“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”- Jack London
GOOD
A Week of Hero WODs Raises Funds to Provide Service Dogs for Veterans
Murph is a mainstay in CrossFit’s culture. Local boxes do it on Memorial Day; Josh Bridges iconically crossed the finish line first at the 2016 Games; and there is an ever-growing number of people completing extreme Murph challenges throughout the year.
One Kansas gym, 2020Fit in Prairie Village, is putting a new twist on tradition–a week of hero workouts, culminating in Murph, to raise money for a charity supporting veterans.
Co-owner of 2020Fit Jeremy Whiteford, a retired Navy helicopter mechanic, found CrossFit in 2010 through a friend and crewman. After returning to the United States and moving to Kansas City, Murph has always been a yearly highlight.
The gym has nearly 600 members, most of whom Whiteford says take part in the event somehow. In fact, Whiteford said his most pervasive memory of Murph at 2020Fit was in 2019, before COVID hit, when a record number of people threw down in the event.
“Seeing other people do it for the first time, dig down deep, and finish a hard workout, I get a lot of satisfaction from that,” Whiteford said.
Whiteford was integral in spearheading the gym’s new plan for 2022–a weeklong event with five Hero workouts programmed as the class WOD, culminating in Murph on the Friday before Memorial Day.
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In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to analysts Tommy Marquez and Brian Friend about their first takes on the workouts programmed by CrossFit for Semifinals.
Map it out: Pretty cool use of Google Maps here, literally mapping out where all the Semifinals men and women, and teams, in the world are based. Shout out to Mike Halpin for this one.
Competing for a cause: Help support the healing of Veterans with PTSD, be part of the solution in reducing the Veteran Suicide Rate, and throwdown in a virtual competition with a partner. Kudos to WarriorWOD for putting this one on.
CrossFit in the house: Guaranteed Rate, a mortgage lending and digital financial services company will be partnering with CrossFit to become the official mortgage company of the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games. 🏠
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
How Comparable is the 2022 CrossFit Semifinals Programming in Week One?
Last week CrossFit announced the two Semifinal workouts they have mandated be used by all 10 Semifinal events around the world.
Additionally, it is known that the CrossFit Games team has required certain parameters be met with regards to programming.
For example, all Semifinals this year will have six workouts in a 2-2-2 structure by day. (This is opposed to last year where some had six tests and others had seven). Exactly what parameters were given to Semifinal organizers are not as clear, but that is not the focus of this article. Instead, we want to look at what was programmed for each of the three Semifinals in week 1 (the Syndicate Crown in North America, the Lowlands Throwdown in Europe, and the Torian Pro in Australia).
Why Does it Matter? We know there are strong arguments on both sides of the coin for this topic; some would like to see all Semifinals programmed exactly the same, others don’t mind the creative freedom given within the contexts of the weekend. Either way, the reason programming is always going to be extremely relevant at this stage of the season is because these are the tests that will decide the fates of athletes this year, and for years to come.
Athletes and Veterans Join Forces for Third-Annual Big Fish Foundation Fundraiser
Five veterans are about to spend a lot of time with five athletes. Representatives from the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard will partner with fitness leaders like Dan Bailey, Brista Mayfield, and Kari Pearce for 30 straight hours of work.
The 2022 iteration of the Big Fish Foundation Fundraiser will take place on May 13-15 at the Crooked Butterfly Ranch in Colorado. The physical portion of the event will begin on Saturday, May 14, and will come to a close at 3 PM on Sunday, May 15.
The 30-hour event will be split up into two, 12-hour segments featuring three stages of activities. The partners will take part in basic orienteering, shooting, a trail course, and a variety of workouts.
The partners will split up at the end of the first 12-hour segment. They will begin the events again while dealing with some unannounced “surprises” from the event organizers.
Rogue Fitness, O2 Recovery, Ice Age Meals, and Trueform Running will serve as the main sponsors for the third annual fundraiser, and they will provide prizes for the raffle. Good Dudes Coffee and Concept2 will also donate prizes of their own.
Get involved: The third annual Big Fish Foundation Fundraiser will feature a limited number of participants, but other people can get involved and show support. They can make donations to the foundation through May 15. Those that donate more than $100 will be eligible for a raffle featuring prizes from the biggest sponsors and some exclusive events.
Why this matters: The veteran suicide rate among 18-34-year-olds is up 86% since 2006, and more than 114,000 veterans have died by suicide since 2001. The Big Fish Foundation is on a mission to support veterans through education and training in the campaign against suicide, as well as provide opportunities for connection and physical activity.
THINGS TO...
...KNOW
12 Sleep Myths (and One True One)
We're still competing with our friends at Mayhem, Talking Elite Fitness, and the Buttery Bros to see which WHOOP team can have the best sleep through May. So if you're on our team, take a look at these sleep myths that may be holding your score back. And if you're not on our team yet...why not?!
Focus Leads to Your Best Workout, This Bag Will Help
When you’re not clear or focused, you can’t be at your best. The Haven Athletic Organized Duffel organizes your gear so you can see exactly what you need, when you need it. No more frustration, no more messy bags, only good workouts.
How To Unload Your Barbell, Fast, With No Special Gadgets
You've just completed your WOD, it included heavy barbell cycling. You feel awesome. You look at the bar and remember you have to put the weights back. You feel less awesome. Use this trick to save some time, so you have a few seconds to catch your breath.
This is not a drill. This week, you can get your hands on a pair of Reebok Nano X or X1 for only $70. No code needed, just head to the link below and pick up a pair (or two).
Whether it's a new injury, or an old one flaring up, you're not going to be feeling great when it's swelling to the size of a melon. Here are three methods you can try to reduce the swelling and speed up the healing process.
Speaking of Sam Dancer—Age Group Semifinal prep appears to be going well with this 380 pound/172kg clean.
🤯 Olympic lifter Lasha Talakhadze clean and jerks 551 pounds/250kg.
Congratulations Braden Footer from CrossFit Krypton in Chesapeake, VA on the 235 pound/106.5kg snatch PR.
🇦🇷 Fittest Woman in Argentina Mel Rodriguez puts up a heavy clean and jerk. Rodriguez will compete in the CrossFit Copa Sur semifinal June 10-12 in Brazil.
Congratulations to Graciano Rubio from Brethren CrossFit in Morgan Hill, CA on the 425 pound/193kg overhead squat.
Congratulations to 73-year-old Powerlifter, and Owner of Kabuki Strength, Rudy Kadlub from Portland, OR on this 430 pound/195kg back squat double.
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