An inside look at the equipment of a two-time CrossFit Games champ.
In the history of the CrossFit Games, Justin Medeiros has already entered rare air. As the two-time reigning Fittest Man on Earth®, the 23-year-old has joined the legendary Rich Froning Jr. (2011-2014) and Mat Fraser (2016-2020) as only the third Men’s CrossFit athlete to win the title on at least two occasions. Now, as the start of the 2023 CrossFit Open nears on Feb. 16, 2023 — while Medeiros prepares for his next hopeful title defense — he gave a recent intimate look at his training process.
On Feb. 4, 2023, Medeiros posted a video on his YouTube channel where he gives a full tour of his custom home gym. The facility appears to be appropriately adorned with the requisite equipment Medeiros needs to excel as an elite CrossFitter at the top of his game.
After a short, lighthearted back-and-forth, with girlfriend CrossFit athlete Ellie Turner, about what constitutes a pull-up bar in Medeiros’ home gym, the athlete jumps right into the tour.
Steel Rig
The steel rig in Medeiros’s gym would likely be impossible to miss. After all, the multi-faceted implement comprises an entire wall. Per Medeiros, the athlete seems to utilize it as a storage device, like for his resistance bands. Most often, though, it lets Medeiros factor in various kinds of bars for different movements, such as pull-ups and muscle-ups.
“We have all the pull-up bars set to the height like they have at the CrossFit Games …,” Medeiros said. “We have the boards just to do, like, different types of grips, to do hangs, pull-ups …”
Squat Rack, Storage
Just below Medeiros’s steel rig is a squat rack that has a full set of bumper plates and dumbbells adjacent to one another, including a range of dumbbells from five pounds to 125 pounds. If that weren’t enough, there’s a shelf of kettlebells, up to 70 pounds, and even more bumper plates right next to this additional storage.
Steel Arch
According to Medeiros, where he has his steel arch is the “coolest part of the gym.” The arch connects both ends of his steel rig and lets him hang tools like Olympic rings and ropes over it.
“I’ve never been on a rig that is this sturdy,” Medeiros explained. “It is crazy. It’s not bolted onto any of the walls and it doesn’t shake.”
Belt Squat
Per Medeiros, he has a belt squat machine in his gym — fashioned underneath a pull-up bar — that assists in body maintenance and injury prevention. The athlete maintains he can use it for pull-up and squat movements interchangeably.
Barbells
In another corner of his gym, Medeiros has set aside space for various barbells like the EZ-curl bar, Axle Bar, and cambered bar. There are also some heavier-weighted dumbbells, a Log Lift tool, and a multipurpose lat pulldown machine.
Cardio
In a fundamental section of Medeiros’s gym, he has all of his cardio work in one place. Most everything from row machines and Assault bikes is represented in this star CrossFitter’s cardio space.
Steel Rig, Continued
On the other side of Medeiros’s steel rig is a reverse hyper attachment, a pad that helps stretch the back and hamstrings, building strength and easing pain. Alongside it are more bumper plates, some medicine balls and sandbags (including a 150-pound medicine ball and 300-pound sandbag), as well as various jump ropes. If that weren’t enough, there is yet another squat rack in this portion of Medeiros’s gym.
Peg Board
In the final main portion of Medeiros’s gym sits a peg board, fashioned with a plexiglass backing to mimic the set-up during many CrossFit competitions. A plyometrics section, along with jerk blocks, also sits next to this last wall.
“My dad came out and installed the plexiglass. We got our pegboard in here. We wanted to make sure we had plexiglass because that’s what we use in competition … The spot where your feet go is different in every gym, I’ve done it on brick, I’ve done it on wood, I’ve done it on plexiglass …” Medeiros said. “So we really tried to replicate everything we do at competition, the best we can, when we train.”
Should Medeiros once again repeat as the Fittest Man on Earth®, he would still have to work to do to catch respective legends like Fraser (five titles) and Froning (four titles). Though, at Medeiros’s rapid pace, with this sort of sport-specific equipment elevating him, it might only be a matter of time before he sits at the top of the Men’s side of CrossFit all-time legends.
Featured image: @justinmedeiros34 on Instagram
