How to Watch the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival

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“At the heart of daring leadership is a deeply human truth that is rarely acknowledged…Courage and fear are not mutually exclusive. Most of us feel brave and afraid at the exact same time.” — Brene Brown

The Mermaid Athlete in Miami

The backstory.

Three years ago Maggie Shemenski’s hands and feet started to contract. “They said it was sore muscles; I was working out too much,” Shemenski said. “They said I had Rheumatoid arthritis, and then they said I had Rhabdo and come to find out I didn’t have any of those things.”

A medical mystery.

Despite years of tests and treatments, doctors still haven’t been able to officially diagnose Maggie, but that hasn’t stopped her from living her life to the fullest.

Maggie is a regular at the 6:00 AM class at CrossFit Pushin Weight in Powhatan, VA where she trains just as hard as she did before her medical issues began.

“She comes in day in and day out and does the work,” said owner Ashley Jenkins. “I’ll do one workout with her the way that she does it and I don’t think people understand what a true, true warrior she is.” And that’s why everyone at CrossFit Pushin Weight calls her #MermaidStrong.

Another WOD entirely.

“When you’re wearing hooks and you’re doing it from your knees it’s a different workout and it’s a game changer,” Jenkins said. “You can understand how hard it is and the tenacity that she has.”

Maggie placed second in the Adaptive/Seated division in the Wodapalooza online qualifier and today CrossFit Pushin Weight is hosting a fundraiser WOD to help get her there. And here’s the kicker, Maggie got to design the WOD.

“They have to do it like I do and that’s the most exciting thing ever because you see all these able-bodied athletes doing things their way. Nobody really understands how I have to do it.”

SANCTIONALS.

How to Watch the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival

The next sanctioned event in line for the 2019 CrossFit Games season gets underway in just over a week. The Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival starts Friday, January 18th, and will run three days of competition through the weekend.

One individual man, one woman, and one team will leave Miami as champions earning them an invite to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games in August.

If you aren’t able to make it to Miami for the bright lights and warm winter weather to catch the action in person, here’s how you can stay up to date with all the events, results, and breaking news from Wodapalooza.

Continue reading…

Coffee Break Conversations

I can’t eat that, it doesn’t fit my macros…

Fair enough, sometimes, but the thing about macros is that if you understand how they work, you can kind of (technically) eat anything. But sometimes you just want to grab a quick protein bar and jet out the door. How do you know which one to grab? There’s a guide for that. We love a good guide around here.

What to say to your S.O. the next time you don’t hear from them all night…

No, sir. That’s not gonna fly. And neither is staying out all night if you’re hoping for sweet sweet gainz in the new year. Sleep is wonderful, and without the proper amount of sleep, all sorts of negative side effects rear their little heads, things like unwanted weight gain, muscle loss and getting dumped. So stay in, go to bed on time, behave yourself. 

Things To…

WATCH: On the Minute Finally Returns 

“On the Minute” is back from a few weeks off with a new episode you don’t want to miss. Join Justin LoFranco and Armen Amirian as they run through the new CrossFit Games rulebook and preview the upcoming Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival.

WE MISSED YOU TOO.

HEAR: Eliminating Barriers in CrossFit 

Peter Shaw, host of the NCR podcast, dives into introductory programs in CrossFit and getting people off the couch and into your gym. They look at some of the barriers of gym entry from the eyes of the affiliate owner, the coach, and the member.

GET THEM ALL IN THE GYM. 

DO: Recover Faster, Sleep Better

Give your body the protein it needs to recover while getting your best night’s sleep so you can wakeup rested, recovered and ready to start your day. Pair Prospera’s nighttime recovery with their Collagen Peptides for a powerful blend of rebuild and recover. Use code “CHALKUP” for 20% off site wide.

START RECOVERING.

EAT: Vietnamese Pork Stew

This easy Whole30-friendly InstantPot Vietnamese pork stew is a streamlined version of the classic braised dish, thit ko tàu, caramelized pork belly cooked in coconut water. It’s a great umami-packed stew that can be made faster and easier in a pressure cooker, so you get to eat it sooner!

TALK ABOUT FAST FOOD.

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• BATTLE OF THE AGES — Battle of the Ages is a team competition that has one member from any combination of four different decades or birth years with either four different numerals in the start of the age or four different birth decades. Battle of the Ages started in 2016 and has now hosted competitions in 15 different cities. The 2019 Battle of the Ages season begins in Jacksonville, FL on Februrary 9th.
• REMEMBERING CORA WOD — 3 Peaks CrossFit in Madras, OR is holding a memorial WOD for thirteen-year-old Cora Schryver who took her life on December 19th. The event will take place from 2:00 – 5:00 PM with a potluck BBQ to follow. 
• A FUNDRAISER FOR TWO — Over the holidays, two members of the CrossFit Electric City family were hit with serious medical issues to their spouses. On Saturday, January 12th, the gym is hosting a fundraiser to help benefit both families. 
• OPEN HOUSE — Sawed-Off CrossFit in College Station, TX has moved to a brand new 6,500 square foot facility with added gym space, childcare room, office to meet with clients, restrooms and showers. They’re hosting an open house Saturday, January 12. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Congratulations to Kayla and Adam who got married at CrossFit King of Prussia on January 5th • Lauren Fisher and Rasmus Andersen are hosting a fitness retreat in Mexico • Adaptive athlete Antonia walks with one cane wearing a weighted vest • Kristin Pope snatches 180 pounds off the blocks • Amy Mandelbaum gets a 120 pound power clean PR • Kristine Andali gets a 200 pound power clean PR • Mohamed Ehab Youssef hits a 375 pound power clean and jerk • Austin Malleolo is running the Boston Marathon. 

Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — The Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge released the remaining three WODs for their online qualifier yesterday. Registered athletes have until Monday, January 14th at 5:00 PM PT to submit their scores. 

— WOD 19.3: “Duncan Sheik”

For time:

27-21-15-9

Dumbbell squat cleans (50/35 pounds)

Toes to bar

Complete 100 Double unders between each round

— WOD 19.4: “Boy, that escalated quickly” 

Every three minutes complete the following:

For total reps:

10 Bench presses (135/95 pounds)

10 Chest to bar pull-ups

10 Alternating dumbbell snatches (50/35 pounds)

Add two reps to each exercise each round

— WOD 19.5: “Nasty Girls Love DT”

Three sets for time:

50 Air squats

7 Ring Muscle-ups

1 Round of “DT”

“DT”

12 Deadlifts (185/125 pounds)

9 Hang power cleans

6 Shoulder to overhead

2019 CrossFit Open Registration Opens Today — According to a press release from last October (yes, we save those things), the 2019 CrossFit Open is slated to open registration today. HQ hasn’t said much on the topic but now that the rulebook is here, the key pieces are in place. Past participants should get an email and notification if they have the app installed once registration is
live. Rumor has it the custom leaderboard is coming back.

— The official kick off date for the Open is Thursday, February 21 and will run for five weeks. TBD on the number of workouts though; HQ can be sneaky like that. 

Asia CrossFit Championship Online Qualifiers Begin — The Asia CrossFit Championship released two options for their first online qualifier WOD. The remaining three WODs will be released on January 17th. All online qualifier scores and video will be due January 28.

— Put It to a Vote: Yesterday on their Instagram page, the Asia CrossFit Championship announced they’re letting the public decide what the first WOD will be: Christine or Chipper Christine?

— Still Waiting On: But we still don’t know the exact date or venue location for the main event. We do know that it will be in April in Shanghai and that HAM Plan is doing the programming. 

Data Center: So where can you go to track how each athlete has performed across all these sanctioned events? Oh yeah, we built a global leaderboard just for you. You’ll have to create an account to view the data but don’t worry, it’s all free. Special thanks to Austin Heaton of Heatonminded.com for help
compiling all the data points. 

Why Most Mere Mortals Can’t Complete the Mat Fraser WOD — The Mat Fraser WOD is deceptively simple: Every two minutes complete a 20 cal all-out sprint on the Assault bike for five rounds. Craig Richey tried it in Singapore and that was fun to watch. WOD Science explains why it is so difficult for most people to complete it. “This or similar workouts are great to increase anaerobic power, a feature that is determinative for CrossFit performance. But why can elite CrossFitters make it to the end without losing much power output, while regular CrossFitters die and puke after a couple of sets?”

Something is coming soon. 

“Do You Even Waste Money, Bro?” by Zachary Corckett, the Hustle

In the United States, 60.8 million people (about 1 in 5 adults) have some kind of membership to one of the country’s 38,000 gyms and health clubs and pay an annual, monthly, or daily fee to work out. Collectively, gyms rake in more than $30 billion in revenue on an annual basis. Membership fees vary widely based on your location and gym of preference, but the industry-wide average falls in at $58 per month, or $696 per year.

On top of the monthly fee, gyms often tack on an “annual fee” (paid at the start of each new membership cycle), and an “initiation fee” (a one-time dinger that can run as high as $250, due upon signing).

The main purpose of these fees is to give the gym something to reduce to make you feel like you’re getting a “special” deal. In reality, the gym’s out-of-pocket costs to sign you up ring in at a measly $3.

Generally, most of these fees are pretty fair. If the average gym-goer were to use a gym seven times a week, every week, without fail, $696 per year would work out to about a measly $1.90 per visit. Even at 4 times per week, you’d be looking at $3.36 per visit.

But here’s the thing: We don’t even come close to seven gym visits per week. Or four. Or even three. What makes a gym membership a poor investment is your lack of commitment.

A study run by a pair of UC Berkeley economists found that while members anticipate visiting a gym 9.5 times per month, they only end up going 4.17 times per month. That works out to 50 visits per year. Assuming an average session length of one hour, the typical gym member is suddenly paying $14.50 per workout. This stacks up pretty poorly with other things we pay a monthly fee for.

1/10 – 2/4: Row’d Royalty (Online)

1/11: Redneck Hootenanny (Fruitland, OH)

1/12: Community Workout Tyler Strong (West Lafayette, IN)

1/12: Remembering Cora WOD (Madras, OR) 

1/12: Last Best Pace Throwdown (Missoula, MT)

1/10 – 1/13: Feats of Strength Online Meet (Online)

1/11 – 1/13: CrossFit Fort Vancouver Championships (Vancouver, WA)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown at New Ulm CrossFit (New Ulm, MN)

1/12: The BrickYard Brawl (South Windsor, CT)

1/12: Hometown Throwdown 4 at CrossFit 534 (Poplarville, MS)

1/12: Granite Games Winter Throwdown (Waite Park, MN)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown (Snyder, TX) 

1/12 – 1/13: Scaled Flames (Amsterdam)

1/12 – 1/13: Row for Reveille at CrossFit Kitsap (Poulsbo, WA)

1/17 – 1/20: Wodapalooza (Miami, FL)

1/19: New Year New Throwdown Event (El Mirage, AZ)

1/19: Battle For The Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Warrior Affiliate League Fantastic Four (La Puente, CA)

1/19: Battle for the Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Great Lakes Games 2018 (Detroit, MI)

1/19 – 1/20: Chiang Mai Throwdown (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

1/21: Helen for Hounds at CrossFit Pretoria (Pretoria, South Africa)

1/25 – 1/27: Australian CrossFit Championships (Queensland, AUS)

1/25 – 1/27: Judgment Day Hawkes Bay (Napier, NZ)

1/26: The Force Wars 2 (Pembroke Pines, FL)

1/26: Lost River Rumble (Bowling Green, KY)

1/26: The Blizzard Bowl (Little Canada, MN)

1/26: 2019 IceBreather Classic (Springfield, IL)

1/26: ATCF Cancer Crackdown: Revival of The Fittest (Pasco, WA)

1/26: Hung Like Coff at PFC CrossFit (Las Vegas, NV)

1/26: Steel Rail Shootout 2019 (McComb, MS)

1/26: Woid Beast Fitness Challenge (Cham, Germany)

1/26: Brick NY Midtown Throwdown (New York, NY)

1/26: Fifth Annual Cold Steel Classic (Oswego, IL) 

1/26: New Year’s Revolution (Seminole, FL)

1/26: Three Rivers Throwdown (Rome, GA)

1/26 – 1/27: Cougars and Cradle Robbers (Salem, MA)

1/26 – 1/27: Game Day Eau Claire (Eau Claire, WI)

1/26 – 1/27: NorCal Masters (San Rafael, CA)

1/27: Big Dawgs Athlete Development Camp (Letchworth, England)

1/29 – 2/2: Fittest in Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa)

2/1 – 2/2: Battle of the Brave III (North Kansas City, MO)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: Left Coast Classic Competition (Laguna Niguel, CA)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: A League of Their Own (San Antonio, TX)

2/3: Coffland Hero WOD (Norwalk, CT) 

2/9: Valentine’s Day Crush (North Hollywood, CA)

2/9: The Garage Games Master of the Masters (Suwanee, GA)

2/9: Cupid’s Roar Partner Competition (Melbourne, Australia)

2/9: 3rd Annual Black Ops Partner Competition (Wheaton, IL)

2/9: Bedrock Heart Breaker (Calgary, AB)

2/9: Battle of the Ages (Jacksonville, FL) 

2/9: Battle for Bae 2019 (San Mateo, CA)

2/9 – 2/10: The CrossFit Circus (Des Moines, IA)

2/16: Valentine’s Day Massacre (Kilgore, TX)

2/16: The Garage Games Xs & Ys (Valdosta, GA)