When Jason Grubbs first stepped into a CrossFit gym back in 2013, he didn’t expect to get crushed in a workout by a woman pregnant with twins. But that humbling moment hooked him—and launched a journey that would eventually lead him to become a five-time CrossFit Games Masters Champion, coach, and founder of Bolder Athlete. Now, Jason is bringing that same passion and experience to gym owners and athletes through Bolder Affiliate, his new masters affiliate programming track on the SugarWOD Marketplace.
Jason’s Path to Becoming Fittest on Earth
Jason wasn’t a lifelong competitive athlete. For decades he jogged to “stay in shape,” but it wasn’t until his late 30s that he found CrossFit. Within a year he was competing, and by 42 he was standing on the floor of the CrossFit Games.
Fast forward to today: Jason has won the Games five times, and along the way, he discovered something crucial—training for longevity looks different than training like a 20-year-old.
That realization is at the heart of Bolder Affiliate, his masters affiliate programming.
Why Bolder Affilliate?
Most affiliate programming is built for younger athletes. That often leaves the 35+ crowd—the majority of CrossFit members—constantly scaling workouts or chasing weights that don’t make sense for their bodies.
Bolder Affiliate is masters affiliate programming that flips that script:
- Designed for Masters (35+): Programming meets athletes where they are—smart volume, smart intensity, and age-appropriate loading.
- RX That’s Actually Attainable: A 45-year-old should be able to hit RX for their age group. Bolder provides those options so scaling doesn’t feel like “less.”
- Built for the Majority: If your average class is 35–50 years old, this is the programming that keeps them training hard, staying safe, and having fun.
- Simple for Coaches: Clear briefs, thoughtful progressions, and the work already done for you—so you can spend your energy coaching.
Jason puts it plainly:
“It’s way easier to scale up a workout for a 25-year-old than to scale it down for a 55-year-old. We do that work for you.”
How Bolder Affiliate Helps Your Gym
For most affiliates, the biggest challenge isn’t attracting new athletes—it’s keeping them engaged year after year. That’s especially true for members in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who want to stay healthy for the long haul.
By giving them age-smart RX and thoughtful progressions, Bolder Affiliate helps members feel confident and capable instead of discouraged. That means:
- Stronger community: when a 50-year-old and a 25-year-old can both click RX for their versions of the workout, it creates more shared wins in class.
- Better retention: athletes stay longer when they feel workouts are built for them.
- Less coach guesswork: daily briefs do the heavy lifting so your staff can focus on coaching, not rewriting workouts on the fly.
The Bolder Intensity Spectrum
One of the unique tools inside Bolder Affiliate is the Bolder Intensity Spectrum, a simple color-coded guide that helps athletes hit the right training stimulus for each workout.
- Green (Zone 2): Sustainable, aerobic work
- Yellow (Zone 3): Hard but steady—effort you could repeat
- Orange (Zone 4): Challenging, unsustainable beyond ~10–12 minutes
- Red (Zone 5): Max effort. Gas pedal down
Instead of “every workout is red,” the spectrum balances intensity across the week to promote fitness, recovery, and longevity—something masters athletes especially need. This makes it a cornerstone of effective masters affiliate programming.
Hands-On, Athlete-Tested Programming
Every workout in Bolder Affiliate comes from Jason’s own training. He programs it, he tests it, and he refines it. Affiliates also benefit from direct feedback loops—Jason is accessible and invested in helping gyms succeed.
“We’re not too big to be hands-on. If you text me, I’ll text you back,” Jason says.
This hands-on approach ensures the masters affiliate programming you get isn’t theory. It’s athlete-tested, refined in real time, and designed for the people who fill your classes.
A Champion’s Philosophy
Jason admits he used to overtrain, redlining almost every session. It wasn’t until he learned to balance effort with recovery that he started making real progress. That philosophy shapes every workout in Bolder Affiliate.
“Not every day should leave you flat on the floor. Sustainable training is what makes fitness last for decades—not just seasons.”
For gym owners, this philosophy means giving members the right challenge on the right day. For athletes, it means workouts that feel tough enough to be proud of, but smart enough to keep them coming back tomorrow.
Why It Matters for Your Gym
If your classes are filled with athletes in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, this programming is designed for them. It keeps members engaged, progressing, and proud to hit RX, without the constant frustration of chasing numbers written for 20-year-olds.
And as Jason puts it, that’s the goal:
“I want the 52-year-old to be racing the 28-year-old at their appropriate weights and volumes. That should be a legitimate race.”
Get Started with Bolder Affiliate
Bolder Affiliate is now live in the SugarWOD Marketplace. Bring proven, master-focused programming to your gym, and give your athletes the workouts that will keep them training hard for years to come.