and has HybridAF as his Secret Weapon this Season
When Dan Miller first showed up to compete at the CrossFit Games in 2022, his hands were shaking.
“I didn’t know what to do, what to think, or how it was going to go,” admitted the 67-year-old who trains at Sheepdog Athletics and Fitness in Taunton, Massachusetts.
“But then when the 3, 2, 1 goes off, I just forgot about everything and just competed,” he added.
By the end of the weekend, Miller wound up fourth overall in the Men’s 65-plus division, a finish that gave him the confidence to know he belonged. And so he entered the 2023 season with a different mindset.
And last year’s season unfolded, his confidence grew. He placed fourth in the age group Quarterfinals and first in the Semifinals, and headed to Madison, WI ranked first in the world.
When he got there, the stars were just kind of aligned.
“Fortunately, the workouts were in my wheelhouse,” said Miller, who admitted he felt a certain amount of pressure after winning the Semifinals.
He lived up to the pressure, and after six events last summer, Miller was crowned the Fittest 65-Plus Man on Earth.
Looking To Repeat In 2024?
After winning last season, Miller admits the pressure has only increased, however, he also knows the competition will be even more stiff this season, as many of the men from the 60-64-year-old division have aged up into the 65-plus division, and they’re a couple years younger than him.
Miller, though, is trying not to think about the pressure and is just using this as motivation.
“It pushes me a little bit to work harder, to work on the skills that I might be lacking,” he said.
This year, Miller also has a secret weapon in his pocket: His gym became a HybridAF member in January, so he now has the opportunity to work on these skills whenever is convenient, as he has 24/7 access to the gym.
Miller still works—as a contractor in IT in healthcare—and he knows he has some time-consuming projects coming up work-wise, so having the ability to go to the gym whenever he can leading up to this summer’s Games “will be very convenient,” he said.
“I still need to get my workout in, so whether it’s 5 a.m. or 8 p.m., I’ll take advantage of (unattended access),” he said.
But first, Miller has Quarterfinals to get through, and hopefully Semifinals, where he’s hoping to punch his third straight ticket to the 2024 CrossFit Games by Legends.
The Bigger Picture For Miller
Though he loves training and competing—Miller is at the gym six days a week—the more important piece of the puzzle is about being healthy and fit as he ages.
He credits his coaches—his son Dan Miller and his daughter-in-law Tonya Miller—for helping him stay physically fit, and his wife for her delicious and healthy meals.
“She’s a tremendous cook, so we eat really well,” he said.
As a result, Miller doesn’t feel like he’s slowing down. In fact, he still gets PRs here and there.
Last year, for example, after eight years of CrossFit, Miller PRed all of his powerlifting lifts, hitting a 427-pound deadlift, a 377-pound back squat and a 237-pound bench press.
“I feel stronger, or at least I don’t feel like I’m getting weaker…I’m not slowing down,” he said.
He’s not slowing down and he just feels better when he moves.
“I have no complaints, other than being a year older, but I feel great during and after workouts and just want to continue in that manner as long as I can,” Miller said.
This is also his message to other aging adults: “Just keep moving. Once you stop moving, that’s when things start to fail. So, even if it’s just walking, just keep moving,” he said.
“And stop eating at those fast food restaurants,” he added with a laugh.
