“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”- Harry S Truman
PROFILE
Will Carter and Move Fast Lift Heavy’s CrossFit Games Ambitions: ‘We will be a force to be reckoned with.’
Born and raised in Westchester, NY, Will Carter had two older brothers growing up, which he said was a double edged sword.
“My two older brothers were good football players,” said the 30-year-old. “So I was always trying to keep up with them, and they would push me, and I was always the little man and they definitely ganged up on me a bit. It was me versus them two a lot of the time. But it kind of molded me into what I am today.”
Carter went to his dad, asking him how he could get bigger and stronger, responding to the adversity by wanting to get better. His dad started taking him to the gym, helping him bulk up for both wrestling and football, along with being able to hold his own at home, and it was here that the youngster fell in love with fitness and all things working out.
Carter, who is currently slated to compete at the Granite Games on Team Move Fast Lift Heavy with Christian Harris, Nicole Soto and Winter Nicollete Rodriguez, went on to play college football after graduating from high school in 2013, and first discovered CrossFit when his brother Tommy opened up a gym, called Immortal Fitness in Pleasantville, NY right before his senior season.
“I started incorporating it into my training,” said Carter. “So I had a little taste of it.”
After graduation, Carter started “falling in love with CrossFit”, heading to his brother’s gym on a regular basis, and his first foray into the sport of note was the 2014 CrossFit Open, where he came 816th in the North East division. Carter said at the beginning the idea was to find a proper channel to continue his athletic growth in.
“I knew I needed something to replace football, because I had been playing football my whole life since eight years old and now it was over, and I needed something to fill the void, and it was CrossFit. I started substitute teaching, and after I did my first Open (in 2014), things definitely started to change for me. I remember just being blown away by what some people were able to do physically. And that was a real turning point for me.”
Carter continued his development under the tutelage of his older brother, diving into CrossFit’s now famous early days on YouTube where the likes of Rich Froning, Tia-Clair Toomey and Mat Fraser were giving viewers a peek into their training and mindset. In 2018 Carter got his first taste of potential success, and setback, when he finished 27th in the North East region, qualifying for Regionals, however losing his spot due to a video penalty which bumped him to 46th.
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Industry props: Garage Gym Reviews has announced that Morning Chalk Up has won a “Fitness Most Wanted” award as a Best Fitness Information source as the top CrossFit newsletter. We’d like to thank the Academy, and of course, you, our readers. 🏆
Plans coming together: Semifinals madness is about to descend upon the CrossFit community, as the Syndicate Crown has already released its schedule for the weekend.
Workouts rolling out: Torian Pro is one of the first Semifinals to release a workout, and this one is a doozy, it’s “Strongman Diane”.
International Teens Flock to Michigan to Train with Peers
CrossFit Reykjavik might be home to the newest international superteam with Annie Thorisdottir and company, but the Pit Fitness Ranch in Three Rivers, MI might be headed in the same direction…once their team members learn to drive.
Since its rise in prominence in the competitive CrossFit world in 2020, when it stepped up as the placeholder competition when the Games were canceled for Age Group divisions, Triple River CrossFit has become a headquarters for teen CrossFitters.
With competitions and camps geared directly towards teenage athlete development, and a core group of young athletes based at the Pit, it’s quickly garnering a name for itself as the place to be for teens. In fact, two teens, Miguel Buzza Roo and Erica Schryer, have come from other countries, Brazil and Canada respectively, to train at Triple River CrossFit.
Gym owners Brock and Autumn Yost say this magnetic pull of teen athletes came naturally, but they’re ready to work to foster it.
“Obviously we teach (the teens) the movements, and do skills and drills, but more than that, we try to help them have a hand in creating a culture that allows them to compete at the highest level they’re able to,” Brock Yost said. “The buzz keeps growing and growing because of the “magic” so to speak.”
Adrian Bozman Shares 1RM Deadlift Tips for Masters Athletes
On the latest episode of Behind the Whiteboard’s podcast Varied Not Random, hosts Adrian Bozman and Pat Sherwood responded to a viewer’s question regarding 1-rep-max deadlifts at an older age. A physician advised the commenter, a healthy 45-year-old man, to avoid a 1-rep-max deadlift because of health and safety risks. So, should Masters athletes leave out max lifts from their training regime?
Boz’s Bottom Line? “I think there’s room for people of all ages to approach their max.”
However, the CrossFit Games Programming director quickly followed that line with a caveat: obviously, there is a more complex answer than that. Bozman and Sherwood considered different aspects of the question, and the dynamics lying behind the issue of a 1-rep-max.
There are two kinds of 1-rep-maxes:
Option A: A 1-rep-max that you’ve “trained your butt off” for, this is a lifetime PR attempt. These are rare moments that only happen a few times in an athlete’s life, and they should be treated as such, with special attention and care.
Option B: An everyday CrossFit athlete maxing out during a class. This is completely different from Option A, and there’s more emphasis on pushing the boundaries of what you’re capable of today. Bozman and Sherwood agreed that these are more conducive lifts to a healthy lifestyle, and athletes should go for an attempt when it comes up in their local affiliate’s programming.
In fact, Sherwood had a personal anecdote to go with it, regarding choosing a smart stopping point during a max lift day.
“Over the course of 16 years, I’ve had some days I’d be proud to share with everyone because they make me look intelligent, and some days that I’m going to bury in the closet and hope they never see the light of day. I’ve done 1-rep-maxes that took me darn near 10-seconds to finish. And where I am in my fitness journey, that’s not what my 1-rep-max looks like, with eyeballs bulging out my head.”
Different days, different circumstances, different lifts:
Bozman pointed out that for most CrossFit hobbyists, who have a job outside of the gym, and whose lives don’t revolve around getting the maximum performance out of each touch of the barbell, it’s okay to have fluctuating heavy lifts. Your 1-rep-max deadlift from last month might not be attainable today, and that’s okay. There are different factors affecting performance every day, and an objective number on the page isn’t always an exact test of fitness.
The “danger” of a 1-rep-max is relative:
While the original commenter and his friend suggested a 1-rep-max might be the most dangerous thing, Bozman argues otherwise. There are plenty of other things, like a 10-rep-max or going to failure, that may compromise your body more than a single heavy rep. Why? When you perform a single heavy rep, the focus is on form, bracing, and safety, while a higher rep load can lead to fatigue and resulting deterioration of technique.
PROFILE
VIDEO: The Fittest Firefighter Angelo DiCicco, Looking to Podium at The Games with Mayhem Independence
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Anyone who has returned to the gym post injury knows exactly how hard it is physically...but also mentally. Watch Brooke share insight into her road to recovery after injuring her elbow at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a highlight.
👰♀ Congratulations to Elevated Management’s Benji Hull and his wife Faith on their wedding and new marriage.
🎓 Congratulations to Sloan Fletcher from CrossFit Change in Cornelia, GA on her graduation.
Congratulations to Niki Brazier on her first postpartum bar muscle-up.
Jeff Evans, founder of Cerus Performance, snatches 275 pounds/125kg.
Congratulations to 13-year-old Evelyn Brady from Jamerson CrossFit in Lynchburg, VA on the 115 pound/52kg snatch PR.
Congratulations Azariah Price from Triple River CrossFit in Three Rivers, MI on the 255 pound/115.5kg snatch PR.
Congratulations to Mike Jordan, Co-Owner of Constant Pursuit CrossFit in Hastings, England on the 353 pound/160kg power clean.
New Challenge from Alec Smith and Dani Speegle: Who can chug a Sprite the fastest without burping?
Wicklow Strength and Fitness in Wicklow, Ireland is hosting a fundraising day on Saturday, May 14 to raise money for non-profit Bodywhys, whose mission is to support individuals with eating disorders and their loved ones, while educating and informing the national conversation around eating disorders.
The WSF event will include a morning workout, Coaches Seminar, and Trivia Night.
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