Fear does not have to cripple your performance — channeled correctly, the fear of failure can become a tool that drives you to train harder and perform better. In part seven of Mindset of a Champion on Physical Friday, three-time CrossFit Games Masters champion Jason Grubb opens up about his very strong fear of failure, how he uses it as motivation, and why he treats competition as life-or-death in the moment while keeping it in perspective afterward.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Yes. Jason Grubb told me his fear of failure is very acute, and it provides tremendous motivation in his training — it pushes him into the dark places that make sure he does not fail on the competition floor. The same fear that can cripple you, making you fumble and underperform, can instead become a tool that drives your preparation. The difference is whether you let it paralyze you or use it as fuel.
Because everyone expects you to win again. Jason is chasing his fourth title, and he explained that his biggest fear going into the year is not winning and then having to deal with the story he tells himself about it. Being the favorite — the one expected to slam dunk it — creates more fear than being the underdog. That is true whether you are defending a CrossFit title, a fishing tournament, or a reputation at work.
He uses it as motivation in training, pushing himself into hard places so he does not fail when it counts, and he commits fully to going after the win anyway. At the same time, he keeps perspective — reminding himself that when it is all said and done, it is just a sport and a hobby. In the moment it is life or death on the floor, but afterward he lets it be what it is.
Both, at different times. On the floor he describes it as life or death — his coliseum, his battle — and says he will grind himself to the point of passing out before he loses an event. But when it is over, he reminds himself it is just a sport, a hobby, something he loves. Holding both of those truths is part of how he manages the pressure.
Whatever you are facing — a first fishing tournament, a big presentation, opening a business — you can borrow how a champion channels fear. You can learn the lesson from any high performer, even in a sport you do not follow, and apply it to your own arena. Use the fear of failure as motivation to prepare harder, commit to the goal, and keep perspective once the moment passes.
Jason Grubb is a three-time CrossFit Games Masters champion preparing to chase a fourth title. He joined the Tom Rowland Podcast and appears across the Mindset of a Champion series on Physical Friday, sharing his approach to nutrition, habits, and — in this part — fear and pressure.
Fear shows up any time you try to do something that matters — a first tournament, a bigger event, a presentation, a new business. It can cripple your performance or it can sharpen it. I wanted to learn from someone who performs under enormous pressure, so I asked Jason Grubb how he handles it, and his honesty was striking.
Most people assume the underdog feels the most fear, but Jason flips that. As a three-time champion chasing a fourth, the expectation that he will win creates a unique kind of pressure. That maps directly onto being the person everyone expects to win the tournament or nail the proposal. Hear Jason describe the specific fear of the favorite in the episode. Press play.
The part that stuck with me was how Jason holds two opposite truths at once. On the floor it is battle — he says he will grind until he passes out before he loses an event. The second it is over, it is just a sport he loves. That balance is how he carries the intensity without being crushed by it. I let him unpack it fully in the episode. Listen in.
The day after recording, what I kept thinking about was that fear and performance are not enemies. The fear of failure, pointed in the right direction, is some of the best fuel there is.
You do not need to be chasing a fourth CrossFit title to use this. Name your fear, let it drive your preparation, commit, and then keep perspective when it is over.
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
Jason Grubb · CrossFit Games · fear of failure · pressure · competition mindset · Physical Friday · Tom Rowland Podcast
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series where I help fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen build the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay strong and stay in the game for life.
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