“If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.”- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
PROFILE
Finding Your Best: Meet Coach Fran Gutierrez
Phil Jackson used to say “The most we can hope for is to create the best possible conditions for success, then let go of the outcome.” He was talking about coaching.
If you don’t know Jackson, that’s ok. Even without having heard him, Fran Gutierrez had the same perspective when he decided he wanted to coach not just top athletes in CrossFit, but people who’ll overcome anything by having a strong mind and a powerful spirit.
Gutierrez’s training camp, “Busca Lo Mejor” which translates to “Find Your Best” is the third most successful camp in South America, only surpassed by Juan Coronel (coach of Simona Quintana and Santiago Comba, to name a few) and BSB Strong, who coached Brazilian wonder Gui Malheiros. BLM’s methodology has led 8 athletes to compete at the CrossFit Games, every year since 2017–except for 2020, which was held during COVID restrictions.
Starting From the Ground
You know those stories of underdogs that make us cry in the movies? Well, they’re real and closer than you think. Francisco Gutierrez, Venezuelan by birth, started coaching CrossFit as a means to make his Martial Arts athletes stronger and faster. He learned about weightlifting and how to improve strength, speed, and agility. He read about CrossFit’s 10 physical abilities and realized that it was something he needed to pass on to the people around him.
“I fell in love with the methodology,” he explains. “I read main site content and listened to Glassman. His vision of CrossFit as a pathway to health, fitness, and performance made an impact on me, and that’s when I decided I wanted to be that kind of coach.”
By 2016, Fran had made the tough decision to leave Venezuela by himself, while his family stayed behind.
The constantly declining economy and severe political issues in the country made him one more of the 7 million Venezuelans that now live as refugees in other countries, mostly in Latin America.
He landed in Medellín, Colombia, and started working as an Uber driver in order to bring some food to the table.
“I used to sleep on the floor and work until 3 or 4 in the morning. I loaned a car and worked every day, with no rest. I still wanted to become a coach to the best athletes in the sport of CrossFit and bring my family home, so I kept that motivation in mind.”
He then approached the owners of Hakuna CrossFit, a Colombian affiliate, and asked for a part-time job as a coach. He would work the morning classes, starting at 5 am, just an hour after his last drive.
Today, the Wodify suite of products is the only Customer Retention Platform (CRP) in the fitness industry that:
Saves gym owners time and money
Empowers coaches and instructors with Retention Intelligence Tools
Enhancesclients’ training experience and reduces churn
If you’re ready to upgrade your CRM to a CRP and become more profitable, give your staff the tools to deliver a better product, and create happier customers, get in touch with Wodify today for a walkthrough of the first-ever Customer Retention Platform.
2023 USA Functional Fitness Masters Qualifier is going on now. Athletes who qualify will represent the United States at the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) Masters World Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia this fall. Learn more.
🏋️♀️ 🏋️♀️ Icelandic CrossFitter/Olympic Lifter/Games Athlete Thuri Helgadottir competed at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships and in less than two months with be competing at the European CrossFit Games Semifinal in Berlin.
🚴♀️ 🏃♀️ 🚣♀️ A new study out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows that higher cardiorespiratory fitness earlier in life decreases the risk of cardiovascular-related illness later.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Do You Need A Different Jump Rope for Crossovers?
The controversial double under crossover was introduced at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games, but would later be modified to a single under variation for the 2023 Quarterfinals.
The shift away from only testing double unders as a jump rope skill has made waves in the CrossFit space, but it shouldn’t be surprising if we look back at some of the signs.
CrossFit shifted away from a centralized model and focused the majority of its resources on CrossFit Health in 2019, replacing their speciality education department with a Preferred Course system.
Moritz Fiebig: Proving that “A German Kid from Hamburg” Can Hang with the Best in the World
One year ago, German athlete Moritz Fiebig was doing his own programming and coaching himself to prepare for Semifinals.
Knowing he could use some guidance, he reached out to John Singleton, the founder of The Progrm, asking for help. Singleton answered the call and told Fiebig to come train with the crew in Mallorca, Spain.
It paid off: A few short weeks later, Fiebig qualified for his first CrossFit Games.
Fiebig placed 36th in his rookie season in Madison, WI last summer and has been rising through the ranks since, including winning the German Throwdown, placing second overall at the Dubai Fitness Championships, and most recently finishing 26th worldwide in Quarterfinals.
Most impressive of all might just be that 27-year-old Fiebig has become the force he has all the while continuing to own and operate two gyms in Germany, CrossFit Sankt Pauli and Sankt Pauli Athletik, both in Hamburg.
Needless to say, Fiebig has his heart set on returning to Madison this summer and on improving upon his rookie finish, his ultimate goal being to finish in the top 15. And he’s committed to doing anything that is required to get there.
“It doesn’t matter where I am, I am always thinking about my goal to go to the Games,” Fiebig said.
The Progrm Difference: For the last year, Fiebig has been splitting his time between Hamburg—where between training and gym ownership, he puts in 11 hour days at the gym—and Mallorca, Spain. He credits the time he spends in Mallorca for helping him be where he is today.
Prior to working with Singleton and The Progrm, Fiebig said his training lacked structure and balance and led him to, not only train and work, but also compete too much.
UNBROKEN. Your ally to fight muscle fatigue. Made from fresh, Norwegian salmon with naturally high amounts of B12, Zinc and 25 free-form aminos (9EAA and BCAA), Unbroken's fast absorption helps you recover more effectively so you can keep moving forward, ready for whatever's next. Use code "APRIL2023" for 15% off!
Save $300 on Brianna Battles’ Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Coach Course
Are you the type of coach or trainer who wants to go above and beyond the status quo to help pregnant and postpartum athletes understand how their training and mindset should adapt to her body’s new demands? If so, then you need to check out this deal!
Congratulations to Jim who got his first muscle-up (rings and strict, no less) during the CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course hosted at Polsky Strength and Conditioning in Kitchener, Ontario this past weekend.
💨 Congratulations to 33-year-old Hellen Obiri from Kenya on winning the 2023 Boston Marathon Women’s Pro division with her time of 2:21:38.
The tenth fastest time in history, Obiri averaged a 5:24 pace per mile (3:22 per km).
Two 60+ members from the Legends class at S3E CrossFit in Richmond, VA took on “Helen” for their Tuesday WOD. #infinitelyscalable
Congratulations to Terrence Keys and Amare from Core City CrossFit Kids in Detroit, MI on competing in the Rookie Rumble 2023.
Coach Helen Taylor: “Amare absolutely crushed it yesterday! He worked so hard, never gave up and had a great time!! He asked me if he can come back tomorrow and do another one.”
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.
