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Chad Mackay

Sports have always played an important role in Chad Mackay’s life. A baseball and tennis player in high school, Chad loved experimenting with different activities and sports that he came across throughout his education – including strength training.

Shortly after he started weightlifting at the age of 18, Chad found out about CrossFit and was immediately ‘hooked.’

He loved the intense workouts associated with the sport, so much so that he decided to start a career as a CrossFit competitor.

Taking on new challenges in the form of CrossFit Games and personal coaching, Chad has since grown into an influence in the fitness and CrossFit industry.

This is his story:

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Athlete Statistics

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Accomplishments

Benchmark Statistics

• Back Squat – 200 kg
• Clean and Jerk – 150 kg
• Snatch – 135 kg
• Deadlift – 240 kg
• Fight Gone Bad – 400
• Max Pull-Ups – 50
• Fran – 2:25
• Grace – 1:25
• Helen – 7:00
• Filthy 50 – 18:00
• Sprint 400m – 1:00
• Run 5k – 20:00

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CrossFit Contests

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Biography

Chad’s Background

Chad Mackay became intrigued with sports from an early age. He was influenced by his parents who were athletes in their youth.

His father, Ian, played in the Australian Rugby league, while his mother Karen was a fly champion in high school.

Inspired by his parents, Chad began to experiment with different sports and activities throughout high school. Some of his favorites were baseball, tennis, and even surfing.

Early Involvement in Fitness

Chad discovered weightlifting during his last year in high school, which led him to start a career as a training coach. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education, but during his final year in University, Chad realized that being a Physical Education Teacher wasn’t for him.

In the own words of Chad; “I did my practicum in my last year and didn’t enjoy it at all, and I ended up not teaching a single day at a school. I preferred to be with people that were athletes and adults and would listen to what I have to say. It’s hard to get kids to listen to what you have to say when they’re going through high school.” – Chad Mackay

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CrossFit Beginnings

Fortunately for Chad, he didn’t have to wait long to find a new career that he loved. In 2008, months after graduating from University, Chad was introduced to his first CrossFit workout by his boss and gym trainer, Luke Starr.

During one of their workouts, Luke told Chad to do a 1-minute “as many rounds as possible” workout consisting of 5 pull-ups, 15 air squats, and 10 push-ups.

Chad was able to do three rounds and was intrigued by the intensity and difficulty of the workout. He was “hooked” on CrossFit from then on.

Becoming a Competitor

Only a year after starting his CrossFit journey, Chad began to take part in his first competitions in the sport. His first contest came in 2009 when he competed at Australia’s Regionals.

After a year of intense training, he came back in 2010 and finished in a high 2nd place, qualifying for the CrossFit Games in the process. His debut at the Games was no less impressive, with Chad finishing in 12th place overall.

Although Chad planned on improving his result at the Games the following year, a groin injury prevented him from doing so. Nevertheless, he came back strong from the injury in 2012 and 2013, taking 9th and 11th place respectively.

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Chad Mackay Nowadays

Throughout the years, Chad kept reaching new levels of success, as he grew in both his physique and career.

He’s now a 3-time CrossFit Games athlete and veteran fitness coach with an awe-worthy physique.

With a huge number of admirers and growing influence in the fitness industry, Chad is an example for not just upcoming CrossFit athletes, but for anyone looking to improve their physique and lead a healthier lifestyle.

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Training

Chad’s Training Style

Chad’s training is a combination of strength workouts, gymnastic movements, conditioning, and Olympic weightlifting.

He combines these training techniques to become competent in a wide range of exercises and movements, which is crucial for achieving success in CrossFit Games.

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Nutrition

High Fat, Low Carb Diet

Chad follows a diet that’s extremely similar to paleo – eating high amounts of proteins and fats and very few carbs.

He aims at consuming 130-150 grams of protein with every meal, in addition to having one or two protein shakes per day.

Chad’s meals consist mainly of meat and vegetables, along with some fruits and nuts as his snacks. In terms of ‘cheat meals’, Chad only has one of these per year.

“Typically I’ll only have one blowout a year, and that’s it.”

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Chad Mackay’s Daily Meal Plan

05:25 am – Upon Waking Up:

• 2 x 50g scoops of Protein  with a double shot of coffee with a dash of full cream milk
• 15 almonds
• 1 banana
• 1L water

09:00am – pre-workout:

• 1 boiled egg
• 3 almonds
• 1/8 of an apple

11:45 am – 10 minutes post-workout

• 100gm grilled chicken thigh
• 2 x cucumbers
• 1 x red capsicum
• 7/8 of an apple
• 12 almonds
• 1L water

14:00 pm – pre-workout

• 1/2 x 50g scoop of Protein
• 1/4 banana
• 3 almonds

16:30 post-workout

• 150grams of a grilled chicken thigh
• 2 x cucumbers
• 1 x red capsicum
• 3/4 of a banana
• 12 almonds
• 1L water

18:30 – Dinner

• 150gm red meat
• Grilled vegetables seasoned with olive oil and pepper
• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 1/4 of a cauliflower
• 1 zucchini
• 1L water

21:00 – Snack

• 50 grams of nuts
• 40-70 grams Greek yogurt
• 50 grams of blueberries

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What we can learn from Chad Mackay

Looking at Chad’s diet, it’s clear to see what it takes to reach his physique and level of success.

With only one cheat meal per year, and an extremely clean diet all-year-round, Chad shows us just how hard you have to work to achieve success as a CrossFit competitor.

While your goals might not be the same as Chad’s, learning from his example can help you improve in not only your fitness, but other areas of life as well.