“Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”- Eleanor Roosevelt
CROSSFIT GAMES
Breaking: CrossFit Announces The Ten Semifinal Events
The full CrossFit Games season slate is coming into focus as today CrossFit announced the ten partner events that will make up the semifinal competition stage this season, answering one of the biggest remaining questions around the new format for 2021.
The selection and seeding process is still unknown, but with the announcement of the events and general locations, athletes now have a clearer picture of their path to the Games as the four of the six continents only have one event.
North America
The Atlas Games (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
The Granite Games (Minnesota, U.S.)
Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (MACC; Washington D.C.)
West Coast Classic (California, U.S.)
What stands out: Geographically the North American events have a nice spread across the continental boundaries. The Atlas Games in Montreal will be the Canadian event, the West Coast Classic in California will anchor the western United States and possibly parts of western Canada. The MACC covers the eastern seaboard, and the Granite Games will fit nicely into the Midwest.
As an official partner of the CrossFit Games, you already know we’ve got you when it comes to post-workout recovery, but we want you to be covered from start to finish. To help you prepare to crush the Open, we’re hooking you up with 30% off all FITAID apparel! Whether you’re participating in the Open at your affiliate, in your living room, or at your home gym, we want you to have the total Open experience wherever you’re throwing down.
The CrossFit Open begins in 20 days and the road to the CrossFit Games is now clearer with the announcement yesterday of the ten 2021 Semifinal events.
GOOD READ: Mat Fraser opens up about why he chose retirement after the 2020 season in this Men’s Health UK article. He also outlined this process in his own words in “Why I’m Retiring“.
Fraser: “I actually decided I was going to retire after the 2019 CrossFit Games. A few people around me were like ‘Hey, when does training start back up?’ and I told them ‘Oh no, I’m done!’ Some good friends told me that I would regret doing it then, they basically coerced me into the idea that one more year was the right decision.”
James Townsend, coach to Mal O’Brien and owner of The Brave One Gym, appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show yesterday with his daughter and Olympic weightlifter, Prisais Brooklyn. The episode focused on talented children under the age of 14.
New Master’s Divisions: The CrossFit Games announced two new divisions for master’s athletes in the 2021 season this week. This year there will be a men’s and women’s 60-64 division and a men’s and women’s 65+ division.
The Invictus Boston Invitational online qualifierdeadline has been extended to February 21 at 11:59 PM ET. The top-ten male and female athletes who qualify online will compete in-person in June.
Believe it or not: Best Buy, best known as an electronics retailer, is carrying powder-coated kettlebells and shipping them for free as supplies allow.
CROSSFIT GAMES
CrossFit Open Announcement Top Five Moments -- Rich Froning and Mat Fraser Headline 15.1
The 2015 CrossFit Games season featured a major change in the men’s division with Rich Froning retiring from individual competition after edging out Mat Fraser in 2014.The four-time champion switched over to the team division while Fraser faced increased expectations. Fans referred to him as the “champion in waiting.”
The two men competed for the top podium spot at the end of the 2014 CrossFit Games, and they continued to battle at the start of the 2015 season. They joined Dave Castro for a highly-anticipated Open announcement and faced off one more time, resulting in a truly memorable moment.
#4 — Rich Froning Calmly Chases Down Mat Fraser
Castro took CrossFit fans to Reebok CrossFit One in Canton, MA for a battle between the top two men from 2014. Fraser and Froning faced off in a workout consisting of two parts. 15.1 was a nine-minute AMRAP featuring 15 toes to bar, 10 deadlifts (115 pounds), and five snatches (115 pounds). 15.1A gave the athletes six minutes to set a one-rep max effort clean and jerk.
Why Eating is Hard During Competition and What to Do About It
A phenomenon that almost any athlete can attest to is the lack of appetite during a competition, meet, race, or game.
For athletes who only compete in short duration events, like a 10km race or a 2 hour hockey game, not having an appetite is probably not going to impact performance too much. For endurance events and CrossFit competitions (which in my opinion are most like endurance events when it comes to nutrition), not eating properly can have a massive impact on the outcome.
It is not uncommon to hear an athlete say that they don’t eat during competition because they aren’t hungry. They might even boast about not needing to eat during a competition. I used to be one of those athletes. It’s true that hunger gets shut down, but it is not true that an athlete can meet their potential without properly fueling.
Every Friday, we’re bringing you an exclusive workout challenge programmed by a CrossFit Games athlete or coach that you can take on at home or the gym. You can post your times or scores in the comment section.
Today’s workout of the week is programmed by Khan Porter.
Every 2 Minutes for 20 Minutes:
8 Power Snatches (85/65lbs, 40/30kg)
8 Toes to Bar
8 Bar Facing Burpees
AMRAP Assault Bike calories in the remaining time.
Score is total calories.
Some advice from Khan: “Move fast on the initial movements but be smart on the bike, choose a speed (RPM or watts) to hold the whole time and stick with that.”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
The Open is only a few weeks away and the likelihood is high that handstand push-ups will show up in a workout. This video from Misfit Athletics offers some great tips to help you improve by correcting your positioning. One key factor is how close you can get to the wall. Setting up nice and close will allow for tighter body shapes and more tension, allowing you to cycle more reps faster.
Get any 12-pack of O2 Recovery for $1 when you subscribe to your favorite flavor today only (first 500 people only). Use code CHALKONE at checkout and you'll pay just $1. Free shipping and no hidden fees. You can swap flavors, skip orders, or cancel any time. Zero risk, all reward.
Games Central, the New Weekly News Series from the CrossFit Games
One of the exciting developments for this CrossFit Games season is the return of a regular update show in the form of Games Central, hosted by Sean Woodland. In the second episode, he talks about Tia-Clair Toomey's plans for 2021, Sara Sigmundsdottir's shift to Training Think Tank and the two new masters divisions being introduced -- 60-64 and 65+.
Simple and Delicious Bacon and Egg Stuffed Avocado
Bacon, eggs and avocado, there may not be a better combination for breakfast. You can whip up this savory and healthy stuffed avocado in no time (especially if your eggs are pre-boiled) and once you put it all together, the avocado skin even serves as a handheld bowl.
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