Meet my buddy Hunter McIntyre, , , ,  and .  describes him as “the man behind the Spartan race empire”.  calls him the “rising star of obstacle racing”.  acknowledges him as “the future of the sport”. Yes, his list of accolades is indeed mighty impressive. Bad boy turned elite Spartan athlete, in 2011 he moved from New York to Malibu to give a shot at being a celebrity personal trainer and model. After running his first Spartan race on a dare, he placed near the top of the field and was quickly propelled into Elite Spartan status, rarely missing a podium. He eventually partnered with me on the and also appeared on my show in the episode But Hunter's been up to much more lately... , six-time Obstacle Course Racing World Champion, four-time Obstacle Course Racing National Champion, three-year Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch Champion, and two-time Tough Mudder X Champion, was granted for chance to measure his accomplishments against a deep field of proven athletes. In this episode, we get into that journey from Spartan to Crossfit and much, much more. During our discussion, you'll discover: -Crossfitter vs. Spartan event results [5:50] 3 cross fit athletes did an endurance/stamina based Spartan race Carrying 190+ lb of gear up mountains with a 30 minute head start "I wouldn't do a cross fit race with a month's notice, but these guys made it happen." Cross fit is designed for a specific body type: bulky, short, small limbs, etc. -Hunter's transition from troubled teen to champion Spartan racer [11:30] On all types of medication: ADD, ADHD, Adderall, etc. Got into lots of trouble as a teen Loved the intensity of competition, not the training (wrestling and running) In rehab and probation for 3 years (in Montana) Sought an activity from his probation officer that would exhaust his physical energy: led to a job as a logger in Montana Became a model: art with the body as the canvas Moved to California, got into marathons, eventually Spartan races -What it was like moving from endurance to crossfit training [21:45] The body grows stagnant, the mind becomes bored, after doing anything for too long Hunter was able to compete and win in crossfit because of his endurance background; still didn't get street cred in the crossfit community It's an incredible test of strength, but not technical strength; if you don't have technique you can't play the game Wouldn't feel satisfied unless he could go toe to toe with crossfit pros Was invited to the Crossfit Games as a wild card (first ever invitee) Trained on his own, no coach In hindsight, Hunter believes he tried to close the gap between a moderate crossfit athlete to a seasoned pro too quickly Age causes one to lose the luster of training for crossfit and endurance -How both Ben and Hunter's interests have changed regarding training as they age [40:40] Japanese and Sardinian centenarians don't do cross fit or endurance training Difference between getting fit and getting and staying healthy Interests change as you rearrange priorities (i.e. what attracts the babes) -How Hunter recovers from intense training sessions as quickly as possible [44:10] Hanging (gravity) boots Tension, followed by extreme relaxing Consume more calories, drink more water Add minerals to your water  electrolyte drink (Robert Slovak's company; listen to the BGF podcast with Robert ) -Hunter's tips for optimizing sleep [52:40] "I've never been a person that sleeps very much" Need more sleep during crossfit training than endurance Keep cold while sleeping Have enough calories in the body Fan that provides some noise Pulse oximeter CBD () -Books and podcasts Hunter and Ben recommend [1:02:50] Focused more on personal connections than digital media -How Crazy Bobby changed Hunter's life for the good [1:08:15] -And much more... Resources from this episode: - - - - - - - - - CBD - -Books recommended by Hunter and Ben: Episode sponsors: -: Satisfying, nutrient-dense, real-food energy bars