This article was created in collaboration with cbdMD
Justin Medeiros began doing high-intensity strength and conditioning CrossFit workouts to become a stronger wrestler. But a week before the 2017 wrestling practices were due to begin in Boise State, the school announced it would be cutting its intercollegiate program. It was at this point that the student-athlete decided to turn his focus to CrossFit. Medeiros has come up with a new goal: make it to the CrossFit Games.
By 2020, Medeiros not only competed in the Games, but the college student who grew his wrestling enthusiasm cut into what has become his signature curly mullet finished third. Then the next year, at age 21, Medeiros became the youngest man to win the CrossFit Games. What helped him close the gap between second place and the Fittest Man on Earth title? It all came down to developing a more targeted recovery process that involves getting a good night's sleep, stretching and foam rolling, and regular use of cbdMD products, says Medeiros.
"One of the biggest things about CrossFit is, 'Who can recover best?'" says Medeiros. “We can all go to the gym and train hard, but who can recover and do it again the next day? This is super big in my workout. I always try to find ways to recover optimally.”
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CrossFit athletes, he says, will complete 15 workouts in three to four days of competition. Medeiros pushes his body during games, so he trains for that stress pre-contest with six- to eight-hour training days and a variety of workouts, including distance sessions and hill sprints, Olympic lifting, and CrossFit-specific Metcon (metabolic conditioning) workouts like wall balls and pull-ups.
After his sessions, Medeiros puts in place a special recovery routine to optimize his athletic performance. The recent kinesiology graduate doesn't follow a strict meal plan (he tracks macros every few weeks to make sure he's on a good eating plan), but his dinner is typically 8 ounces of ground bison, beef, or turkey with sweet potatoes. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts. From then on it's all about the evening.
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Medeiros began integrating CBD products in early 2021, which he believes were a game changer and give him an extra edge in the gym. Every night he does a 30-minute stretch and foam roller routine to relieve tight muscles, and he applies cbdMD's Recover Pain Relief Cream around his triceps and forearms and quads to relieve joint and muscle pain . (He also keeps the Recover cream in his gym bag to soothe aches and pains that pop up between workouts and says they provide instant relief. In the past, bumps and bruises have slowed him down and lasted for weeks at a time, says he).
Then, while watching TV on the couch at night, Medeiros takes CBD PM for Sleep from cbdMD, which contains melatonin and calming herbs to help prepare him for an eight-hour night's sleep. For mental clarity, he takes a daily cbdMD tropical gum infused with superior broad spectrum hemp extract.
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“When I go into competition, I want to know that I'm doing everything in my power to prepare for those moments on the competition floor,” says Medeiros. "Of course that means training hard - but I want to have confidence in my recovery and that comes with using quality products that allow me to train harder in the gym and sleep better at night."
On the days he's not working out, he likes to stay active and shoot hoops, play soccer or spikeball. Other new ways he's tweaking his workouts in the New Year include adding a sauna and cold jump to his home gym.
As he trains for the 2022 CrossFit Games (Aug. 4-7), Medeiros says he's his own competition.
"There's a lot of pressure from outside," he says. "But it doesn't compare to the pressure I put on myself. I know what I'm capable of. I know what is possible. When I step onto the competitive floor, my goal is to beat myself from last year. If I were going up against the 2021 Justin, I want the 2022 Justin to circle his circles.”
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