-15 yards until you reach 90%, and then slowly begin to taper back down in the last 30-40 yards)
Rest 90 seconds
C.
Run 400 Meters @ 80%
Rest 60 seconds
Run 400 Meters @ 75%
Rest 60 seconds
Run 400 Meters @ 70%
*NOTE #1 – This is the exact program from last week. The reason is simple…most of you are new to track efforts and only last week might have started to establish pacing and mechanics. I am going to keep the progression simple and maybe even repetitive until it looks like folks are ready to move forward.

A.
On the minute, every minute, for 10 minutes:
Power Snatch x 3 reps
Build the load over the course of the 10 sets. Start light, last 2-3 sets should be “heavy” for the triple. All snatches must be received above parallel.

135# -> 185#

B.
Five sets of:
Close-Grip Bench Press x 5-6 reps
Rest 90 seconds
Toes to Bar x 12-15 reps
(keep these quick and unbroken)
Rest 90 seconds

BP: 185-215# sets of 6
T2B: Done & fast

C.
Three sets of:
Weighted Dips (Stationary) x 8-10 reps @ 20X2
(hold for two seconds at the top – if you don’t have a stationary dip station, do strict ring dips at tempo)
Rest 90 seconds
GHD Sit-Ups x 15-20 reps
Rest 90 seconds

Dips on rings x10 reps
GHD x20's, fast

D.
Three sets for max calories of:
60 Seconds of AirDyne
Rest 60 seconds

59, 34, 30 cals 

A.
Eight sets of:
Tempo Front Squat @ 31X1 + Front Squat
Rest 2-3 minutes
Three second descent to the bottom of the front squat, then pause for one full second (“one-one thousand”) and get up to standing as quickly as possible, then reset, breath, tighten up and perform another front squat with no tempo restriction. Build to the heaviest load possible.

Worked up to 315#

B.
Three rounds for time of:
10 Power Cleans (135/95 lb)
20 Barbell Weighted Walking Lunges (135/95 lb)
30 Pull-Ups
Rest exactly 3 minutes, and then . . .

11:50 w/supinated grip

C.
Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 Meters
30 Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg)

x45kbs @ 2pd.  Calves cramping from B.  Not sure if it was lunges, jumping off pullups, or early afternoon running session.  Calves were not happy on the jog so just decided to hit KBS and shoulder work.

OPTIONAL A.M./Additional Session:
A.
Easy 1-Mile Warm-Up Run
B.
Ten sets of:
Run 90 seconds @ 70-75%
Run 30 seconds @ 85-90%

Done 

A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
Muscle-Up x 3-7 reps
Nose-to-Wall Handstand Hold x 60-90 seconds
Strict Toes to Bar x 8-10 reps

Done

B.
Four sets of:
Snatch Balance x 3 reps @ 70-80% of 1-RM Snatch
(pause for 1-2 seconds in receiving/bottom position)
Rest 2 minutes

Worked up to 135#.  Not good lowering these and not worth the injury of missing my shoulders.

C.
Six sets of:
Halting Clean Deadlift + Hang Clean
Rest 2 minutes
Pull barbell from floor to just above the knee and pause for 1-2 seconds – you should feel weight distributed through mid and rear foot, tension through your hamstings, and lats should actively pull the barbell into your thighs, then stand tall, then clean from the high hang position.

Worked up to 285#.  Recieved crappy news over the phon.  Workout went to hell.  Used a crappy bar with no flex today as well.

D.
Three sets for times of:
Row 500 Meters
50 Double-Unders
15 Handstand Push-Ups
Rest 4 minutes

Did a single round and quit.  Done!  Life's challenges are more important than Crossfit. 

A.
Six sets of:
Halting Snatch Deadlift + Snatch Pull + Power Snatch + Snatch
Rest 2-3 minutes

135, 145, 155, 175, 195, 195# - This drill resulted in an amazing full pull for the final snatch. 

B.
Over the course of 8 sets, build to a 90-95% of 1-RM Split Jerk

225, 245, 255, 265, 275, 285# - all reps SOLID tonight up to my 95%.  Cleaned weight as well.

C.
Back Squat
* Set 1 – 5 reps @ 80% of 1-RM
* Set 2 – 3 reps @ 85-90%
* Set 3 – 1 rep @ 90-95%
* Sets 4-6 – 10 reps @ 65-75%
Rest 2 minutes between sets.

325, 365, 385 - The 385# single went up fast and easy.
3x10 @ 305# - I don't know that I could have done one more rep on the last set of 10.

OPTIONAL A.M./Additional Session:

A.
Easy 1-Mile Warm-Up Run

B.
Six sets of:
100 Yard Accelerations
(Perform these barefoot on grass if possible – starting at roughly 60%, build every 10-15 yards until you reach 90%, and then slowly begin to taper back down in the last 30-40 yards)
Rest 90 seconds

C.
Run 400 Meters @ 80%
Rest 60 seconds
Run 400 Meters @ 75%
Rest 60 seconds
Run 400 Meters @ 70%

**PROGRAM NOTE**
This is day one of a new cycle. If you have friends that want to come on board, now is the time to do it. Please, please post your results. I read them every day and they truly do make a difference to me.

For those of you who have been following for more than a year, this new cycle is built around a progression we have used very successfully before. There will be some changes made to some of the conditioning sessions and general structure, but the strength progressions might look familiar. Don’t worry, your body will adapt and progress just fine whether you did it a year ago or not.

Finally, you will all have noticed one MAJOR difference to the programming…the optional A.M./Additional Session. I will state this bluntly…the running efforts for the vast majority of this group are abysmal. Since I started coaching competitive CrossFit athletes, there has been a huge shift from athletes who had great work capacity and poor strength to what we find now, where many of our most competitive athletes have adequate strength and some major deficits when it comes to monostructural/cyclical work capacity. Accordingly, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday I will post an optional track/running session from which I believe many of you will benefit. Don’t stress yourself out if you can’t work it into your schedule, and don’t feel the need to add it in if you are confident in your running efforts. But if you know your running is poor, or that your conditioning in general could use some extra work in the off-season, this is a good option for you. Post questions to comments and I will try to devote a bit of my time on Monday to answering them (the reasonable ones at least) to the best of my ability.

A.
For max reps:
2 Minutes of Rope Climbs (15′)
Rest 60 seconds
2 Minutes of Alternating Pistols
Rest 60 seconds
2 Minutes of Double-Unders

9/50/170

B.
Five rounds for time of:
10 Thrusters (135/95 lb.)
20 Pull-Ups
Run 400 Meters

Time: 20-25 minutes ish

UB Thrusters, PU's supinated w/alternating technique.  Run's slow, very hot day, started cramping on run 3.  Only ate eggs for breakfast this morning, no carbs.  Bad fuel choices but ate well post WOD.   

*** Day 1 of 8 week shoulder reprogramming and gymnastics technique. Will be tracking shoulder progress daily.  Will also be using heat treatment daily.

A. x3 sets
S CU/PU/T2B

B.
Perform each set for time of:
Snatch x 5 reps
Rest 2-3 minutes
*Set 1 – 115-135/75-95 lbs
*Set 2 – 135-155/85-105 lbs
*Set 3 – 155-165/105-115 lbs
*Set 4 – 175-195/115-135 lbs

Done @ max weights

C.
Six rounds for time of:
6 Power Cleans (225/155 lb.)
6 Bar Muscle-Ups
6 Handstand Push-Ups to 6″/4″ Deficit

Done w/Ring MU's and 6" parallettes in under 30 min.  

Spoke with Carl Paoli today and we're going to be try and reset/relearn some things over the next several months with his help.  Wonderful guy and he may just have the key to fixing my shoulder.  

 

9/20/2013 - Shoulder rehab and focus weaknesses begins now from Brent Maier on Vimeo.

A: x8 Weighted Hill Runs

Done

B: 10 min tabata pushup to elbow positions

7,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5

Need rest day.  Shoulder hurting, need to back off before Mondays new 6 week cycle.  I'm going to be talking with Carl Paoli the crossfit gymnastics guru about my shoulder and training on Friday.  Also going to be giving crossover symmetry a try here in a few weeks as well.  Looking forward at trying to lick this serious issue.  It's not a good thing when you go into every workout wondering how your going to complete it because of the pain before the workout even starts.  It's mind boggling and so frustrating when you can't seem to fix a problem with yourself.  Massive amounts of time off is not an option here.  I've got to learn to work around it until it heals. 

For the following three segments, post three separate times, but leave the clock running:
For time:
Row 2000 Meters

When the clock reaches 10 minutes, complete the following for time:

10 Muscle-Ups
20 Burpees
30 Double-Unders
40 Ring Dips
30 Double-Unders
20 Burpees
10 Muscle-Ups

When the clock reaches 20 minutes, complete the following for time:

Row 2000 Meters

Row #1: 7:16 - took it easy on this in fear of the chipper.
Metcon: 3 MU's left at 10:00
Row #2: Skipped, had to run to kids sporting event.

My arms still don't straighten from that workout we did last week with 80 C2B's. It's amazing I was able to even do this workout. Felt legs a little on the row but wasn't bad. I lost my hip drive on the last set of 10 mu's. I"m not sure if it was fatigue or if the burpees took it out of me. Dips were rough as well.

This is the end of the last cycle.  BS 405#, Snatch 250#, FS 363#, Clean 335# PR's. New cycle starts Monday.

A.
Five sets of:
Hang Power Snatch + Power Snatch + Overhead Squat
Rest as needed

195# - shoulder very sore today, stopped here.

B.
Three sets of:
Romanian Deadlift x 5 reps @ 3011
Rest as needed

315, 325, 335#

C.
“The Chief”
Against a three-minute running clock, complete as many rounds and reps as possible of:
135/95 lb. Power Cleans x 3 reps
Push-Ups x 6 reps
Air Squats x 9 reps
Repeat for a total of five sets, resting 60 seconds between sets. Pick up each set where you left off when the last ended.

27 rounds + 1 clean

Stuck to clean singles majority of the time to save shoulders. 

Stopped up at FRCF for the Open and met the owner of Crossover Symmetry.  Looking to include this in my training program in hopes it will take care of impingement.  Not to mention I was informed I was on the Pro Division Roster and everyone was asking why I wasn't competing.  :)  I tried to register months ago but  it said it was all sold out.  In hindsight I'm glad I didn't have a 2.5 hour ruck sack march along with 3 days of competition WOD's.

Shoulder smoked from the the workout yesterday and the Symmetry routine I did at the open. 

A: Muscle Snatch 1x5

155#

B: Heavy Snatch 

205# - Power

C: 

“CLB”
For time:
40 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups - 1:22
30 Handstand Push-Ups - 2:44
20 Snatches (175/115 lb) - 6:32
30 Handstand Push-Ups - 4:34
40 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups - 2:42

Time: 17:54

Snatches were a shock after finishing the first 70 reps of this workout.  Pretty uncomfortable workout.  Not cardio wise, just strength and focus on technique under fatigue.  I can't say this was a fun one and certainly does not play to my strengths with the HSPU's in there.

A. Press Cluster @ 12X2; 2.2.2.2 x 4; rest 4 min - 10 sec b/t reps

95, 105, 115, 125# - kept these light, they really hurt shoulder

B. PC x 1/TnG power jerk x 3 - emom - 55% 1RM - work on positioning and breathing - 6 min 

165#

+ 

for time:
5 TGU/arm - 2pd
10 wall walks
5 TGU/arm - 2pd
20 T2B
5 TGU/arm - 2pd
30 burpees - jump to 6" above reach
5 TGU/arm - 2pd
40 ghd sit ups

Time: 27:28 - tough, shoulders were weak but held on.