Meet my buddy, Hunter McIntyre—a pro endurance athlete, Broken Skull winner, BoundlessTV co-host, obstacle course racing champion, and self-described macho man.
Men’s Journal describes him as “the man behind the Spartan race empire.”
Competitor Magazine calls him the “rising star of obstacle racing.”
Men’s Fitness 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 Obstacle Dominator podcast and also appeared on my show in the episode Inside The Masochistic Mind Of The Top Obstacle Racer On The Face Of The Planet.
Hunter McIntyre, AKA “Hunt The Sheriff,”—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 a wildcard invitation to the CrossFit Games 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 Crossfit 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.
- Ram Roller
-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 and the mind becomes bored after doing anything for too long
- TMX – the world's toughest mile
- 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 of our interests have changed regarding training as they age [40:40]
- Japanese and Sardinian centenarians don't do CrossFit 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 to recover from intense training sessions as quickly as possible [44:10]
- Hanging (gravity) boots
- Tension, followed by extreme relaxing
- Ready State, Kelly Starrett
- ROMWOD app
- Consume more calories, drink more water
- My Fitness Pal app
- Suunto watch
- Add minerals to your water
- Quicksilver Quinton (use code GREENFIELD15 to save 15%)
- The Right Stuff electrolyte drink
- Water and Wellness (Robert Slovak's company; listen to the BGF podcast with Robert here)
-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 (Pure Spectrum)
- Eco Challenge
-Books and podcasts Hunter and Ben recommend [1:02:50]
- Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
- Hitler's Last Days by Bill O'Reilly
- Peak by Marc Bubbs
- Focused more on personal connections than digital media
-How Crazy Bobby changed Hunter's life for the good [1:08:15]
-And much more…
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
– Results from CrossFit Spartan video
– TMX – the world's toughest mile
– BGF podcast w/ Robert Slovak
– Books recommended by Hunter and Ben:
Episode sponsors:
–Kion Clean Energy Bars: Satisfying, nutrient-dense, real-food energy bars with a delicious chocolate coconut flavor! Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire Kion order when you use discount code: BGF10.
–Organifi Gold Chocolate: A new take on an ancient secret: Pain-soothing herbs, incredible antioxidants, and phytonutrients all in one delicious, soothing “Golden Milk” nighttime tea! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20.
–Magic Spoon: A brand new company that has reimagined all your favorite childhood breakfast cereals. Low carb, keto-friendly, ZERO sugar, and tastes just like you remember. For free shipping on your order at Magic Spoon, use discount code: BENGREENFIELD
–Made In Cookware: Take your cooking to the next level today! Made In offers a single line of essential pieces simplifying the process of outfitting your kitchen. Receive 15% off your first Made In purchase when you use discount code: GREENFIELD
10 Responses
Hunter
Not everything is as it seems
Must read – Joseph Farrell
Reich of the Black Sun and The SS Brotherhood of the Bell
https://youtu.be/m03_g0kmThg
Hunter, Hitlers last days? I’m not against people reading any book. But you sounded lost when you were referring to this book. Minimizing his atrocities and praising him for being a great leader, somebody you can learn from. Let’s be honest after listening to you talk, you are where your are because of genetics.
Bill O’reilly? Fired for sexually harassing women. Also the book was reviewed as bing historically innacurate.
Ben as a Christian you should step up on your podcast and shit this nonsense down, you are after all making money off of a Christian journal with bible quotes you are borrowing.
“I’m not against people reading any book. But…”
The ‘But’ indicates you actually are against people reading about things you don’t agree with or you find distasteful. Reading a book about a given topic doesn’t imply support. Stay in your lane. If you don’t like the subject matter keep scrolling/ignore or stop listening.
Always love seeing someone act like this. It’s so incredibly helpful to see how self important and entitled people can be.
In short – Lighten up Francis.
Ben, you mentioned a “History of the World” book. Did you ever nail down the name of it?
Yes, this one https://amzn.to/30VFcx6
Cool. Thanks man
Ben, you mentioned you use 100mg or more of CBD in a single doseage. I hear you sometimes mention this and often site studies that tend to use a ratio of something like 500mg, hence you upping the doseage. However these studies use cbd isolates as opposed to the full spectrum profiles such as Element’s brand. I know you use their brand but do you use that much? When I inquired about this to them they said their recommended doseage of 10mg or so should be sufficient. Thanks
Yeah I’m curious too Ben. To get 100mg you would basically have to use half the bottle. At close to $90 per bottle that could get very expensive.
I'm not always taking 100 mg, and yeah, it can be expensive. Element health sells super-potent stuff (4,800mg bottles), so you can save if you buy something like that in bulk: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/ben-recommends/b…
Hi hydrogen water is it good for energy when you are working and sleeping less hrs for short periods of time.