“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”- George Bernhard Shaw
CROSSFIT GAMES
CrossFit Introduces Seven New “Girl” Workouts
Those who follow CrossFit.com workouts of the day might have noticed some new benchmark “Girl” workouts during the month of January.
CrossFit Training introduced six new WODs that join the iconic list of “The Girls” — “Angie,” “Barbara,” “Chelsea,” “Diane,” “Elizabeth” and “Fran” — first introduced in 2003.
The details: On January 3, the main site introduced “Grettel” and “Ingrid” kicking off a two-week stretch introducing CrossFit’s first batch of “Girl” benchmark workouts in over a decade.
“Grettel” is 10 rounds of three clean-and-jerks and three burpees over the bar, while “Ingrid” is 10 rounds of three snatches and three burpees over the bar, both workouts are for time and both use 135 pounds for men and 95 pounds for women.
“Barbara Ann”: Released on January 4 and featuring five rounds of 20 handstand push-ups, 30 deadlifts (135/95 pounds), 40 sit-ups, 50 double-unders. A mandatory three minute rest follows the completion of each round.
“Lyla”: Released on January 7 and is a descending ladder from 10 of muscle-ups and bodyweight clean and jerks for time.
Eat Like a Pro and Feed Your Inner Athlete for the Open
Amanda Barnhart trusts Macrostax with her nutrition — will you? Our app provides custom macros based on you and your personal goals so you can feed your inner athlete. Elite performance isn’t just for the pros.
“I eat 3400 calories a day and never let myself go to bed hungry because I know the detrimental effect it will have on my sleep and performance the following day. I use Macrostax to log everything I eat and it works best for me and my goals.” — Amanda Barnhart
You train for your best all year round. Let’s make your nutrition game that way too. Use code “CFOPEN2021” for 50% off an annual subscription.
SPEED READS
The 2021 CrossFit Open begins in 15 days, the full season schedule with semifinal dates and locations is now available at the Morning Chalk Up.
Rich Froning revealed on Instagram yesterday that he uses an AIRWAAV mouthpiece during workouts.
Froning: “I started wearing AIRWAAV originally to protect my teeth during lifting sessions, but since wearing it during metcons I have noticed some improved breathing in the middle of workouts. Definitely worth checking out.”
MUST WATCH: On his YouTube channel this week, Mat Fraser gave a tour of his 440-square foot garage gym in Tennessee, talking through how and why he acquired all his gear, including some specialized pieces he kept secret while still competing. He also gave a shortlist of must-haves for anyone building a home gym on a budget.
The Heart and Hamer Boys: When the pandemic closed down youth sports, Jeremy Bodenhamer decided it would be his responsibility to act as a P.E. teacher and train with his six-, eight- and nine-year-old sons. Five days a week the boys do CrossFit workouts with their dad, and he mixes it up with adventure runs and obstacle courses. Read the full story in the Wall Street Journal.
Bodenhamer: “Kids love to jump and climb, so I have the boys do a lot of pull-ups, rope climbs and box jumps,…And when you make anything an obstacle course they get excited.”
Rx Smart Gear is hiring a Head of Social Media. Learn more and submit an application and portfolio.
ICYMI: Earlier this week, NBC News featured several members of the Community Gyms Coalition in a story about the GYMS Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at providing targeted relief in the form of a $30 billion fund for the boutique and community gym industry.
CrossFit LLC is hiring a remote Motion Graphic Designer. This is a full-time, mid-senior level position.
CROSSFIT GAMES
CrossFit Open Announcement Top Five Moments -- Sara Sigmundsdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir Battle in 17.5
The women’s division provided considerable intrigue heading toward the 2017 CrossFit Games. In 2016, Katrin Davidsdottir won her second consecutive title, beating out Tia-Clair Toomey (silver) and Sara Sigmundsdottir (bronze) yet again.
Many wondered if Sigmundsdottir would challenge her fellow Icelandic “Dottir” for the spot atop the podium, setting up a major battle to cap off the 2017 Open.
Davidsdottir and Sigmundsdottir joined Dave Castro for a special trip to Madison, WI, the new home of the CrossFit Games. This meeting in 17.5 was their second head-to-head battle during an Open announcement, following 16.4, but the two athletes faced major expectations due to the previous Games’ outcome. The show that followed did not disappoint.
#3 — Double Unders Wreak Havoc During an Epic Finish
Monona Terrace Convention Center served as the site of the Open announcement, packed to the rafters with a raucous crowd. These CrossFit fans wanted to see two of the sport’s best go head-to-head. The workout was simple — 10 rounds for time of nine thrusters at 65 pounds and 35 double unders.
Challenges and Opportunities: Who Would Have Qualified for Semifinals Based on the 2020 Open
In an attempt to see how exciting and competitive the 2021 Semifinals might be, we’ve taken a look at the 2020 Open results as a theoretical model.
Remind me: Ultimately the semifinal fields will be determined by an online competition (called the Quarterfinals) that is somewhat similar to stage one of the 2020 CrossFit Games. Using the 2020 Open as a model for analyzing the possible pool of athletes works because athletes still had the chance to qualify for the Games directly through the 2020 Open as National Champions or top-20 finishers. This means we have a fairly good idea of who the best athletes in an online format were from that season for most regions around the world.
For the full lists of athletes who would have made it, see tables below. (Note: in North America and Europe we just did a snake style seeding, but acknowledge that the seeding process will likely be different than this when it plays out in a few months.)
Here's a little-known fact, there are really only three workouts that rowing coaches program for their athletes and Shane Farmer from Dark Horse rowing pulls back the curtain on how you can program for yourself in this video. First: "short, fast and plenty"; second, "moderate, well-paced"; finally, "hefty and grindy." Once you understand how these three models work, you can create an infinite number of rowing WODs.
The Element 26 BarBelts strap the barbell into place so athletes can practice pulling progressions without the risk of the barbell flying off the hooks. Think scaled pull-ups and muscle-up progressions and a bunch of other functional and gymnastic movements performed safely. No more destroying your bands.
How Alec Smith Found the Courage to Get Uncomfortable
Alec Smith is a three-time Games athlete and best known for his gymnastics skills and for being one of the first openly gay male athletes in the sport. On this episode of the Pursuing Health podcast, Julie Foucher talks with Smith about his gymnastics career, training with his brother Ben Smith and his plans for the 2021 CrossFit Games season.
Winter is dragging on and the cold days require something warm and soothing. This taco pasta soup is just the thing. It's hearty comfort food with a little bit of spice and a savory broth.
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to [email protected] to be featured.
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