Podcast 128: Buttery Bros on CrossFit Filmmaking, Travel, Workouts & Nutrition

This week’s guests on the WHOOP Podcast are Marston Sawyers and Heber Cannon, better known as The Buttery Bros.

Marston and Heber are some of the kings of content in the CrossFit space, and these guys know a thing or two about fitness. They are documentary filmmakers who travel the world to capture the fittest people on the planet in action. That work has resulted in a massive social media following and has made them two of the most recognizable people in CrossFit. The Buttery Bros sit down with our resident CrossFit expert Mike Lombardi to share their stories from the road, how WHOOP helped keep them safe while traveling during COVID, their thoughts on nutrition, how they go about programming their workouts, as well as what’s next for CrossFit.  

Buttery Bros Podcast Quotes and Highlights

2:26 - Using WHOOP. “What got me excited about CrossFit is its creating the ultimate superhuman,” Heber says. “To create the ultimate person, you have to know what the right training modality is. There’s a lot outside of the gym that people are doing. What I learned about metrics and data and recording HRV. WHOOP seemed to be the most accurate brand that was interested in CrossFit.” 5:34 - The Next Generation of CrossFit. Marston and Heber discuss the up and coming CrossFitters, including Justin Medeiros. 7:25 - Staying Safe with WHOOP. Heber shares how they tracked their respiratory rates while traveling during COVID. “Anytime I’m traveling and going to athletes, when I wake up, the first thing I check is my sleep data and my respiratory rate. Anytime it skyrocketed, I tried to go and find a test or not do anything that day and stay away from people.” 14:35 - Travel Destinations in CrossFit. Marston and Heber share some of their favorite trips while traveling the world filming fitness content. 15:20 - Wodapalooza. Marston explains why Wodapalooza is his favorite event on the CrossFit calendar. “You’re outside. You’re not confined to an indoor convention center that’s dimly lit. It looks beautiful on video but the people are beautiful and the surrounding location [is beautiful]. We’re just out there gathering content, but we’re also living the lifestyle.” 19:00 - Becoming the Buttery Bros. Marston and Heber detail the origins of the Buttery Bros name. “Back when we worked at CrossFit, if we hit a nicely composed shot, I would be all stoked about it and run over to Heber and say, “Look at this!’ He would say, ‘Oh, dude, that’s super buttery.’ It was a term we would pump each other up with. … We knew that we were going [to use that in the name of the YouTube channel].’ 20:55 - Nutrition. Heber says he counts macros, or at least “in the ballpark” when he’s on the road. Marston says he eats a lot of meat and vegetables. “I don’t need to know what all the numbers are, I just know it's clean, real food that I’m eating. I’m not trying to geek out too much on it.” 23:26 - Workout Philosophies. “I show up, I never really know what I’m going to do.” Marston says. “I ask my buddies around the gym [what they’re doing]. I definitely cherry pick. I like to do what I’m good at! I’m 33, I don’t need to be doing pistols and all of that stuff!” 27:40 - Mat Fraser and Rich Froning. The Buttery Bros talk about documenting Mat Fraser’s final CrossFit Games victory in 2020 (afterwards he announced his retirement). “There were no fans, it was such a different experience,” Marston says. “He just dominated.” Marston and Heber also discuss the difference between Rich Froning and Mat Fraser. 31:10 - Studying Other CrossFitters. “I think every athlete has different weaknesses,” Heber says. “You can’t program the same thing for everybody. But you can learn from people that have been there and say, ‘I’ve got a similar body type to this person. What have they done to be successful? How can I grow as an athlete by learning from this person? I think it’s a fascinating time to be a CrossFitter. You have all this knowledge that wasn’t out there 5 years ago, or even 3 years ago.” 32:42 - Eric Roza and the New Era of CrossFit. The Buttery Bros share why they’re excited about new CrossFit CEO Eric Roza. Check out Eric’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast. 36:34 - Creative Inspiration. “We’re thinking of things we want to be doing and when we find ourselves in those scenarios is when we create the best content, because we’re having fun and that energy comes through on camera,” Heber says. “I’ve always thought my time in the gym is like my adult recess. The energy we have on camera is the energy we have in the gym. It’s the best part of my day. When we’re thinking of what we want to create on our show, that’s what’s going through my head.” Connect with the Buttery Bros on Instagram and YouTube.