“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”- Edmund Burke
COMPETITION
Introducing Wodcelona, the Most Adaptive-Focused CrossFit Competition in the World
On September 16-18, hundreds of CrossFitters will test themselves in Barcelona, Spain. They will take part in Wodcelona, a CrossFit competition that heavily focuses on adaptive divisions with a variety of inclusive categories.
The details: The three-day competition–presented by Nike and Limited Edition Athletes–will feature more than 1,200 athletes from 28 different countries between the able-bodied and adaptive divisions. They will take on the competition at Parc del Forum, the public gathering place located on the Mediterranean Sea.
GRIT Programming, a Barcelona-based training platform, is in charge of programming the workouts for the three-day competition featuring teams and several individual divisions.
The 2022 CrossFit Games had three main adaptive divisions – upper extremity, lower extremity, and neuromuscular. Wodcelona takes it a step further with seven adaptive divisions – upper extremity, lower extremity, neuromuscular, sensorial, short stature, seated-1, and seated-2.
Along with adaptive divisions, Wodcelona will also feature Elite/RX male and female divisions; male and female teams; three masters divisions; and intermediate/scaled divisions.
Marc Gil, CEO of Limited Edition Athletes: “It all started back in 2018, actually. I think I was just back from Wodapalooza, and I had this organization, Limited Edition Athletes, happening. I felt like, ‘Hey, why not do something like what Miami is for the United States?’ Somehow Wodcelona can be for Europe. Why not do that but start it from the adaptive roots and then be inclusive by inviting the able-bodied divisions?”
“That process, I started like in 2018 just going on a train on my way to my parent’s home. And after four years, pandemics in between. lots of talks, discussions, and people coming in, we’re going up now. … I couldn’t be more stoked and more excited about it. It just is like a dream coming true.”
Remind me: Limited Edition Athletes is a non-profit organization dedicated to adapting functional fitness to the capacities of everyone. Limited Edition Athletes works directly with seven gyms in Barcelona while helping them transition into a more inclusive space for fitness.
Along with the focus on adaptive athletes, Limited Edition Athletes works directly with Hospital del Mar to assist those about to receive treatment for cancer through a program called Reps Against Cancer.
Another important project, PistOLDs, is one created in collaboration with Dr. Maria Rosa Gutiérrez and the Malgrat de Mar City Council. Limited Edition Athletes has a functional fitness program for people over the age of 65, which helps create a sense of belonging to a community.
A unique environment: Wodcelona will take place in a picturesque location where all of the major festivals in Barcelona go. The CrossFit competition will coexist with Extreme Barcelona, a festival featuring competitions for BMX, scooters, skateboarding, and breakdancing. There will also be performances from rappers, DJs, and other artists.
“We are expecting to bring around 6000 people during the three days, especially because it’s a free event, so it’s convenient,” Gil said. “And at the same time, because it’s happening when the festivities of the city… Those days when Barcelona has lots to offer like culture, sports, etc.”
“So they’re going to be promoting it all around the city to make sure that anybody in the city can go there. So we’re expecting in three days 6000 people, which is quite a lot. But the venue is giant. So I think it’s going to give a really cool atmosphere there. And it’s also a really good chance for people to know more about our sport, right?”
The reason for the focus on adaptive athletes: There are multiple reasons why Limited Edition Athletes and Wodcelona are taking this adaptive division-focused approach. The first is to provide opportunities to compete to those that may not reach the CrossFit Games because there isn’t a division for them.
The other is to change the conversation in future years. The goal is to reach a point where fitness enthusiasts see the name Wodcelona and automatically know that it’s a place welcome to everyone. There won’t have to be press releases listing the various divisions.
“Our goal is not to be like the biggest competition or whatever,” Gil said. “We just want to make sure that everybody has a chance to go there and have fun and participate and be part of this. One of the things that we definitely realize is that we have athletes who might be in a quadriplegic situation, being absolutely impaired. Here they have the chance to compete.”
“It’s really cool what Marc is working with his NGO, with LEA,” said Tote Picañol, the man in charge of equipment for the competition. “That he is bringing that opportunity to many athletes that maybe they cannot make it to the Games because they don’t have the category to the competition that they will have at Wodcelona.
“So we may even be able to make some noise. So who knows, right? Maybe even for the next editions of the Games, they can get even some ideas of how we want to structure the competition for all these athletes and how we can bring this maybe to a major competition like in Madison.”
SPONSORED
Convenient, Affordable and Fitness Forward Healthcare Has Finally Arrived.
You can now have the best in programming, rehabilitation, and primary care for only a few hundred dollars a month.
These organizations operate independently but can be leveraged collectively to maximize your healthspan:
Mayhem Athlete delivers world class programming and community for all fitness levels.
Institute of Clinical Excellence boasts a nationwide network of thousands of fitness forward physical therapists.
Wild Health primary care physicians use precision medicine to guide you towards optimal health.
In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to Dylan Malitsky, the VP of Sports for Loud And Live about all the changes for TYR Wodapalooza.
Cup of Joe: Join us at 2pm CT on YouTube, where we’ll be chatting with Chris Hinshaw on adding more aerobic training to your affiliate (or training). Coffee Break Conversations are exclusive for our RX members, and you can join for only $1 here.☕️
Who’s going?: The 2022 Rogue Invitational appears to be finalized and we’ve got you covered as to who is going, and who is not going to Austin, TX.
Stand up and listen: The Washington Post has an interesting read (paywall) on the fact that sitting all day is not necessarily offset by exercise.
INDUSTRY
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Post Gym Ownership Life “So Much Better,” Say Owners who Closed During the Pandemic: Does this Signal a Problem
Prior to the pandemic, Micheal Martin had built his gym Mad Apples CrossFit in Fort Wayne, IN from 30 to 100 members in the year leading up to 2020.
Then the shutdown hit, his lease ran up and he and his wife had just had their first child. Not wanting to put his family through financial uncertainty, Martin made the hard decision to close his doors and moved into a more “stable job” working as an IT manager for a software company.
He definitely misses gym ownership, but it was “the right choice for my family,” he said. Still, it was challenging emotionally and it took him nearly two years to join another gym.
“It was hard being so involved in a community and leaving to join another right away,” he explained.
While you might not expect Martin’s story to be a familiar one to the many gym owners who decided to close shop at various times during the global pandemic, most former gym owners say that, while they loved their community, they’re in a better place on the other side of gym ownership.
Ricky Garard: "I can now focus on being the best athlete I can be, putting in the work every day."
After finishing third overall at the CrossFit Games, Ricky Garard feels more confident than ever that he’s on the right track to climb to the top of the podium. Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sits down with Garard to discuss the highs and lows of the Games, what it was like to be back and even how the energy from fans can play a huge part in mindset during the week of competition.
‘Veteran With a Sign’ Zachary Bell on Coupling Exercise with Mental Health: “It can be the mind’s greatest reset”
Zachary Bell, known more commonly as “Veteran with a Sign,” has a simple message for people who are struggling with mental health issues. Bell, who served with the Marines from 2007-11, first enlisting when he was 19, said the mind is nothing without the body, and vice versa. Explanation: physical fitness is mental health fitness.
“What I love about fitness and in particular CrossFit, is this is stuff you will use,” said Bell, who has been doing CrossFit since 2014 when he first went to CrossFit FreeFlow in Franklin, TN. “You need stronger legs, you need a stronger back to be able to move and do cardio, these are things you need to have a higher quality functioning life. It’s not about how big my biceps are, it’s how I can make my heart work better.”
Bell, who is most famously known for his Instagram page “Veteran With a Sign” in which Bell holds funny, sarcastic, emotionally and philosophically short but potent cardboard signs up, said one of the biggest mental hurdles people have when trying to incorporate fitness into their lives is worrying about how they stack up.
“Nobody is good at it, it sucks, I was working out before this, I wasn’t like, ‘this is great.’ I would rather eat a bag of potato chips and get lost on YouTube, but the way you feel afterwards is so much better.”
Today’s workout is programmed by seven-time Games athlete Tommy Hackenbruck. Considered one of the legends in the sport, he competed as an individual at the Games four times, placing second to Mikko Salo in his first trip to the Games in 2009. He later captained his Hack’s Pack UTE team to the back-to-back Affiliate Cup championships at 2012 and 2013 Games. Most recently Hackenbruck has transitioned to coaching and joined the Underdogs Athletics staff last July. He coached the KT CrossFit team this year at the Games.
Tommy Hackenbruck
For time
With a partner
Echo bike, Assault bike or BikeErg
50-40-30-20-10 Calories
Each person does set of Cals
Partner rests while other works
Monitor should read “‘300” Cals upon completion
Time Cap: 15 minutes
Scaling Options:
The first 50 calories should take 1-2 min, so adjust accordingly. Typically the scaled back options starts with 35 cals and drops by 7 cals each set.
Some advice from Tommy: “This is what I refer to as a ‘finisher’. Great way to empty the tank to finish off a good training session. If you really want to make it torturous then you can make the rest ‘active’ by doing a sandbag hold or kettlebell rack hold.”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
THINGS TO...
...TRY
Dumb and Dumber
Ready for a challenging legless rope climb workout? Get your upper body pump on and give PRVN’s workout “Dumb & Dumber” a try.
Do you know what's in your energy and recovery drinks? Sneaky ingredients somehow find their way into "naturally sweetened" drinks that you thought were healthy. FITAID Energy is naturally sweetened energy with 200mg of clean caffeine from green tea. Your body is a temple... know what you are putting into it.
If you’re a beginner, we can pretty much guess your least favorite lift. Is it a snatch…or is it a snatch? A snatch is a complicated Olympic lift that does not come quite as easy as a deadlift or a squat, as we rarely throw objects overhead in a wide grip in our everyday lives. Taking a look at your grip can be super helpful in ironing out some technical problems in a snatch.
WHOOP measures your body's data over 100 times a second to provide personalized feedback on your recovery, strain, and sleep. Morning Chalk Up readers can get a free strap and an extra month's membership when you sign up at the link below.
Once you have mastered the two leg squat, then the single leg squat comes in and knocks you off your feet (literally). Pistol squats are a special kind of challenge and are highly dependent on mobility. Get your mobility right and your pistols firing with these drills.
Congratulations to Rafael Candeias from CrossFit Montijo in Montijo, Portugal on his first place finish in last weekend’s Madrid Championship, 15-17 Boys Division.
CrossFit Conquest members Trisha Seal, Seth Carpenter, and Jackie Keats from Davie, FL try out a new skill – double-under wall balls.
Alexander Anagasti Roman from Training Culture introduces another new jump rope skill that all CrossFit athletes are simultaneously hoping never crosses Adrian Bozman’s desk. We’re not even sure what to call this one.
Lalo Torres from CrossFit Invictus in San Diego, CA crushed this clean + front squat + jerk complex at 341 pounds/155kg in London’s National Fitness Games last weekend.
Eris Faughnan from Salt Lake City, CrossFit in Utah shows off her handstand obstacle skills.
This Saturday (September 17) Cobra Command CrossFit in Basehor, KS is hosting a bike/row marathon to fundraise for the Leavenworth County Humane Society. CCC has a goal of raising $5,000 through donations for LCHS to cover the maintenance cost of every single kennel for an entire year.
This email may contain affiliate links. We make a small commision off of purchases made via our affiliate links to help support this newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the Morning Chalk Up newsletter, unsubscribe here.
