“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.”- Buddha
CROSSFIT GAMES
Standing the Test of Time: The Staggering Depth of the 2018 European CrossFit Games Regional
While the United States is home to the most affiliates of any nation (more than 6,000), there is a surplus of high-level Games competitors across Europe. And, that has been the case for several years now.
In the first part of our analysis of the 2018 Regionals, we noted that across all regions, 18 women had qualified for the Games in both 2019 and 2020. Seven of those women placed in the top ten in the European Regional that year (Laura Horvath, Sara Sigmundsdóttir, Kristin Holte, Camilla Salomonsson Hellman, Gabriela Migala, Karin Frey, and Emma McQuaid).
And there could’ve been more:
Annie Thorisdottir won the European Regional that season but missed the 2020 Games because she was pregnant.
Katrin Davidsdottir won the East Regional that year because she lives in New England, but will have to compete in Europe this season.
Alessandra Pichelli won the West Regional in 2018 but has competed under the Italian banner for the last two years.
In the meantime, in the Meridian Regional, notable European athletes such as Eik Gylfadottir, Jaqueline Dahlstrom, Carmen Bosmans, and Emilia Leppanen were competing.
Whether the Open calls for a max lift or 100 wall-balls, make sure your knees are ready. With the Element 26 (6mm) Knee Sleeves, you get the best of both worlds. The compression and support for all your lifting along with the flexibility to perform any other movement.
So instead of worrying about which knee sleeves you’re going to wear every other training session, just keep it simple! With that in mind, we designed the Element 26 Knee Sleeves to have the qualities of a 7mm sleeve and a 5mm sleeve combined into one!
PUMA drops their first CrossFit community clothing collaboration, kicking off with AfroBrutality.
JUST LAUNCHED: New podcast: Noah Dean, a CrossFit on-floor commentator has released a podcast called “How To Be 40.” The podcast is “dedicated to an attempt to delineate what it means to transition from juvenile thinking and behavior to genuine maturity” and there are currently seven episodes available for download.
The 2021 Battle Cancer Online Program is now open for registration. If you are post-cancer treatment, you can access the workouts and do them at-home or in the gym.
Cobra Kai star, Pavel Trusov incorporated CrossFit workouts to break the world record for most punches in one minute.
Trusov: “It was during this training that I learned what incredible muscle pain is,” he said. “But motivation and family support is the best motivational medicine.”
RomRod hits Kickstarter: RomRod is a new compact portable mobility tool, specifically designed to help you improve your flexibility, barbell lifting techniques and joint mobility. RomRod launched via Kickstarter this month and already raised over $40,000 thanks to over 800 backers.
Rogue Fitness announced its first challenge of 2021, “The Bear Hug Challenge.” The goal: hold your sandbag for longer than any other competitor in the world. Registration Opens Friday, February 5th. The competition will begin on Friday, February 12.
COMMUNITY
“Kid Fit For Fun” Teaches Health, Fitness, and Fun
Erin Crain says there’s one key thing to remember when working with kids: make it fun. And that’s what she brings to her recently-released children’s book,Kid Fit For Fun, a resource for kids and their parents, teachers, or coaches.
The book: Crain, who earned her L1 in 2015 and CrossFit Kids certificate in 2016, describes Kid Fit For Fun as a curriculum for kids age 10-14; pages are built from lesson plans she created teaching fitness to first through eighth-graders. In the book’s five chapters and 30 lessons, Crain goes through the foundational movements of fitness, 10 general physical skills, muscular strength, gymnastics, and skill work.
The lessons: Each lesson starts with a movement, like the deadlift, push jerk, or handstands. Crain describes the movement through beautiful, hand-lettered and illustrated pages, in some cases – for instance, the gorilla on the deadlift section – connecting back to the CrossFit Kids methodology.
The movement pages come with workouts, like the medball cleans, where, after illustrating technique (through stick figures much like the well-known Instagram account Whiteboard Daily), Crain writes a 10-minute AMRAP.
Removing Prices From Their Websites Brings Sales Success, Gym Owners Say
While it seems intuitive to include your prices on your website, more and more affiliate owners are choosing to remove them, requiring prospects to request pricing information instead. And it’s proving to be valuable.
What they’re saying: Owners who no longer advertise their prices say it has helped them, not just generate more clients, as it allows them to properly explain the value behind their pricing.
A solid split jerk is fast, snappy and aggressive. If you struggle in the split jerk, this post from coach Greg Everett and Catalyst Athletics offers some great cues to consider that can speed up and correct your footwork. In Everett's words "don’t split like a wounded gazelle trying to get over a fence."
Why use a timer for at-home workouts? Athletes streamed Tabata Songs 45.5 million times on Spotify in 2020. That's like listening to a song on repeat non-stop since the year 1706! Every week the musicians at Tabata Songs re-create and record your favorite songs set to the timing of the Tabata protocol.
Your Hip Flexors, For Faster Sprints and Stronger Squats
If your hip flexors aren't strong enough, you can expect injuries, hip pain, knee pain, low back pain, and even hamstring issues. But, some targeted attention on building hip flexor strength will not only help to bulletproof against injury, but it will also help you become stronger, faster and more explosive. Give these six hip flexor exercises from T-Nation a try. Bonus: they can be done pretty much anywhere.
These 28 Seasonal Recipes for February (with Plenty of Chocolate for V-Day)
Looking for meal prep inspiration? Celebrate seasonal produce like winter squash, citrus, broccoli, sweet potatoes and more with a new recipe for each day this month. You’ll find sweet and savory breakfasts, delicious lunches and dinners, and plenty of chocolate just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to [email protected] to be featured.
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