Catching Up with GRID athlete Jared Enderton

Q: Hey Jared, thanks for taking time to answer our questions. We know you have a chaotic schedule filled with coaching, training, seminars, competitions and more. Can you give us an update on what you currently have going on?
JE: No problem! It’s been a wild ride this year. I opened up my own barbell club, I co-own a business called CrossFit Pandora’s box, I competed in the GRID League, in weightlifting meets, and in CrossFit competitions. I’ve also coached at over 20 seminars this year and started an online coaching program with my partner Jon North that has ballooned to over 400 athletes. It’s been a very successful year both on and off the platform. I was finally able to catch my breath in November and have been able to manage my time much better. Now that it’s December I feel like I’ve reached a pretty good balance (and it only took 11 months ha ha)! Life’s great though; I am coaching, competing, traveling, and training my butt off.

Q: I know a lot of your training focus has been geared towards competing in The National Pro GRID League (NPGL). What kind of training program do you follow?
And do you program for yourself or do you have a coach?
JE: This year has really been a whirlwind in terms of my training. From January to March I was weightlifting. I submitted a GRIDScore just for fun and ended up getting invited to the Pro Day in San Francisco. They liked what they saw and invited me to the Combine in Baltimore. A week later, the Baltimore Anthem team drafted me, so from March to September, 100% of my focus was on training for the GRID League.

Lately I have been focusing on both the GRID League training and, CrossFit training. Fortunately they mesh really well together, so that’s been nice. For the first few months after the GRID League season I was doing regular classes at CrossFit Pandora’s Box. I still do quite a few classes, but I get my programming through brUTE Strength.

Together With my business partner Jon North, I write and coach over 400 athletes in weightlifting. Yet I still have a coach because I really believe everyone can benefit from a coach. Even the best athletes like Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, etc… all have coaches. Since my focus is on the GRID League and CrossFit now, I have them handle my programming because they have much more experience and know way more than I do. Of course, if I were just competing in weightlifting I would do my own programming. My coaches have been a huge help so far and I can’t wait to see what the future brings!

Q: What was your first NPGL season like? How did it feel to be competing on a team rather than as an individual?
JE: It was a surreal experience. On our team alone we had four CrossFit Games athletes and two Olympians. We also had another 3-4 Regional level athletes. To learn from athletes of that caliber was a great experience. I focused on doing my job, on what I could bring to the table and made sure I was prepared.

Q: What has been the biggest challenge transitioning from an Olympic weightlifter to more of a NPGL or CrossFit style athlete?
JE: Breathing, ha ha! In weightlifting your breath comes from your ATP-PC energy system. With GRID it’s tons of APT-PC & glycolytic energy systems. CrossFit encompasses them all: APT-PC, Glycolytic, and Oxidative system. Of course, in GRID having a great oxidative system allows you to recover faster, but the bulk of the work time is still under 30 seconds. As a former wrestler I know what the “pain” feels like, but it’s been about 9 years since I’ve really done any conditioning. Going through that has been a humbling experience to say the least.

Q: I know you’ve always been one to experiment with your nutrition. What kind of plan are you currently following, and what supplements do you use to assist that plan?
JE: I have the best girlfriend in the world. She’s a genius with nutrition so I just listen to her! I used to be afraid of carbs, I’d say, “Oh my gosh, they’ll make me gain weight!” Now I can’t eat enough of them. I’m training 2-3x per day and always need that fuel to keep going. I’ve also dropped from about 218 lbs. to 200 lbs. without even meaning to. All of the extra training has really leaned me out. I used to count macros, but now that I have a general idea of what I need for fuel I sort of just eyeball it.
As far as supplements: I keep it pretty simple.

1. Creatine

2. HMB

3. Fish Oil

4. BetaTOR/PEAK ATP

5. Protein

I stick with what makes me recover faster and feel better. I try not to get too fancy with it.

Q: You traveled a ton while you were competing on the GRID and now for seminars, how do you keep a good balance with your nutrition and training while on the road?
JE: I’ll be honest, until a month ago I hadn’t found that balance. I would pack 2-3 meals before traveling, but they’d be gone on the first day. From that point on I would eat whatever was convenient or available. This month however, I got a new sponsor - Progressive Paleo - right here in Colorado Springs. These guys have made my life 100x easier in terms of traveling and eating healthy. Now I take pre-made meals with me that are as healthy as you can get. If you’re in the Colorado Springs or Denver area be sure to check them out. They’ve really enhanced my diet and training, especially on those few days where I am stuck in an airport or stuck at the gym training/coaching all day.

Q: What’s next competition wise for you?
JE: The CrossFit Open. I believe the GRID League season will be later next year, so my focus is on the Open right now.

Q: What has been your proudest moment professionally thus far?
JE: I would have to say placing 5th in the Rogue Lift Off competition. I was five reps behind Ben Smith, which was pretty cool. Two of the top five competitors have won the last five CrossFit Games, and three of the top five have been to the CrossFit Games before. Then there was me, ha ha! I think it showed how much work I’ve been putting in to my conditioning. I was really proud of that.

Q: What future goals do you have set in your mind? And how do you plan to achieve
them?
JE: My biggest goal right now is to make the CrossFit Regionals. I don’t want to look too far ahead of the CrossFit Games because you can’t get to the Super Bowl unless you make the playoffs first! I think focusing on the CrossFit Open will also help me become a better GRID Athlete. As for how I plan to achieve that, I’m going to focus on myself and working as hard as I can each day. I often get too tied up into other competitor’s scores or results, which can be distracting. If I can focus on becoming the best version of myself, I’m fully confident I can reach my goals.

Q: The holidays are right around the corner, what if your favorite part of the holidays?
Do you have any fun traditions?
JE: Training. Ha ha! Nah, the best part is spending time with the family. I really enjoy the holidays because I get to see how happy my family is. Spending time with Tamara (my girlfriend) and the kids is always something I look forward to. Of course, I do train every single day including on Christmas. My favorite strongman who was taken from us way too young (Jesse Marunde) had a saying that has stuck with me, “Why not train on Christmas? Your body has no idea it’s Christmas. Someone else will if you don’t.” I use the day as a day of reflection on the past year and just have fun with it.

Q: If people want to get in touch with you what is the best way to?
JE: Any of my social media platforms.
IG/Twitter: @jaredenderton
Facebook: Jared Enderton Athlete page or Enderton Strength business page
Podcast: Weightlifting Talk
Website: JaredEnderton.com

Thanks Jared for catching up with us!
JE: Anytime!