“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”- Walt Disney
CROSSFIT GAMES
BREAKING: The 2023 CrossFit Games Rulebook Has Arrived, Here’s What You Need To Know
CrossFit has dropped its 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Competition Rulebook, and we have a quick breakdown on some of the changes and things to know heading into the next season.
Notably, this is the earliest CrossFit HQ has dropped its rulebook in recent history:
2023 Season: Released November 15, 2022
2022 Season: December 28, 2021
2021 Season: January 7, 2021
2020 Season: August 28, 2019*
2019 Season: January 7, 2019
*the Open took place in October in 2020
As expected: The CrossFit Open will follow the same structure as previous years, with each week’s score(s) submission window opening on Thursday at 12:00 PM PT, and closing Monday at 5 PM PT. The 2023 CrossFit Open will begin on February 16th, and while the rulebook does not specify an end date for the Open, the CrossFit Games website cites that it will conclude March 6th; prompting again, a three-week competition of at least one test per week.
Registration is set to begin on Thursday, November 17th. The cost of registration remains $20 per person.
There are 36 total divisions for individual competitors, and there is one division for teams.
Worldwide Regions
An athlete’s competitive region will be determined by “citizenship at the close of the first Open score submission window.”
Citizens of North America and Canada will be divided into East and West regions based on residency. For affiliated athletes, this is determined by the location of the affiliate they attend. For unaffiliated athletes, this is determined by their home address.
Athletes may only compete at the Semifinal competition designated for their region.
“At the conclusion of the Open, athletes in the Individual Men’s and Women’s divisions who are ranked highest on their regional leaderboard will qualify to compete in the Quarterfinal competition.”
As the holiday season approaches, Wodify knows that client retention is at the top of your priority list. With their recently launched mobile app Coach View, you can improve client experience by giving coaches the ability to:
Get some: The 2022 Ultimate CrossFitter’s Guide to Black Friday/Cyber Monday Shopping is here. Get crazy discounts on your favorite functional fitness brands. 🤑
Press conference update: CrossFit HQ is hosting a presser this morning to “address offseason announcements” with Justin Bergh, the general manager of sport, and Adrian Bozman, the director of competition. The presser starts at 8:30am PT time, so check our website and social for the breaking story on all the news.
Boss speak: Don Faul, the new CEO of CrossFit, was recently on the Fitt Insider podcast where he spoke about a number of things related to the company.
Good news: A new study has found that aerobic activity can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer, so get back on that Echo bike!
INDUSTRY
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Want to Run a Profitable Competition? Skip the Elites and Cater to the Masses
Losing money has been a common theme for competition organizers in recent weeks.
The CanWest Games and the European Championship events are both under scrutiny for failing to raise enough revenue to pay the athletes their winnings.
Further, at the Semifinals level, organizers like Atlas Games Director Alexis Leblanc-Bazinet have been transparent about the financial challenges his event has always had.
Hell, even former CrossFit LLC owner Greg Glassman was open about the fact that Regionals competitions and the CrossFit Games were never money-making endeavors for his company. Filthy 150 Director Darina Dunne said she remembers having a conversation with Glassman during the Sanctionals days.
“The perception is the CrossFit Games makes money but it doesn’t. Greg Glassman told me he lost $14 million in 2018 on the Games,” Dunne said.
What Does it Take to Run a Successful CrossFit Affiliate in Australia?
On November 4th 2022, CrossFit Adelaide celebrated its 14th birthday. Ben Norman, the owner of CrossFit Adelaide – which is located in the southern portion of the island country – spoke about what it’s like to run a successful affiliate Down Under in Australia.
“If you can pay the bills while making a positive difference, then that’s cool,” reflects Norman.
Norman believes that being a first generation affiliate has been instrumental to the longevity of CrossFit Adelaide.
He explains: “First generation affiliates had to build CrossFit. They weren’t buying a brand at the time. I’m used to being an advocate for CrossFit. I’m from the era where you create the value.”
Embracing the Affiliate Model is the Key to Success
Embracing the affiliate model has been key to Norman’s success. Each affiliate is an independently run gym, with its own members and its own community. It’s not a franchise.
“Affiliate owners must invest themselves into their gym,” says Norman.
You must be authentic in order to build your community. This philosophy has paid off for Norman and CrossFit Adelaide, as they have retained original members, 14 years on.
YouTube Videos, Outdoor Group Fitness and a Warehouse Gym
Norman’s first exposure to CrossFit was watching the old CrossFit videos, such as Nasty Girls on YouTube. “I saw that and I was hooked. I could see that it [CrossFit] works,” says Norman.
Seeing someone doing multiple things; moving from the rower, to burpees then lifting weights blew Ben’s mind.
At the time there were only a handful of CrossFit affiliates in Australia, and none in South Australia. Norman attended the second ever Australian CrossFit Level 1 in 2008, which was run by Greg Glassman at CrossFit FX in Sydney. After this, Norman decided to open an affiliate and CrossFit Adelaide was born.
CrossFit Adelaide started training in the Adelaide city parklands three days a week. Norman made parallettes and boxes, and the programming had a gymnastics focus.
“We used the soccer goals for pull ups,” remembers Norman. On Saturday mornings CrossFit Adelaide trained indoors at a Kung Fu gym. These indoor sessions included barbell training with cast iron plates, because the only bumper plates available at that time were calibrated olympic lifting plates.
As winter drew nearer and memberships grew, Norman arranged for weekday indoor classes at the Kung Fu gym. “When a class filled up, we added another class” explained Norman. Once memberships reached between 30-50, Norman took the plunge and leased a warehouse in the inner western suburbs of Adelaide; which remains the home of CrossFit Adelaide today.
OPINION: Why are CrossFit Owners and Coaches Struggling to Make Ends Meet?
The CrossFit methodology works, undeniably, when applied to the appropriate people. Further, it’s affiliate owners and coaches tend to be hardworking and passionate. Why, then, are so many owners and coaches struggling to make ends meet? I believe it stems from focusing on the wrong people.
I have owned three CrossFit affiliates, coached at dozens, and consulted with hundreds; I’ve experienced the full spectrum of ‘high highs’ and ‘low lows’. I exited affiliate ownership on December 31, 2017. However, if I were to start a new one today, my primary focus would be on the particular audience that I believe is best-positioned to experience the magic that can happen inside an affiliate.
That audience is current and former athletes. These are people who have participated in organized or recreational sports, who seek hard work, who are between the ages of 25 and 40 and want to get into the absolute best shape of their lives. They’re not afraid to get hurt, and they’re not already dealing with injuries they want to prioritize eliminating.
These people may already be in shape, or they may have let themselves go over the years, but they generally don’t have chronic disease. They value a fun atmosphere over individualized coaching attention. They get excited seeing their name on a whiteboard, and they want to crush their friend in today’s WOD.
Being motivated to workout is half the battle. The other half? Having a game plan for your training. While there’s an abundance of options available, generic programming doesn’t consider your individual needs on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, there’s a new option on the market for athletes — and the best part? It’s already in your pocket.
“For ten years we have gone down the generic training plan path and what we have found is that no matter how tailor made the plans, they are never good enough at catering to the individual.” said Relentless Founder and CEO Marcus Herou.
The next generation of personal training is smart enough to identify when you’re not pushing hard enough to make progress, or when you’ve had a rough night of sleep. Your program continuously adjusts based on your performance, and the protocol is tailored to the equipment and time you have available. Relentless Method is the platform taking the functional fitness industry by storm, notably bringing CrossFit Games athletes Thuri Helgadottir and Emma Tall, as well as two Olympian weightlifters, on board earlier this month.
This Alternative to the Standard January Nutrition Challenge
January is coming... that means as a gym owner you have to come up with something new and exciting for your members in regards to a nutrition challenge. But that also requires a lot of your time, energy and brain power. If you're burnt out of standard nutrition challenges, keep reading!
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One of the most common complaints with newbies at the box is, “My wrists hurt”. The front rack position is unnatural for most of us when we start using a barbell. Use these tips to help you get comfier in the front rack!
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.
🎂 Happy birthday, Niko Ronnow.
Congratulations Jessica Androsik from C4 Athletics in Columbus, OH on completing 50 strict handstand push-ups unbroken in 37 seconds.
😳 When muscle-ups aren’t hard enough… Michael Shearn from the Florida Grid League’s South Beach Palms does weighted bar muscle-ups with a med-ball and a weight vest for a total of 40 additional pounds (18kg).
❄️ Recognize this boarder? Laura Horvath is all about that fresh powder.
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