After finishing in the top-five last year, Adler is ramping up his athletic preparation.
Jeffrey Adler has starred in the annual CrossFit Games for five consecutive years. After finishing in the top five in 2022, the Canadian athlete will now look to dethrone two-time men’s individual champion (2021-2022) Justin Medeiros for the crown. Before officially earning his spot at the 2023 Games, Adler rose to prominence by winning the 2023 Men’s CrossFit Open and the 2023 North America East Semifinals. He will be looking to parlay that momentum into his training.
On July 7, 2023, Buttery Bros shared a video on their YouTube channel There he got an insight into how Adler is training for his latest Games opportunity.
At the time of the video, Adler was approximately six weeks out from the 2023 Games. He explained that this part of his training process is looser than the previous one.
Pre-workout regimen
Adler starts his day with some dynamic stretches. The athlete uses the wall, floor and small ball to ease the demands of his day’s training. The main focus is preparing his back and shoulders.
Adler sketched out his supplement stack, starting with a morning pre-workout energy drink. He then takes a BCAA powder in the afternoon, which provides electrolytes and amino acids for performance and post-workout recovery. Citrulline and beta-alanine are his final components.
A full training day
Here is an overview of the Adler training program featured in the video.
Speed bike intervals
After warming up for about 20 minutes on a stationary bike, Adler performs two timed interval rounds. Intervals ranged in duration from two to four minutes with goals to achieve between 150 and 400 watts. Adler’s average watts per 40 minutes was 292. In comparison, Butter Brothers remained in the 170-190 range.
Muscle-Up Medley
Both Adler and the Butter Brothers completed the following three rounds in this category:
- Deadlifts – 142.9 kilograms (315 pounds), five reps
- Burpee muscle-ups – Five repetitions
- Burpee bar muscle-ups – Five repetitions
- Yoke bar muscle-ups – Five repetitions
- Deadlifts – 142.9 kilograms (315 pounds), five reps
At the end of each circuit, everyone rested for two minutes. Adler clocked 2:22 in his final round. Each athlete achieved all 45 muscle-ups.
12-minute EMOM
Adler explained that this third workout aims to start a round of exercises “every minute after minute.” This means he goes through the motions for a minute at the top and uses the rest as a rest:
- Parallel bar traverse – Three repetitions
- Double-under crossovers – 15-20 repetitions
- Ski erg – 60 seconds
Adler explained his traversing technique – trying to shift as much of his weight as possible to each supporting arm before shimmying along the parallel bars. The double-under crossovers are a challenging event that cost many competitors valuable points, including five-time champion Tia-Claire Toomey when she makes her debut at the 2022 CrossFit Games. Athletes need to use stamina, coordination and quick-twitch movements to complete all repetitions without tripping. A ski erg is a simulation of upper body skiing movements that require lats and overall upper body strength.
After the 12 minutes required for the third workout, the group left for an extended break and breakfast.
Traditional weight lifting
Adler warms up with 20 box jumps before lifting weights after breakfast. Then they cycled through box speed squats using a safety squat bar and resistance bands for nine sets of three reps. The purpose was to improve dynamic movement rather than necessarily focusing on weight or technique. To further combine strength and cardio training, one set was performed for 30 seconds.
Then, Adler performed speed deadlifts, focusing on how fast he could complete his pulls at light loads for three sets of nine. They close out the day’s overall workout routine with “accessory” moves like single-leg Romanian deadlifts and core training.
Recovery
After a training session lasting more than two and a half hours, Adler enjoyed alternating hot and cold therapy. He spent a few minutes in the steam room and a few minutes with a cold plunge. Part of the goal was to reduce inflammation in the knees and address heart rate variability (a measure of overall recovery).
Adler’s CrossFit Games journey isn’t over. He will attempt to win his first men’s individual title in Madison, WI in early August 2023.
