Unofficial Livestream Count: Last night a total of 115,199 people were logged into the Open announcement concurrently, according to our unofficial count. That includes 19,600 on Facebook and 95,599 on YouTube.
We caught up with Justin Medeiros before his first appearance on a live Open announcement to hear his thoughts on being asked and what his prediction was for 21.2:
Medeiros: “I grew up watching the sport and getting to see all these legends do all these Open announcements. It’s an honor that they even thought about me to do it…I feel like we are going to see a little bit of that 50-pound dumbbell that I saw on the equipment list. I feel like that’s going to pop up this week, but who knows.”
21.3 Programming Update: The live announcement for 21.3 will take place on Thursday, March 25, 12:00 PM PT/3:00 PM ET. And all three Panchik brothers will compete head-to-head, as well as Ben Smith vs EZ Muhammad and a mystery guest.
The Torian Pro, Oceania’s Semifinal event in the 2021 season, will make tickets available to affiliate owners with an Affiliate Presale starting on March 22.
Q&A with Juliet Starrett— O2 and The Ready State have recently partnered together to help athletes with hydration, mobility and recovery during the Open, and recently published a Q&A with The Ready State co-founder and author, Juliet Starrett.
Starrett, on the most important things to do for mobility: “You should be walking 10,000 steps a day. I’m serious…I think the one thing people should do in addition to walking a lot and tracking their steps, is sit on the floor every single day, and get up and down off the floor at least once a day. And, here’s why: just the act of getting up and down off the floor is a mobility exercise because it’s taking your hips through their full range of motion.”
MUST READ: The Wall Street Journal published a story this week called “Gyms Are Reopening, but Everything’s Different” that not only outlines the devastating effect the pandemic has had on the fitness industry, but also the promises and perils of reopening.
A key statistic: “Heading into the pandemic, the U.S. had roughly 40,000 health clubs generating $35 billion in annual revenue, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. At the end of 2020, the industry has lost $20.4 billion in revenue, while about 6,400 clubs—17% of the total—closed permanently.”
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As the first workout of the 2021 Open came to a close, the leaderboard began to populate and shuffle. While both the top fifty men and women posted some impressive times, at the end of the day, it was the men who took the fastest times overall in this workout.
Comparing the top 50: When looking at the top fifty athletes in this workout in both the men’s and women’s division, the men have the women beat by 12 seconds on average.
This counters the initial argument that many made that women would perform better on this workout due to their generally shorter statutes and lighter bodyweights.
The women also have a higher range from the first place finisher to the 50th place finisher, with the first place finisher finishing 2 minutes and 13 seconds faster than the 50th place finisher, compared to the men, who had a range of 1:45
One of the most common concerns we hear from prospective clients or interested followers who are in or approaching menopause is whether or not they are doomed to fat gain and performance loss simply as a result of their age and hormonal status.
Routinely, menopause or perimenopause shows up in the medical history portion of our intake form as if it is some sort of disease or medical condition. It’s commonly thought that the energy decline and fat gain is simply an unavoidable part of aging, but how true is that?
Ten-Year CrossFit Veteran Diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Leans on Fitness More than Ever
It started with some mysterious finger twitching. At first, it was nothing to be too concerned about.
But soon, Dianne Ross noticed her handwriting was getting sloppier, that she wasn’t able to whisk an egg as fast as she once could, and that her right hand started to give out when she lifted weights and she suddenly needed two hands to brush her own teeth, Ross started to wonder, “What’s going on here?”
Ross, who was a member of CrossFit Albury Wodonga in Australia at the time, did a “Dr Google search” and diagnosed herself with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes shaking and stiffness, as well as balance and coordination problems. Eventually, those with the disease may have trouble walking and talking.
Her self-diagnosis was confirmed by medical tests in 2019. It was a tough pill to swallow. “I was upset, had a few tears about the unknown that was in front of me, as there’s no cure,” said Ross, now 49, of her emotions at the time she found out she officially had Parkinson’s.
New Countries Crack the Leaderboard Top 50 in 21.1
Take a scroll down the CrossFit Open leaderboard in years past, and you’ll likely find yourself in a sea of American flags that typically dominate, along with a few other perennial powerhouses, including Australia, Canada, and Iceland. However, the close of 21.1 presented the CrossFit community with one of the most diverse leaderboards in years.
Eleven new flags grace the front page of the 2021 Open leaderboard; it seems that this season is shaping up to be one of the most diverse seasons yet.
Every Friday, we’re bringing you an exclusive workout challenge programmed by a CrossFit Games athlete or coach that you can take on at home or the gym. You can post your times or scores in the comment section.
Today’s workout of the week is programmed by Sean Sweeney.
Today’s workout of the week is programmed by Sean Sweeney.
“Wheel Of Fortune”
Every 4 minutes for 6 sets
15/10 Cal Echo Bike
10 Deadlifts (185/125lbs or 84/56kgs)
Max Chest to Bar Pull-Ups in the remaining time
Score is total CTB pull-ups or muscle-ups
*Rx+ 18/12 Cals, 225/155 or 102/70kg and muscle-ups.
Time Cap: 24 Minutes
Some advice from Sean: “Find your breathing pattern on the bike and deadlifts. Execute submaximal, quick sets on the chest to bar pull-ups/muscle-ups.”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
THINGS TO...
...LEARN
The Key to Heavier Squats
The key to a big squat is to get tight first. Before you unrack the barbell, build tremendous stiffness in your body and then get set. It's impossible to unrack a heavy weight lackadaisically then build tightness. Learn more in this short video from Squat University.
This year, we're going BIG. We've partnered up with some of the brands you know and love to give away a $30,000 ultimate home gym prize pack. The winner is going to be the talk of the town and that winner could be you!
If you are new to rowing, or if you have previously experienced back pain or a back injury you might be concerned about how the rowing stroke will impact you. This video from Shane Farmer at Dark Horse rowing lays out five mistakes you might be making with your back on the rowing machine, and how to fix them.
It's hard to argue with the lean, protein-packed goodness of basic chicken breasts, but at the same time, they can get pretty boring. If you're stuck in a chicken rut, give these primavera stuffed chicken breasts a try. You can stuff them with almost anything, but we prefer sliced ham, swiss, and pickle chips.
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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