{"id":647929,"date":"2026-11-01T15:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T15:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/647929\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T15:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T15:30:09","slug":"then-i-had-kids-worlds-fittest-man-mat-frasers-15-minute-rule-for-training-as-a-busy-dad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/647929\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Then I Had Kids\u2019: World’s Fittest Man Mat Fraser’s ’15-Minute Rule’ for Training as a Busy Dad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mat Fraser<\/a> won five consecutive CrossFit Games<\/a> titles, earned the title of Fittest Man on Earth and built a career around being willing to work harder, suffer longer and come back the next day to do it all again. For years, his life revolved around training, with everything outside the gym arranged to support what happened inside it.<\/p>\n

These days, he\u2019s facing a much more relatable challenge, and one with no off-season: fatherhood. With two young daughters, work and a family life he\u2019s in no rush to escape, Fraser has changed how he trains, what he expects from a workout and the type of athlete he wants to be. And he sounds more than happy with the arrangement.<\/p>\n

Speaking to MH at the 2026 Rogue Invitational<\/a> in Aberdeen \u2013 which brings together some of the biggest names in CrossFit<\/a>, strongman<\/a> and strongwoman \u2013 Fraser admitted that becoming a parent had given him a fresh perspective on advice he used to hand out.<\/p>\n

\u2018I would get asked [how do you find time to train] when I was competing, and I was just like, “if it\u2019s something you really want, you find the time”,\u2019 he said. \u2018And then I worked a regular job and had kids, and I was like, \u201cOh, all right, now I can relate to all of our members.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

For all of us who have ever watched our carefully planned training week unravel before lunchtime on Monday, this sounds eerily familiar.<\/p>\n

\u2018With newborns at home, it\u2019s like, that\u2019s the priority, not having a good set of shoulders.\u2019<\/p>\n

How Mat Fraser Changed His Approach to Training<\/p>\n

Even for Fraser, finding his way back to enjoying exercise took some adjustment. Training had been his job. Retirement gave him room to reconsider the relationship.<\/p>\n

\u2018As soon as I retired, it was, \u201cI don\u2019t have to train anymore. I get to train.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Part of that shift meant accepting that a session was still worthwhile even if it didn’t leave him in pieces.<\/p>\n

\u2018It doesn\u2019t have to be a two-hour training session,\u2019 he said. \u2018It doesn\u2019t have to be a puddle on the floor at the end of it, and me limping out of the gym to feel like, \u201cOh, that was a good training session.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Which brings us to a useful takeaway for anyone whose training now has to fit around fatherhood: Fraser’s 15-minute rule.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our bare minimum, if we are just slammed all day long, is just to get in the gym for 15 minutes of cardio,\u2019 he explained, suggesting an airbike or StairMaster. \u2018The first three minutes is your warm-up, and then just break a sweat.\u2019<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no elaborate AMRAP or EMOM protocol here. Just get in, get out of breath and get out. A pretty sparse, but eminently doable, recommendation from one of the greatest athletes of all time.<\/p>\n

\u2018Once it becomes a habit, that\u2019s what you build off.\u2019<\/p>\n

How Fraser Makes Training Work Around Family Life<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t the full extent of Fraser\u2019s training, of course. When there\u2019s room for more, he takes it. But the timetable will be familiar to plenty of parents: his partner gets to the gym in the morning, while his window opens when the children go down.<\/p>\n

\u2018Nap time is my training time,\u2019 he said. \u2018I run into the gym, I got 60 minutes and hammer it out.\u2019<\/p>\n

With a home gym available, when the children are awake, training can become a family outing, although Fraser is under no illusions about what that does to the quality of a session.<\/p>\n

\u2018Your workout efficiency is terrible,\u2019 he admitted, citing the early days of stopping his daughters from dropping dumbbells on themselves.<\/p>\n

But he persevered with a longer-term, more wholesome goal in mind.<\/p>\n

\u2018I want them to be familiar in the gym. I want them to grow up thinking that this is a totally normal part of everyone\u2019s day.\u2019<\/p>\n

Now, his oldest asks, \u2018Daddy, let\u2019s do a workout.\u2019 For Fraser, keeping that enthusiasm alive matters more than steering his children towards his own sport.<\/p>\n

\u2018My goal is to keep it fun and entertaining,\u2019 he said. \u2018Whatever they show interest in, that\u2019s what they get to do.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Rogue Invitational brings together some of the world\u2019s leading CrossFit, Strongman and Strongwoman athletes, pairing elite competition with substantial prize purses and cutting-edge equipment. It\u2019s the flagship event for Rogue Fitness, which grew from a garage in 2006 into a global strength and conditioning brand. Today, the Invitational puts that equipment-making heritage centre stage, showcasing the athletes and community at the heart of the sport.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men\u2019s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that\u2019s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for \u2018free pizza\u2019 and wait for him to appear.<\/p>\n