“That is your sole existence and goal. And even then, you’re probably not going to make it.”- Dave Castro referring to what it takes to get to the Games. Fittest on Earth Documentary (2017)
PROFILE
Elisa Fuliano, Full Steam Ahead
Elisa Fuliano had a tough year in 2022.
Sure, she qualified for her first CrossFit Games by coming in fifth at Strength in Depth in London, England, but she headed there eight months after being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The average age of onset of RA is 45, but this autoimmune and inflammatory disease is usually more present in adults over 50. Rheumatoid arthritis is in the class of autoimmune diseases; your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake. This causes inflammation and painful swelling in the affected parts of the body, usually the joints.
This disease is degenerative. You cannot cure arthritis; you can only manage it. With the diagnosis relatively new, as she qualified for her first CrossFit games last season, Fuliano was still figuring out how to manage it best. She wasn’t setting herself up for success.
Fuliano remembers: “I was working full time and only training once a day in the evening after a stressful day at work with people everywhere. I was very stressed, but it was impossible not to be stressed.”
Returning from Madison, where her goal was just to make it through, and heading into her 2023 season Fuliano knew that she had to take care of herself better to get the most competitive years out of her body. She started by taking a leave from her job, which allowed her to become a full-time athlete for the first time.
Fuliano reflects on the changes: “I started doing double sessions of training morning and evening. And I had so much more time to sleep, which really helped. I had not been sleeping a lot, and that really made me stressed.”
“Being a full-time athlete allowed me to be less stressed and have more time to recover and sleep. And yeah, for the moment, it is working. And I want to see how far I can get as a full-time athlete.”
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SPEED READS
🙌 Little Rock CrossFit gym, Wellness Revolution, reopens after tornado.
🚨 🚨 New trend alert: Exercise snacking, engaging in short bursts of activity throughout the day, instead of exercising one sustained block of time.
Annie Thoridottir and Yerbae, the plant-based energy drink company, have renewed their partnership through 2023.
Some ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ for the piece of equipment everyone loves to hate: the Assault Air Bike.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
How Much Fitter Are Games Qualifiers Than Semifinals Qualifiers?
To even qualify for Semifinals you already have to be fitter than 99% of Crossfitters, but to make it past Semis and on to the CrossFit Games, you have to dominate even among the elite.
It is obvious that the athletes who qualified for the Games are overall better than the athletes who didn’t, but exactly how much better are they? Is it drastic or are they simply just slightly better in each event?
In order to find that out we took the average scores of Games qualifiers vs average scores of everyone else in each test at Semifinals throughout all regions.
The data we gathered highlighted a glaring weakness among Semifinal athletes who didn’t qualify for the Games.
When Athletes Get The Competition Bug Is It Good For Training or Detrimental?
Athletes new to CrossFit, and not so new, go through a phase where they want to compete. While some may do one and call it there, others get hooked and start doing local competition after local competition, but does that actually help them become a better athlete or can it actually stunt their progress? As CrossFit coaches and writers, we attempt to give some insight into the pros and cons of getting bit by the competition bug.
Pros
Competition intensity is very difficult to replicate at your home gym when using equipment you’re familiar with and being surrounded by people you know. It’s tempting to come out too hot in competitions, which can be detrimental to performance and recovery. Learning to control nerves and staying disciplined with pacing/strategy will improve with real competition experience.
Judging standards vary in each competition. Learning to communicate before and during an event can help remove unnecessary no-reps and frustration while competing. It can also help you learn what adjustments need to be made to your movement during training so things become more automatic over time.
Gameday nutrition and supplementation is something that can be refined with competition experience. There are general principles to stick to when performing multiple events in a day, such as prioritizing electrolytes and carb replenishment between workouts, but each individual will respond differently. Learning what works and more importantly, what doesn’t work well can help you lock in your nutrition strategies for future competitions.
Warming up at competitions can throw people off, as there’s not generally as much access to equipment as one may have in training. This experience can help you develop a bodyweight warm-up to make sure you’re not taking the competition floor cold.
Cooling down also becomes extremely important when performing multiple workouts in a day. Athletes can wear out later in the competition if the body isn’t taken out of the heightened state between events. Simple strategies like cooling the body temperature, flushing the system with light aerobic workout and soft tissue work can all help start the recovery process before upcoming events. Competing will allow you to figure out a system that works best for your body.
Identifying areas that need to be targeted in training is often done by testing/retesting different benchmark workouts, cardio time trials or max lifts. This is an essential part of long-term development, but competing may help you identify different weaknesses that you may not see in training. For example, movement combinations, different rep schemes and the order of events may help you identify small tweaks to make in training based on what challenged you most. You’ll always have your big picture weaknesses that will be under construction at all times, but when you’re four to six weeks out of your next competition, you’ll be able to implement more specific training to target these areas.
Today’s workout is programmed by Guido Trinidad, a three-time Games veteran who finished 7th in the Men (35-39) division in 2017. Trinidad is probably more well-known as the founder of both Peak360 CrossFit in Miami, FL and the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival held every winter in Bayfront Park.
Complete for time:
2 Rounds
12 Burpee Box Jump Overs (30 inches, 24 inches)
21 Power Cleans (115 pounds, 80 pounds)
Immediately into …
2 Rounds
120 Double-Unders
21 Thrusters (115 pounds, 80 pounds)
Scaling Options:
Box Jumps: The stimulus calls for a higher box, but adjust the height (24 inches, 20 inches) in the case (30 inches, 24 inches) is not feasible or will significantly slow you down.
Power Cleans: The stimulus calls for a moderate to light barbel–a weight you should be able to cycle at least 10-15 reps fresh, if not, adjust to a weight that is feasible (95 pounds, 65 pounds).
Double Unders: Here the stimulus calls for high volume reps, to build stamina and skill–you should be able to perform 50 unbroken reps, otherwise adjust to half of the reps, or single/double combo.
Thrusters: Once again the stimulus calls for a moderate to light barbell–athletes should be able to complete 12-15 reps unbroken–if not, adjust weight accordingly (95 pounds, 65 pounds).
Advice from Guido: “Challenge yourself to be able to handle more work in less time, while also not redlining to a place that you cannot recover. Pace the first two rounds, then, hold on and drop the hammer in the last two.
Move through double-unders quickly, and any break that is necessary, make it short. Keep moving, and finish strong!”
You can now complete the Morning Chalk Up Workout of the Week in the WOD Proof app!
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
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WOD Prep has you covered when it comes to all the helpful CrossFit tips, especially for the high skilled movements. Use these 3 different techniques to climb like a champ.
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Congratulations Sharon from CrossFit Fireside in Meridian, ID on the 135 pound/61.2kg 2RM front squat at 65 years young.
Congratulations to Cody Looney from CrossFit Advantage in Lynwoood, WA on the lifetime clean and jerk PR at 400 pound/181.4kg.
Congratulations to James Judge and Jason Adkins in the Invictus Masters program on their achievements:
James Judge: Overhead Squat PR at 235 pound/106.5kg
Jason Adkins: Clean PR at 307 pound/139.2kg
🥇 And Congratulations to Kristie Meyer, also from Invictus Masters, on her first place finish at the CrossFit Danbury Competition in the 35-44 division.
Big Omaha Fitness in Omaha, NE is hosting the 2023 CrossFit Omaha Dog Days of Summer Slam on Saturday, July 15th.
Cost is $95 for Individuals and $190 for Teams, with cash prizes for all podium finishers
Plus, Kristi (Eramo) O’Connell is programming the workouts for the competition.
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