“Great thoughts come from the heart.”- Luc de Clapiers
LIFESTYLE
Three Tips for Working Out On Summer Vacation
With summer in full-swing comes an increase in travel, and while gas prices and inflation remain on the rise, the desire to take a trip hasn’t dampered. Whether you’re a competitive CrossFitter, a casual member at your local box, or somewhere in between, you’ve probably thought about how to get your sweat on while out of town. We talked to a few people who can help us approach maintaining our fitness, and sanity, while on the road.
Translation: Here’s how to not feel like hot garbage during (or when you get back from) your next vacation.
Tip #1: Embrace the break.
Olivia Kersetter recently returned from her family trip overseas, following her 1st place finish in the Girls 16-17 Age Group Semifinal, qualifying her for a 2nd CrossFit Games appearance. You might think that following her qualification, training would ramp up immediately in preparation for the Games, however it’s quite the opposite.
Kersetter’s training partner and founder of Grit Performance, Jacob Heppner, claims that a break to travel internationally is actually ideal.
“She just finished her version of Semifinals so it was actually good for her to have a week and a half or so away. If she would’ve stayed home and just kept training, it would’ve dipped quite a bit in volume anyway with a deload, and she would’ve still come to workout but it would’ve been a lot different. So it was actually good to let her take her mind off things, let her see the world and do some things,” Heppner said. “In my mind, I want her to stay active and busy and move, but I didn’t necessarily care if she did full-length sessions. She just got done with the Semifinals so she needed the break.”
And while it can be challenging to feel like you’re losing progress while outside of your normal gym routine, it can actually have positive benefits on your gains in the long run.
“The first couple days you get back, especially if you’re traveling overseas where you’re in a different time zone, are going to be rough regardless of who you are. But once you get back, I think you’ll realize you’re actually going to be better because your body needs that rest and recovery,” Heppner said. “Not only from the mentality side, but also from the physical side. You might freak out but I think you’ll be slightly surprised that within a week you’ll be back to normal, if not better, because your body needed that break.”
Kersetter agrees that some time outside of the gym is wildly beneficial: “I think that as a competitive athlete it is good for your body and mind to take a break every once in a while so I try not to stress too much about training and nutrition when I’m on vacation and just use it as a time to relax and recover,” she said.
As many can relate to, finding a gym to get all your training in isn’t always doable, but there’s a way to make it work.
“I might not always be able to find a CrossFit gym, so most of the time it is just a bodyweight workout that can be done anywhere (which can be way harder than they seem) but it always makes me feel better to get a workout in,” Kersetter said.
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In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to Tommy Marquez, Brian Friend and Patrick Clark about which women they think will make the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games from the Last Chance Qualifier.
Games clues: Interesting video from Jason CF Media about some potential hints about what the CrossFit Games workouts might look like, plucked from an interview that Chase Ingraham did with Adrian Bozman. 🧐
We want one: Justin Medeiros now has his own Rogue tank and it is exactly what you would expect from a Justin Medeiros tank.
Another star signing: Chandler Smith, who sadly didn’t qualify for the CrossFit Games, is now confirmed for the The CanWest Games, which take place July 15-17.
PROFILE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
How the WWE propelled Kuwaiti Nasser Alruwayeh to the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games
Nasser Alruwayeh will debut at the CrossFit Games this year and credits two years wrestling in the WWE NXT for taking his performance to the next level.
The Kuwaiti was competing in the Battle of the East CrossFit competition in 2017 when he was spotted by a WWE scout. He was invited to Dubai for a trial and he was offered a job as a wrestler.
Alruwayeh and his wife Shadia moved to Florida for 2018 and 2019. Alruwayeh performed in the WWE NXT around the US and learned English. But the lessons went far beyond language.
“After two years, I said to my wife I think I need to give CrossFit 100%,” Alruwayeh, 29, said.
“What I saw in the WWE performance center was how professional athletes live, the lifestyle of a professional athlete was new to me. They sleep, wake up, train, eat and repeat again.”
“They work all day, from morning to night, they will find something to work on. I said to Shadia, I didn’t do this in CrossFit, and I think if I take what I learned in the WWE experience and put it in CrossFit, I can be a better athlete.”
Shadia encouraged him to dream even bigger: “She convinced me I could make it. She said I’m a Games athlete, she said ‘you have everything the Games athletes have, you need to work for it’.”
I’m 10 years old at a Saturday morning gymnastics practice.
My coach shows up with a scale underneath his arm.
Panic overtakes my body, as I know I’m a foot taller and a whole lot heavier than my tiny teammates.
I run to the bathroom and stick my finger down my throat, hoping if I puke up my breakfast I might weigh a little less. It doesn’t work.
I can’t delay the inevitable anymore, so I join my teammates.
Kate steps on the scale: 55 pounds.
Desiree: 57 pounds.
Carla: 62 pounds.
It’s my turn.
I step onto the scale and try to shift my bodyweight onto one leg, hoping this will somehow make me lighter.
96 pounds.
I am mortified.
Our coach ushers us to the big mirror that runs the length of the gymnastics floor and tells us to examine our bodies to see if there are areas we might be able to tighten up.
Susie tells me that I only have a four-pack.
What’s a four-pack? I ask.
It’s your abs. See how I have six little muscle bumps? You only have four, she explains.
I am too heavy. I am too big. I only have a four-pack. That’s not good enough.
Grade 5
The Western Canadian Championships have wrapped up and there’s a dance for all the competitors in the lobby of our hotel. We’re all a little scared because we have never danced with boys before.
The first slow song comes on and my hands start to sweat, my heart starts to race as I stand with Kate, Carla and Megan.
Then a boy gymnast comes over to ask Kate to dance. And then another comes for Carla.
Well at least I have Megan still.
Nope. Megan gets swiped by another boy, leaving me to stand alone and watch everyone dance until the song comes to an end.
I am too heavy. I am too big. Boys will never like me.
Today’s workout is programmed by eight-time Games athlete Stacie Tovar. The native of Omaha, NE retired from the sport after the 2017 Games after a storied career that includes five Regional podium finishes and a career-best 11th place at the 2015 Games. The mother of two now runs and owns an affiliate, Big Omaha Fitness, with her husband, Dustin where she programs, nutrition coaches and stays involved in the local community including helping people with addiction and rehab through fitness.
Stacie Tovar “WHAT HAPPENED TO BOBA FETT”
For Time
100 Double Unders
80 Toes-to-bar
60 Strict Press (75/55 LBs – 34/25 KGs)
40 Thrusters (75/55 LBs – 34/25 KGs)
20 Strict Pull-ups
10 Bar Muscle-ups
Time Cap: 25 Minutes
Scaling Options:
Tovar has two scaled versions of the workout labeled “Train” which is for intermediate athletes and “Live” for beginners
Train / Intermediate
50 Double-unders + 50 total high knees or 100 single unders (If you finish before the cap, go back and finish the reps after you complete all other work)
80 Toes as high as possible/L raises
60 Strict press (65/45 LBs – 29/20 KGs)
40 Thrusters (65/45 LBs – 29/20 KGs)
20 Assisted pull-ups or tempo ring rows
Live / Beginner
100 single-unders, 100 total high knees, 100 push/pulls on the bike, or 100 double-tap jumps to the thigh without the rope
80 Sit-ups
60 Strict press (45/35 – 20/16 KGs) – push press if needed
40 Thrusters (45/35 – 20/16 KGs)
20 Assisted pull-ups or tempo ring rows (2 seconds row to rings + 2 seconds back to extension)
Some advice from Stacie: “This workout is a fun chipper! The weight you choose should be light enough to handle large chunks, with impeccable form, and minimal rest between your sets. The 25-minute cap allows for you to spend some time on the jump rope but no longer than 3-4 minutes. Stay tight and you’ll feel light when you’re at the rig. Top scores in my gym @BigOmahaFitness home to CrossFit Omaha were 12:41 (M), 13:27 (M), 13:59 (M) and 18:09 (F), 19:50 (F), 20:38 (F).”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
INDUSTRY
“Work Hard and Have Fun”: Noah Ohlsen Joins the Hybrid Performance Method Team
“How’s it goin’ team! My name is Noah Ohlsen!”
That’s how the newest HYBRID Performance Method coach introduced himself.
Of course, he didn’t really need an introduction, Ohlsen has devoted the last 12 years of his life to the sport of fitness and has qualified for the CrossFit Games 9 consecutive years.
“Team HYBRID Performance Method and I go way back,” Ohlsen continued, “all the way back to when Stefi Cohen and I were undergrads studying exercise science together at the University of Miami in 2012-2013.”
14 Ways to Increase Your Strength with Limited Equipment
Going away for the long weekend? Worried about how you're going to get your workout in while you're standing by the grill? Here are 14 ways you can still get a little exercise without needing a barbell and bumper set in the trunk of your car.
So you want to do a muscle-up...now what?! It's not as simple as grabbing a set of rings and hoping for the best (if only). This free guide breaks down how to properly develop skills like pull ups, muscle ups, and toes to bar to help you become a gymnastic master in no time.
If you're anything like us, hitting a daily WOD is essential in keeping your mood high, and missing it...can turn you into a bit of a grump. Here are some of the scientific reasons why exercise is so beneficial to your mood and mental health.
The Fourth of July has come a little early at Reebok and they're starting the celebrations off today with 40% off sitewide. Use code "FIREWORK40" at checkout to score some big savings.
The average American sits for more than 10 hours each day. And that does not spell success for your spine and posture. Here is a great exercise to add to your daily routine: bulletproof your shoulders, realign your spine, and help fix your posture.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a highlight.
🏔 Charles Mears from Whitehart CrossFit in West Sussex, England “climbed” / burpeed 7.5km up Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, to raise mental health awareness.
Congratulations to EJ Hein from Koda CrossFit Norman in Norman, OK on setting three Oklahoma Weightlifting records on his way to winning the U25 73kg National Championship in Las Vegas.
Congratulations to Brandon Tivis from Flatland CrossFit in Lubbock, TX on the snatch PR of 225 pounds/102kg.
“This has been a goal of mine since starting CrossFit and Olympic lifting about 8 years ago,” Tivis shared.
Congratulations to Em Howard from CrossFit 1A in Beverly, MA on the 275 pound/125kg front squat for a post-surgery PR.
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