HWPO: Hard Work Pays Off: A Strength Training Book

This is an awesome book on basics in every movement with the bar vm or gymnastics movement. Accidentally received two books. I got so busy with work I forgot to return the 2 nd copy. Is it too late to return ?

yeah there are certain parts that he could’ve done better, he’s a CrossFit legend not a world renowned author. For the people saying he’s bragging, I think he’s just handing out reality checks. You don’t read this book and just get shredded over night. It’s a good read and has helpful insight.

Get behind Mat’s mindset and tips and tricks to being a beast. Wish there was a bit more detail but the workouts and his thoughts revealed about how he handled different situations makes this book definitely worth the$$

He has such a great way of telling stories and intertwining it with great CrossFit info nuggets. The recipes are great too!

Mat covers a ton of topics. Some people might complain that he just glazes over them. But he could write 100 pages on each. I think he spends a fair amount on each and gives quality information. I think most athletes will like the book and will get a lot out of it.

Great book, graphics and tables were a cool touch. Really helps with details.

If you are a fan, you have to get the book. Well written, plenty of illustrations. If you have listened to podcasts or stories about him, you already know a portion of it.. but there is so much more there that makes the book a much purchase

This was decent and I'm glad I bought it simply for the workouts, recipes, tips, and drills but one section that really lacked detail was recovery.There was basically zero information on mobility routines, stretching, saunas, cold tubs, massage (besides the mention of Alex Guerrero), carbing up, electrolytes, all of that. I learned more about that stuff from watching his appearances on youtube videos or podcasts than I did this book.I also think some high quality photos would have been better than the lo-fi black and white drawings they went with. Photos of not only the movements but the food dishes as well.Other than that I did enjoy it and will likely use it a reference for some time to come. I guess I was just hoping for a be-all end-all comprehensive guide to how Mat Fraser became a champion, with a lot more nitty gritty specific details and secrets that he was keeping close to the vest all these years. Maybe he's holding some back for a future volume or just really wanting people to join his online program instead. I would love to join that but can't really afford it at the moment.

I pre-ordered this book around 9 months before it was released. As soon as I heard Mat Fraser was releasing a book, I was excited to pick it up. Mat Fraser recently broke the record for the number of times a male has won the Crossfit Games; winning it in dominating fashion 5 times. A feat many feel is unlikely to be repeated. No one really understands how he is as dominant as he is, he's seemingly on another level, so this felt like a great opportunity to learn form the man himself.This book really is a mashup of autobiography, food recipes, training templates, favourite workouts, weakness templates, technique, advice based on experience and observations. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this: I was hoping for an autobiography, personally. I expected the standard 'child to champion' memoir that the majority of athletes release shortly after they retire...However, as I began getting into it, I found that the book did have a solid narrative to it: essentially that telling of Mat's story from being an Olympic hopeful to being injured to finishing second at the Crossfit Games to developing a mentality to destroy all his weaknesses - which he believes is the key to his dominant wins - that I'd hoped for. But, in addition to that, the training templates, technique analysis, etc were used both to break up the text and give deeper insights into Mat's methodology - in a more practical and applicable sense. In their own right, they were enjoyable, educational and I'm excited to use them in my own training.As an example, in the first chapter on strength, Mat goes into detail on his experiences growing up as a weightlifter and eventually getting to workout in the Olympic Training Centre. Every few pages, you'll have a breakdown of a movement, variations of a movement, strength session templates, templates to work on weaknesses, or some WODs (such as Grace or Fran) that involve strength/barbell cycling. The weakness templates range from improving your Squats with prescribed sets and reps for movements such as Overhead Squats through to improving your Snatches with Hangs, Powers and Snatch Balances. These are all coming from Mat Fraser who is not only a multiple Crossfit Athlete, but student of multiple Olympic-level weightlifting coaches.The other sections in the book are: Endurance (essentially running, swimming and ERGS), Speed (short section on strategy and efficiency), Coordination (Gymnastics and movement quality), and Mentality (giving your all and overcoming obstacles). Each one follows a similar format to the above with a narrative and then plenty of illustrations, technique breakdowns, workout suggestions, and tips to bring into your own training.I really liked the illustrations in the book. They are all of Mat doing techniques, but not photos: it's this fun, interesting cartoon-y style. The layout of the book was good too, although there is a lot of stuff in here: from workouts to pictures to text to tips, the book never feels messy or cluttered. The cover is nice and the hardback edition I picked up has a cool HWPO silhouette with Mat in the centre. This would make the perfect gift for a Crossfit fan, but I don't think you'll be at all disappointed if buying this for yourself.Overall, I'm really happy with this book. It isn't the autobiography I was expecting when I ordered it, but it's a fantastic insight into Mat Fraser's methodology and mindset with SO MUCH I can take away and apply to my own training. I genuinely think this book will make me a better athlete and, at very least, it's fired me up to put more effort and thought into my workouts going forward!

Been waiting ages for this book to be released, expected much better.The autobiography part barely scratches the surface of his life. You'd learn far more just watching any YouTube video on his channel or the crossift channel.The random recipes appear to be just thrown in to promote his feedingthefrazers channel. The workouts are ok but other books are available with crossift athletes providing workouts for an entire year or programming which are far superior.

I’m not upset I’m just a bit disappointed.If you have followed even a bit of Mat’s career in CrossFit none of this is new unfortunately. A lot of old stories that you’ve probably heard for free in the documentaries and on YouTube.The idea this is a training book is a bit of a joke. It’s maybe a training book for someone who doesn’t understand what CrossFit is and hasn’t trained for anything in their life. Most of it is all stuff you can google or training principles shouted the world over like technique before weight on the bar. If you have an idea of how to train for CrossFit then you’re not learning anything here.Worst off is the writing though. Whoever shadow wrote this did a rush job. Barely any sense of Mat’s usual charm and voice in it. Not to mention basic issues with communication eg. Describing an open workout as 4 minutes of 15 SETS of thrusters and pull-ups. We all know it’s supposed to be reps but just goes to show it was rushed out and the shadow writer didn’t take the care and attention needed to tell this story right.Overall, I’d avoid. Regret purchasing it myself.

I have no doubt that Matt Fraser knows about fitness and training, but he does not know how to write a book/manual. At best this book gives an insight into this man, but it does not really give you any meat as to how to train, how to put a session together to get fit nor a recipe for those already doing CrossFit. There is too much about trying things out for yourself and find what works for you! Overall I have respect for the athlete but would not recommend this book as either an introduction to CrossFit or for a seasoned CrossFit exponent.

This is mainly a list of very general workout descriptions (with a few CrossFit hints and tips), autobiographical nuggets and random recipes. I think if you are a big fan of Matt Fraser it’s probably worth the read. If however you’re looking for some exercise science, structured training, advice on programming workouts etc - sadly you won’t find any of that in here. I certainly can’t imagine people transforming themselves purely through using this book.