A biography for Mat Fraserhasn’t been written yet.
“Now when something comes up, I really give my body time to heal up. I convince myself it's going to be okay.”
“For my first five years of weightlifting, every part of my training was focused on technique. My starting position, my pull from the ground, my bar path as it traveled up - everything had to be perfect, and I hated it.”
“I'm very proud of what I did but, at the same time, I hope people remember me for the hard work I did, the work ethic and that stuff.”
“All the changes I've made in my career added up over time.”
“I always say, have your bigger goal in mind all the time. Never forget what your bigger goal is.”
“For a while, I got a kick out of people asking me what I was up to and being able to say, 'Oh, I'm retired.' But I've quickly realised that I'm not retired.”
“I had an amazing career, but you've got to take the good with the bad.”
“I hate feeling full first thing in the morning. I actually hate feeling full until it's night-time.”
“You've got to be surrounded by good people - people you belong with, who are like-minded.”
“I never have to worry about my form when I get tired because I intentionally practice good movements.”
“During high school and the early years of college, I thought everyone woke up tired. I thought being groggy for the first waking hour or two and then pounding down enough caffeine to fully open your eyes was normal. But now I realize how foolish that approach is and how important solid sleep is.”
“I keep a stack of Hershey's in the house - just plain milk chocolate - so that if I'm having a craving, I can go eat half of one. I'm not bingeing out on, like, a massive one-pound bag of candy.”
“I usually don't wear anything on my head while competing. Sweat on my face doesn't really bug me.”
“Before most events, I dry-heave or throw up, because I'm so nervous. It's not enjoyable.”
“I would wake up before school, say 5 A.M., and I remember running to the gym, one mile door to door, do a full weight training session, run home before the school bus picked us up.”
“I have accidentally fallen asleep twice in my life and it freaked me out when I woke because I didn't know what happened.”
“I have everything I need right at my house. Even down to a massage table, a sauna, an ice bath, it's all right there.”
“I tried to take my diet to a more extreme place, but it wasn't for me. It was taking too much time and energy away from different parts of my life. Now, instead of obsessing, I just try to eat well: No junk food. No soda. Very little that comes in wrappers.”
“I'm excited to share my first book 'HWPO.' It features workouts, training, nutrition, and mental approaches that paved the way for my success.”
“The pull-ups aren't my strength. That's the gymnastics guys' game, and I don't have to be shoulder-to-shoulder with them going into the next movement.”