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Patrick Vellner is a chiropractor and competitive Crossfit athlete from Nanaimo, Canada. He has been competing since 2013 and has finished on the podium four times at the Crossfit Games. In 2023, he is aiming to become the fittest on Earth.

Jen is a 7-time CrossFit Games athlete, instructor, world record holder in weightlifting, mom of 3, physical therapist, and manager of 11 clinics for Select Physical Therapy. She opened their newest clinic inside Crucible CrossFit™ and works extensively with a wide variety of athletes including high-level professional athletes, CrossFit athletes, and “weekend warriors.” In 2016, Jen set a record for the USA Weightlifting American Master Record for the snatch, clean and jerk and total. This month she competed in the Masters Division in Weightlifting bringing home 3 gold medals.

Mike Kern made his CrossFit Games debut in 2016 with a second-place finish in the Masters Men 40-44 Division with no previous CrossFit competition experience other than the Open. A former collegiate wrestler and football player, Kern started CrossFit in 2013, competing in his first Open one month later. He has competed in every Open since then, rising to the top of the field when he became eligible for the masters division in 2016 with a 24th-place Open finish and taking 16th in the Masters Qualifier. Kern is a coach at CrossFit Garden City in New York.

2x CrossFit Games Athlete
1x Fittest Man in Europe
6x Fittest Man in Serbia

Husband, girl dad, CrossFit Coach and affiliate owner, childhood - military - first responder trauma. Focused on sharing my experiences so others can know they aren’t alone 🙏

Dwyne is a competitive CrossFit Judge and a fixture at Wodapalooza and the Mid Atlantic CrossFit Championship (MACC). He holds athletes to the highest standard, ensuring fair competition.

Mikki Lee Martin is Co-Founder of the Brand X Method®, Director of Youth Programs and serves as it's Chief Visionary Officer. She leads Brand X® content creation and development for elementary age children. Since 1999 she has coached, taught self-defense and youth fitness. She was Co-developer of the Certification 2008 and program since 2004, Training Staff for Kids Courses, and a key presenter at Youth Fitness Seminars. She sits on Advisory Boards, is a founding member of TeenLIFT, and has obtained certifications in Krav Maga and ISSA Youth Fitness Trainer. At age 49, she became a USA Powerlifting State Record Holder. She has also served as Judge and event organizer for multiple Youth events. Additionally, she studied Industrial Design and Art History at SDSU.

Jeff Martin is Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Brand X Method, a fitness program. He's a former pro athlete and certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and yoga instructor. He created CrossCore, the world's first functional training system, and is a member of the USA Weightlifting Coaches Hall of Fame. He contributes to Men's Health, Oxygen, and other fitness magazines and websites. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two daughters.

So I got involved with DECA Comp because Michelle LaTondra, who runs it, used to be an individual competitor at the Games. I lived in Montreal, I went to school there, same town as her, and I qualified for my first Games in 2016, which happened to be her last year. My partner was going to school still there, and through a series of events, basically, she switched programs into another city. I was living with her and I ended up homeless in Montreal that summer. Michelle actually took me in to live with her and her partner and train with her in preparation for the 2016 Games. I was super successful that year, I came third in my rookie year, and then she retired shortly thereafter and started DECA Comp. We had a lot of fun training together, and we kind of get along, we view the world very similarly. We just kind of started a coach relationship then, I signed on with her, and we've been working together ever since. We've had many podiums since then, and I have no reason not to trust her. She works incredibly hard, we debrief over every competition, we make new goals every year, and she is extremely well-read and always learning in everything that we need to improve on. I have a lot of love and a lot of trust for Michelle and DECA Comp, so I don't think I would ever leave her. Are there other programs that are great? Yeah, there are. There are some that I would join, maybe, and there are some that I would not. I think it's just about finding good fits for you, and I was really fortunate to find that in 2016. Michelle's a great friend now and a really good partner in this coach-athlete relationship. So I think that I'm going to see that through until I retire, in all likelihood.

I got involved with Decca comp because Michele Letendre, who runs it, used to be an individual competitor at the games. We became friends and she took me in during a difficult time in 2016. We have a strong coach-athlete relationship and I trust her for my training and competition.

Why deka comp? Would you ever try any of the other camps like mayhem, hwpo, or prvn? 

From Homelessness to Podiums: The Unbreakable Bond of DECA Comp

I chose to work with DECA Comp because of my personal connection with Michelle LaTondra, who used to be a Games competitor. When I faced a situation of being homeless in Montreal during the summer of 2016, Michelle graciously took me in and trained with me for the Games that year. It was a successful season for me, securing third place in my rookie year. After Michelle retired from individual competition, she started DECA Comp. We had a great training dynamic and shared similar perspectives on life, so we established a coach-athlete relationship. Since then, we've achieved many podium finishes together. I trust Michelle wholeheartedly because she is dedicated, hardworking, and continually seeks ways to improve our performance through debriefing, setting new goals, and expanding her knowledge. I have immense respect and love for her and DECA Comp, so I have no reason to consider leaving. While there are other excellent programs out there that I might potentially consider joining, it's about finding the right fit. Fortunately, I found that in 2016 with Michelle, who has become a great friend and partner in this coach-athlete journey. Therefore, it's highly likely that I will continue working with DECA Comp until my retirement.


This depends a bit on if I have to train again or not. If I'm in between two sessions, I'll probably eat something that's pretty carb heavy and not super protein heavy. I might have some liquid protein, but usually like, you know, either a big bunch of rice and a little bit of lean protein like egg or chicken, no veggies, probably a piece of fruit, something that's gonna give me some sugars as well. If I don't have to train again, it probably will still be heavy on the carbs, but I'll have a bit more protein in it. And sometimes just as a treat, I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I kind of, I'll mix myself up like a big, like oatmeal or granola kind of thing with some yogurt and some fruit and things like that and mix some protein into it. So it just like, it kind of hits that sweet spot that I want. And it's the end of your day. So having a bunch of yogurt or things like that isn't gonna bog you down or make you bloated or anything like that for another session. But that's usually my go-to. It's always lots of carbs. You don't wanna be feeling super heavy with a bunch of protein or fats if you're going into another session. But once it's done for the day, I tend to go nuts and I'll have a nice meal that's gonna make me feel right sitting on the couch for at least an hour.

My post-workout snack usually consists of a carb-heavy meal with some lean protein, like eggs or chicken, and sometimes a piece of fruit. If I'm not training again that day, I'll add more protein to the meal and maybe enjoy something sweet, like oatmeal with yogurt and fruit.

What's your go-to meal after a CrossFit workout?

Post-CrossFit Fuel: Carb-Heavy and Protein-Packed Meals

My go-to meal after a CrossFit workout depends on whether I have another training session scheduled or not. If I do, I opt for a carb-heavy meal with less protein. This might include a generous portion of rice and a small amount of lean protein like egg or chicken, without any veggies. I also enjoy having a piece of fruit to provide some sugars. However, if I don't have another session, my meal will still be carb-focused but with a bit more protein. As a treat, I sometimes satisfy my sweet tooth by preparing a big bowl of oatmeal or granola with yogurt and fruit, adding some protein to it. This combination hits the spot for me. At the end of the day, I want to avoid feeling overly full or bloated before another session, so lighter options like yogurt work well. But once my workouts are done for the day, I indulge in a satisfying meal that allows me to relax on the couch for at least an hour. The key is always plenty of carbs and considering how the food will make me feel during subsequent sessions.

So my first major competition was the regional back in 2014. I didn't really know much about competing in CrossFit. I had some friends who pushed me to do the Open the year before. I used that to figure out what I needed to be better at. As somebody revealed to me the structure of the season and there's this natural progression, it's easy to set goals, so my next obvious goal was to just make it to the next stage. I did the following year in 2014, had zero expectation, had never watched a CrossFit competition, didn't know anything about it really, so stepped out on the regional floor, very green. I got buried in a couple events that had heavy barbells, but I actually won two events outright and I think had the rest in the top ten, I think. So I performed really well and it was kind of fun. I saw the rest of the guys advance and from there you know a few people, you watch the games and you see how they do. It was very reassuring to me to see, yeah, they're crushing me at some things, but I'm crushing them and I'm holding my own in a lot of areas. I think this is something that with a little more work I can actually be quite good at. I think my timing was good. I hit it at the right time where I was able to step in and fill pretty big shoes on a competition floor. But yeah, that was the first time I was like, yeah, I can probably do this. I can see what this is all about and I'm not half bad.

My first major competition was the regional back in 2014. I had some friends who encouraged me to compete and I had zero expectations. I ended up doing well and winning two events and I realized that with more work, I could do really well in CrossFit competitions.

What was the 1st moment in training that made you think you could compete at the top level?

Surprising Success: From CrossFit Novice to Regional Champion

My first moment in training that made me believe I could compete at the top level was during the regional competition in 2014. At that time, I didn't have much knowledge about competing in CrossFit. I had participated in the Open the year before, which helped me identify areas for improvement.

As someone explained the structure of the season and the natural progression, it became easier for me to set goals. Making it to the next stage became my obvious next goal. Stepping onto the regional floor in 2014, I had zero expectations. I had never watched a CrossFit competition and was relatively inexperienced. I struggled in a couple of events that involved heavy barbells, but surprisingly, I won two events outright and performed well in the rest, placing in the top ten.

Seeing the other competitors advance and watching the Games gave me reassurance. I realized that while they may excel in certain areas, I was holding my own and even outperforming them in many aspects. This gave me confidence that with more work, I could become quite good at this. I believe my timing was fortunate, as I was able to step in and fill the shoes of more experienced competitors on the competition floor.

That moment at the regional competition was when I first thought, Yeah, I can probably do this. I began to understand what it takes to compete at the top level and realized that I had the potential to succeed.

It was always a really big honor and privilege to be invited to the Invitational at all and to be able to represent your country anytime is really cool. But I kind of have three reasons why I really loved competing for Team Canada at the Invitational. One is the Invitational was always a kind of testing ground for new equipment, new concepts that CrossFit would bring to the table. So we kind of got to be the first ones to play with some stuff and try new things and that's always a lot of fun. The second is all the athletes that went there were all individual athletes and we all consider ourselves individuals, we compete as individuals. So being put on a team, the pressure kind of changed. Everybody was just in an unfamiliar territory and nobody took it too seriously. So you'd kind of get to go somewhere really cool, spend a week with a bunch of the athletes, get to know them a little better because you don't have that same stress of competition hanging around all the time. So you got to make friends and just have a lot of fun around the event knowing it wasn't super serious and nobody's hanging their hat on how well they competed at the Invitational. And then lastly, you make some fun stories and memories doing those kind of trips. I wish they still did it, it would be awesome if they brought it back. I still, one of my favorite stories in my career is in the 2016 Invitational. It was my coach Michelle's last year as an athlete, she was on the team. We were using the worm and in the last event, everyone on our team kept jumping forward and I was on the back of the worm. And by the end, I was holding basically the whole back half of the worm by myself. And I remember finishing that event feeling just wasted and everybody else on my team talking about how good they felt in that last section. And it made me feel pretty bad about my fitness for about a day until this photo surfaced. And now I always take advantage of any opportunity to bust it out and rub it in my coach's face when she says I'm slacking.

Competing for Team Canada at the Invitational was a great honor and it was always fun because of the testing ground for new equipment, the opportunity to make friends with other individual athletes, and the fun stories and memories created.

Can you talk about your experience competing on Team Canada at the CrossFit Invitational?

Unveiling the Unforeseen Benefits of Competing for Team Canada at the CrossFit Invitational

Competing on Team Canada at the CrossFit Invitational was a tremendous honor and privilege. There were three reasons why I particularly enjoyed the experience. Firstly, the Invitational served as a testing ground for new equipment and concepts introduced by CrossFit. As athletes, we had the opportunity to be the first to try out these innovations, which added an element of excitement and fun to the competition. Secondly, since all the participants were individual athletes accustomed to competing on their own, being part of a team brought a different kind of pressure. Everyone entered unfamiliar territory, creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. We could bond with one another, make new friends, and have a great time without the same level of competition-induced stress. Lastly, participating in events like these created lasting memories and stories. One of my favorite memories is from the 2016 Invitational when my coach Michelle was on the team. During an event involving a worm apparatus, I found myself holding most of the back half of the worm alone while everyone else jumped forward. Initially feeling disappointed in my fitness level, I later discovered a photo showing me working hard while others felt good about their performance. Now, whenever my coach accuses me of slacking off, I proudly bring out that photo as evidence to tease her. It's these kinds of experiences that make such trips memorable and cherished. I wish they would bring back the Invitational—it was truly amazing.

So for me it's less about a pre-workout and usually before a session, because my sessions are sometimes long and I usually train in the morning. So I'll usually wake up early, have breakfast with my toddler, and have a coffee, and maybe I mix up some pre-workout depending on what I have to do. I'll get to the gym and I spend a fair amount of time now doing some warm-up and activation of whatever I might need. Like if let's say I'm going overhead, I'll spend a fair amount of time getting my shoulders prepped and things like that. A younger me would have just jumped right in, but not anymore. And then yeah, you kind of just get to it and chip along through the day. Sometimes I just put podcasts in and I kind of work through my day slow and steady. For specifically a workout, like if it's a competition workout and I'm trying to like, I don't have any superstitions really, but I might tape my hands a certain way. I don't know, like anybody, I think I get the nervous bathroom emergency before we start. And I still get butterflies and jittery like anybody else. I think that's kind of what's cool after so long of doing it, you still feel that way. And it just sort of shows how much I still care. And I think if I stop feeling that way, and it feels like it doesn't matter and I'm just going through the motions, then maybe it's time to hang it up. But for now, I don't think there's a lot that separates me from the rest of you guys. I think we still feel the same way. And I get nervous just like everybody.

I usually wake up early, have breakfast and coffee, and mix some pre-workout if needed. I spend time doing warm-up and activation exercises before starting my workout. I listen to podcasts while working out, and still get nervous before a competition workout.

What's your pre-WOD (workout of the day) routine?

Morning Rituals: Prepping Mind and Body for the Ultimate Workout

My pre-WOD routine is not very structured, as my sessions can be long and I typically train in the morning. I wake up early, have breakfast with my toddler, and enjoy a cup of coffee. Depending on what I have planned for the workout, I may mix up some pre-workout supplements. 

When I get to the gym, I spend a good amount of time warming up and activating the specific muscles I'll be using. In the past, I would have just jumped right into the workout, but now I prioritize proper preparation. 

During the day, I like to listen to podcasts while I work through my training sessions. If it's a competition workout, I don't have any specific superstitions, but I might tape my hands a certain way. Like anyone else, I sometimes experience pre-workout nerves and the occasional bathroom emergency. It's interesting how, even after all this time, I still get butterflies and feel jittery. It shows how much I still care about what I do. If I ever stop feeling that way and it becomes just going through the motions, then maybe it's time to consider a change. But for now, I believe there's not much that separates me from others. We all experience those nerves and excitement before a workout.

I think the first step to improving on water events in a CrossFit context is first of all getting into the water as much as you can. You know right now I try to swim at least two times a week and you just get that level of comfort and you sort of get that cruising speed and stuff. It feels a little more natural. Another huge advantage is if you can find a physical coach to be there and watch you, obviously that's a huge advantage. You can take all the tips you want from YouTube and I would encourage everyone to do that but there's nothing that beats instant feedback and hands-on coaching. One of the biggest challenges is you can't really bring equipment to pool decks and a lot of times we have to do you know workouts with a certain amount of equipment in them. So I sometimes try to do things just on the side of lanes where I can do some even just simple push-ups, burpees, things like that. Bring a yoga mat so you're not worried about slipping on the tile and lifeguards aren't coming over to rescue you. But if you can do that, terrific. If you can get to open water and or 50 meter lanes, it's extra advantage. Open water swimming is great because if you can get to like something or somewhere that has a little bit of a beach you can bring a dumbbell or something and just do something to get your heart rate up. Jump in the water, repeat, practice doing that swimming with high heart rate. That's what's gonna get you the most comfortable. A little bit of that exposure therapy.

To improve on water events in a CrossFit context, it's important to swim as much as possible and find a physical coach to provide feedback. It can be difficult to use equipment on pool decks, but if open water or 50 meter lanes are available, it is an advantage. Open water swimming is great for exposure therapy and practicing at a higher heart rate.

How do you work on getting better at water events?

Mastering Water Events: Tips for CrossFit Success

To improve on water events in a CrossFit context, the first step is to spend as much time as possible in the water. Personally, I aim to swim at least twice a week to build comfort and develop a cruising speed. Having a physical coach present is a significant advantage for instant feedback and hands-on coaching. While you can gather tips from YouTube, nothing beats real-time guidance. One challenge is the inability to bring equipment to pool decks when certain workouts require it. In such cases, I try to do exercises on the side of lanes, like push-ups or burpees, using a yoga mat for better grip and safety. If possible, taking advantage of open water or 50-meter lanes is beneficial. Open water swimming offers opportunities to incorporate additional exercises that raise heart rate, such as bringing a dumbbell and doing repetitions on the beach. Practicing swimming with a high heart rate helps build comfort and confidence. Embracing this exposure therapy approach can greatly contribute to improvement in water events.