The talk of the Women’s
CrossFit Games 2018 was of SECOND place Laura Horvath.
The Hungarian is part of Europe’s
CrossFit invasion.
Already from start of
the Open it was clear that Laura is a fierce competitor this year.
18.1 placed her right
at the top of the leaderboard with a jaw-dropping 432 reps in the workout: 8
toes-to-bars, 10 dumbbell hang clean and jerks, 14-cal. row.
Because of a mishap
with the way the video was filmed, she had to redo the workout, and finished
with an almost as impressive 420 reps, placing her 2nd after Annie Thorisdottir
in this workout.
She finished the Open
4th in her region, Europe North.
The Regional came and
Berlin was able to witness live what Horvath has been working on in herself.
Workout after workout, Laura proved laser-sharp focus and strength in all
workouts that were thrown at the athletes.
Always finishing with a smile on her
face, and taking things one step at a time, she never finished lower than 5th.
Her favourite event was the last one, 4 rope climbs,16 thrusters, 3 rope
climbs, 12 thrusters, 2 rope climbs, 8 thrusters that she finished in exactly 4
minutes, 22 seconds faster than second place finisher in the workout, Annie
Thorisdottir.
However, it was Annie
that stood on top of the Europe Regional podium, Laura finishing just 4 points
shy from her.
After this finish it became clear she’s a competitor that’s
hungry and will not lay back.
Now she is the SECOND Fittest Women in the World!
So what's her history with CrossFit?
After a brilliant Open season in 2016, when she finished 23rd in Europe, Laura got to compete alongside the biggest names in CrossFit in Europe, at the Meridian Regional.
It was an incredible season for the 19 year old at that time. She placed 7th on the final standings, just two spots shy from qualifying to the CrossFit Games.
These were Laura’s first interactions with the big name athletes and despite of her young age which could have intimidated a lot of other people, she remembers how friendly and kind they all were.
2017 came and saw a stronger and more mature Laura in the Open season.
She finished the Open as 10th overall in Europe and qualified again for the Meridian Regional, where she ended the weekend 11th on the overall standings.
Laura Horvath, the Bulletproofbodies Team Salutes you.
Everyone knows who came first last year in the Men's CrossFit Games.
But who came second?
Brent Fikowski. Let's learn a little bit about this amazing Canadian CrossFit Athlete. Who is also an Accountant by Day. Because nobody else seems to know who he is! Brent came second place to Matt Fraser at the CrossFit Games 2017
Brent Fikowski won the
first event of the CrossFit Games 2017,
the Run Swim Run.
Brent came 4th in the CrossFit Games 2016. He also won event 3 at
the 2016 CrossFit Games.
Event 3: Ranch Mini Chipper:
50 wall ball shots
25 medicine ball GHD
sit-ups
Hill sprint with
medicine ball Brent is supported by his Wife Claire.
CrossFit differentiates
itself from many other fitness cultures because of the apparent closer ties
both within its boxes and its wider universe. You pretty quickly know who
everyone is at a box and any anti-social use of globo gym style earphones is
quickly rinsed into submission. Members become friends, they share information
and knowledge via social media and forums. They go out together, they attend
competitions, they celebrate successes, they bond (aww bless), and they become
aware of the wider network that is the CrossFit community. We know the score...
right?
As the UK community
grows though and CrossFit potentially makes the jump from cocky little
pretender to fully fledged star of the team in the fitness world, we need to be
aware that the things we loved about Crossfit may change. This may not always
be for the better depending on where you're at on these things.
Reebok's involvement
has always caused a stir and plenty of post Wod chat as we guzzle our
Boditronics, BCAA's, discuss injuries; swap paleo brownie recipes, and debate
whether to start on steroids to make all this stuff a bit easier to deal with.
Will Reebok ultimately care about the community or will it just be seen as an
audience reach in the end? It's inadvertently changed a few existing
friendships I know of in the community already. Only the future will tell and
we've just all got to ride it out and see.
On the flip side of a
close knit box community, it can have its own subcultures too. As in all walks
of life people gravitate towards those they feel they have most in common with,
or are in line with their values and interests. Cliques are inevitable in most
social communities and..well.. I guess CrossFit itself is the biggest clique of
all while we are on the subject. People watching is a big guilty pleasure of
mine and I pick up on social dynamics pretty well I like to think. I notice the
people who make an effort with everyone, and those who don't so much. There was
a great comment on the CrossFit affiliates page relating to the healthy nature
of cliques:
A core 'group' or
clique that presents a non-exclusive non-alienating feel, can help create a
cohesive motivating family environment = Good!
An ego driven group or
clique that presents an exclusive alienating feel that is cold and
stand-off-ish can do just the opposite = Bad!
Maybe we should ask
ourselves when was the last time we walked up to a new member and chatted to
them about their Crossfit experiences or just got to know them? We should all
be mindful that CrossFit doesn't turn into American high school stereotypes in
UK boxes.
As CrossFit evolves at
boxes and with wider competition being ever more accessible, is it creating a
two tier CrossFit some may ask? The competitive tier for those who love to pit
their wits against other Crossfitters, take it on to another level, or see
where they lie in a larger scale hierarchy. Then there are those that are happy
with just using the regime to improve their life, get mobile and fitter and
take it one PB (Personal Best) at a time.
The reality is people
have different goals and are at different stages of their CrossFit experience.
General programming cannot always cover all the bases for everyone in their own
set timelines of achievement. You only have to look at how the programming at
an affiliate now is a world away from where it will have been two years ago.
Yet, we have new starters coming in at a higher standard because that's just
the way it is. The game has changed my friends... it's inevitable. More is
achieved by of the average CrossFitter both at your gym and I'm sure, boxes
across the world. Look at the rapid progress of the new breed. Their linear
progression across skills, loads and volume has often been far steeper than
probably anyone who picked up CrossFit two years ago because they viewed a
standard where they wanted to be and don't know any different. This is the
catch net effect of competition from the top level down in CrossFit. It pulls
everyones development along at a quicker rate. So if people want an accelerated
development, whatever ability, the Advanced/competitor programmes are an option,
nothing more.
To me that two tier has
always been there, its just more evident now the chance to compete outside your
box is more frequent and accessible and the abilities of your boxes
'firebreathers' (top tier athletes) move further on from your general
population. That should be celebrated and it is up to everyone to ensure those
two elements aren't at loggerheads. It's up to firebreathers to stay grounded
and inclusive, and its up to others not to feel lesser or envious.
CrossFit in the UK is changing.
It is moving out of its innocent, 'yay lets all be friends' stage into
something else. Sometimes the rose tinted glasses of the community need to come
off.
Manchester will be one
of the first UK cities to have to manage a higher than average concentration of
CrossFit boxes. Three are loads of Boxes in Manchester. The lines between friends and
competitors are getting blurred for sure and not just in a throwdown workout!
Things are becoming a lot more professional and business like (e.g. see the
growth of cross sell products within gyms) and rightly so I guess.
As this concentration
increases a couple of things maybe need to happen. Either the general public
moves away from the Fitness First gyms of this world and see the CrossFit
light. (This could be the massive gain from Reebok's marketing work and create
demand and an upturn of interest)
Or, individual boxes are going to have to
raise their game and shine like hell to attract and keep members in a heavily
contested market. This is where the issues of U.S. boxes that we have only read
about could come home to roost! Members switching for cheaper memberships,
specialisations, location, or, hell, just to change up. Don't be surprised in
the future if it turns into a car insurance situation with some, where loyalty
has no place. I'm sure this will be a small section of the CrossFit membership
but a headache nonetheless for box owners trying to keep a steady revenue. A
group membership idea for multiple boxes is something that has been adopted in
the US for high concentration areas. A noble idea! As to whether that could
work in the UK with the numbers doing CrossFit, the logisitics of creating it
and the reward for the individual boxes... hmmm toughie!!
Whatever happens... for
every great new development in the community there is always a new problem.
It's just how we choose to manage it to ensure the magic STAYS in the
community.
For more info go to
http://spartanstrength.co.uk/
Sean Murray is a Manchester
Personal Trainer/ CrossFit Trainer in Castlefield. He also runs his own boot
camp in Moston, North Manchester. He works with clients on their weight/fat
loss goals as well as performance athletes such as Triathletes and Rugby League
players to improve work capacity or weaknesses.
As CrossFit evolves at
boxes and with wider competition being ever more accessible, there are now two
types of CrossFitter:
Those competitive
athletes who love to pit their wits against other Crossfitters, take it on to
another level, or see where they lie in a larger scale hierarchy.
Then there are those
that are happy with just using the regime to improve their life, get mobile and
fitter and take it one PB (Personal Best) at a time.
Whichever athlete you are we can all enjoy the CrossFit Open.
We all have our own
journey and aspirations to compete in the CrossFit Open 2018.
With competition harder than ever, it really depends on what comes up over the next 5 weeks.
So this week on the Bulletproofbodies Blog we are speculating and anticipating in preparation for Friday night lights.
You know that only the
Open can take you to the darkest of places.
Have you been training
the following systems?
Aerobic Threshold:
Steady workouts at a
moderate intensity to develop fuel efficiency (burn fat), muscular skeleton
system, and aerobic endurance.
Lactate Threshold:
Higher volume workouts with longer distance
intervals at higher “threshold” intensities with less rest between reps and/or
sets.
VO2 Max:
Lower volume workouts, shorter distance
intervals at higher intensities, and more rest between reps and/or sets.
Speed Endurance:
Very low volume workouts with interval
distances less than 60sec. Extremely high intensities. Used to recruit fast
twitch fibres and force them to develop endurance. Full recovery between reps
and/or sets.
Strength Endurance:
Low volume workouts with high intensity
intervals that include various explosive movements to recruit and develop your
fast twitch muscle fibres.
The Open is about
BURPEES.
The burpee has been
around since 1939, when Royal H. Burpee invented the bodyweight movement as a
quick, simple way of administering fitness tests and included it in his thesis
for a doctorate in applied physiology from Columbia University. Over the last
75 years, the burpee has evolved from its original incarnation—a four-count
movement to be performed four times in a row in order to evaluate fitness—to
its current version: a six-count movement that includes three jumps, a couple
squats, a push-up, and a not insignificant amount of torment.
1. Don't rest. Pace. If
you stop [in the middle of your reps], it only takes longer to get going again.
Most people need to stop because they’re going too fast, but the best thing you
can do if you’re doing a lot of repetitions is to go "slow" and
steady: Pick a pace you can maintain for however many burpees you need to do,
and don't stop. So if you only have to do five to 10 burpees, you can go a
little faster. But if you’re doing 50 burpees, go slower so you can maintain a
consistent pace.
2. Feet go before
hands. If you want to take a second off of your burpee, shoot your legs back
before your hands hit the ground. When most of us first learn a burpee, we
usually learn that our hands should hit the ground before we jump our feet
back. But once you understand that basic movement, you can shoot your feet back
before your hands land on the ground.
3. Turn on robot mode.
When you have a lot of burpees to do...stop thinking about how man burpees you
have to do. Just go into robot mode. Approach each small movement one at a
time: "drop to the floor," "feet back," "jump up,"
etc., and repeat. Just slip into auto-pilot and keep counting. Thinking ahead
too much gets you freaked out about how many you have left to do. Just keep
moving and focusing on one movement at a time.
4. Breathe! As much as
you can, try to get into a rhythm with your breathing. Experiment with what
works for you, recognizing that as you get more out of breath your rhythm will
change slightly. But always try to keep your breathing as steady as possible.
5. Avoid common faults.
Many people fall prey to two faults. The first is arching the back to come out
of the burpee, as if they were doing an upward dog pose. This can lead to an
aching lower back. The second fault is losing range of motion. The chest should
touch the floor, not just the belly button or pelvis. The hips need to open up
all the way at the top when you jump. Try looking straight ahead as you stand
up and jump— this can help you to remember to open your hips.
Take it from CrossFit
coach Erica Giovinazzo, who does plenty of burpees and programs them for her
athletes.
The Open is about Dumbbell
Thrusters
At some point in an
athlete’s or trainees fitness there will come a time when the barbell will not
be available and/or injury to the shoulder and wrist may make the barbell
variation unbearable.
The dumbbells will
allow for a wide array of wrist angle and overhead positionings that can be
altered to best “fit” the athlete. For this same reason, increased joint
stabilization can occur in varying positions to maximize joint capsule and
movement Integrity as well.
Whatever the Open is about, it's about our community having fun! Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQHhd5lxVEkGidVXXegTisw
We have waited long enough and
finally the Reebok CrossFit 2017 Games are here.
3 days of CrossFit action from August
3rd to 6th
Check out this workout demonstration from
Alex Parker, Strongman’s Fear.
In order to recover from the arduous physical workouts Athletes will use Compex to help them recover and keep their muscles relaxed before the next gruelling Workout.
Compex are the official muscle
stimulator sponsor of the CrossFit Games.
To celebrate this fact Compex will
give you a whopping 30% off the SP 8.0.
