“You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”- Shonda Rhimes
NEWS
What Were the Most Read Stories of 2021
To a certain extent, the lines are blurred between where 2020 ended and 2021 began, partially because the 2020 CrossFit Games finished in October last year then it was only a quick break before the 2021 season began. More likely, however, because the global pandemic continued to affect various parts of our lives from travel, to work, relationships, consumer goods, gym access, and basically everything else.
Over the last twelve months, the staff wrote nearly 1,000 stories focused exclusively on the sport and community of CrossFit, its trends, developments, retirements, victories, and some unfortunate tragedies.
Itâs clear looking back, that this global community is both growing and thriving. The multi-billion-dollar CrossFit ecosystem continues to attract attention across the globe, thankfully for more positive reasons than in years past, but itâs also maturing a little. CrossFit training is, after all, entering its 22nd year, young by comparison to many other industries, but beginning to build on firmer foundations I look forward to writing about.
For now, here are our top 10 most viewed stories and 10 stories (not on the previous list) that were impactful for the community at large.
Ten articles, in no particular order, that didnât make the above list for most page views, but represent important and significant moments over the last twelve months.Â
Donât miss out on the opportunity to try Annie Thorisdottirâs plant based energy drink made with natural caffeine and no sugar or calories.
Simply click the link below to register. As long as you donât have an existing Faire account, youâll receive $200 of free product & shipping for a year.
The 2022 CrossFit Games rulebook has arrived. Hereâs what you need to know.
Update on Cassandra Moorad (via Andrea Elrod): âCassandra just completed chemotherapy #5…Which means she only has one more chemo infusion left prior to surgeryâŠRight now the plan is surgery the first week of March.â
Kara Saunders developed an 8-week guided entry level program through Ultrahuman,
Margaux Alvarez, 7x CrossFit Games athlete and a recent competitor on NBCâs Titan Games, has launched a new fitness app.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
What Does the 2021 Season Forecast for the 2022 CrossFit Games? Dubai Provides the Hints as Wodapalooza Sets the Stage
And just like that the 2021 CrossFit season came to a close last week with the Dubai CrossFit Championship. So what did we learn from the competition that we need to keep an eye out as we head into the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games season? Here are four storylines to keep an eye out on as we say goodbye to 2021, and hello to 2022.
The evolution of Laura Horvath
To say Horvath doesnât get enough credit for her CrossFit career is an understatement. Her two runner up finishes alone should put her in rare company, joining Tia-Clair Toomey and Annie Thorisdottir as the only women to accomplish that feat. It appears most people choose to remember her for her shortcomings rather than her accomplishments.
On the competition floor in Dubai she answered some of those questions. In her last two trips to the in 2018 and 2019 she failed to finish. This time around she used the competition to close out a successful season that saw her place second at the Games, win the European Quarterfinals, placed second at the Lowlands Throwdown, fourth at the Rogue Invitational and with the victory at Dubai secured her second career CrossFit-sanctioned competition win.
What made the victory in Dubai impressive was the field she faced. Kristin Holte, Samantha Briggs and Sara Sigmundsdottir were among the athletes she defeated in her 33 point victory. She was consistent throughout the competition, having just one finish outside the top five. She finished with six top three finishes including an event win as she showed that her switch to Krypton Athletics under the watchful eye of Ben Smith this year has her trending in the right direction. The scary thing is sheâs still just 24 years old.
Empowered Rx: Combining Fitness and Mental Coaching for Eating Disorder, Trauma Survivors
After being molested as a 5-year old and sexually asaulted in high school, Leah Hantman went down a dark path that eventually led her to develop an eating disorder.
âI couldnât workout. I had nightmares every night. I couldnât eat. My nervous system was a mess,â Hantman remembered.
Eventually, Hantman started running and found CrossFit, and the combination of the two âsaved my life,â she explained. âWeightlifting was so grounding for the nervous and it (helped me) achieve strength that translates to other areas of life,â she added.
Whether for knee rehab or CrossFit performance, building quad strength is key to building lower body strength.â Here are four movements that tend to bias the quads a bit more than your traditional squat variations so that you can add some serious stability and strength.
Caffeine and sugar highs aren't going to help you in a 25-minute AMRAP. You need something that isn't going to spike your blood sugar and cause a crash. UCAN is not your typical pre-workout. It's powered by extended release energy to maintain stable blood sugar levels - the key to crushing tough workouts.
Been sitting at a desk, laptop, or N64 too much recently? It's common this time of year to spend some screen time slouching over, leading to a lack of mobility in the spine. Give these six stretched a try right now to unlock your back and shoulders and have you ready to take on your next WOD pain-free.
Your search for high-quality meat ends here. Amazing taste. Humanely raised. Delivered to your door. And as a Morning Chalk Up reader, sign up today and you'll be starting the new year with a bone-in pork butt, a pack of chicken thighs, and 2 lbs of ground beef free in your first box.
This slow cooker chicken tikka masala is a delicious, healthier take on the comforting Indian dish. Tons of chicken breast, and flavorful, bold spices make this the perfect midweek dinner to brighten up the dull nights.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.
đ Happy birthday Eric Le
Sean Sweeney put up a lifetime PR with a 255 pound/116kg power snatch.
Ross Barr of Phoenix, AZ put 385 pounds/175kg overhead for a split jerk PR.
Kaylyn Grose from Georgia’s Chaos Fitness reached her 2021 goal with a 300 pound/136kg back squat PR.
Connor Sloboda posted a new overhead squat PR of 315 pounds/143kg.
đłÂ 16-year-old teen athlete Sophie Shaft hit a snatch PR of 200 pounds/91kg.
Alex Rahal and Lewis Knight from England completed a ski-bike-row marathon (42,195m on each machine) in 11 hours and 22 minutes to help raise awareness for men’s mental health.
đ Masters athlete Tom Fameree logged four new PRs in the same week he celebrated his 60th birthday: 175 pound/79kg snatch, 327 pound/148kg back squat, 185 pound/84kg strict press, and 250 pound/113kg clean & jerk.
This January, FosterFit is hosting a 30,000 Pounds CrossFit Total (30k#CFT) Challenge to fundraise CrossFit gym scholarships for youth in foster care. This Challenge will combine individual CrossFit Total scores into a team/gym score, with a goal of reaching 30,000 collective pounds (13,608kg) representing the average number of foster kids that age out of the system each year.
The challenge will take place January 24-31, 2022. Registration is open from now until the competition closes on January 31st. $50 per individual; $0 for participating gyms to compile a team of individuals.
Want to help fund gym scholarships without doing the Total? Donations are also accepted at the FosterFit GoFundMe page.
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