Privileged to meet Adaptive Athlete Xabier Osa in Madison. Give him a follow and you’ll never have an excuse. @xabiaosa
“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” Paul “Bear” Bryant
CROSSFIT GAMES IMO To be honest, I almost didn’t go to the Games this year. We sold our RV earlier this year and the thought of a week away from Diablo with possible mandates looming had me on the fence. But, Alessandra was competing in her last Games, several Diablo members were planning to be a part of the support team and there were dedicated events for affiliate owners. So, I booked the trip and went. Boy, am I glad I did. And, if you’re passionate about CrossFit, you should make the trip someday too.
The Experience As soon as I walked through the ticket gates I was overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia and excitement. Almost every visible surface was covered with CrossFit Games colors, athlete pictures and sponsor brands. The venue was beautiful. I got chills of excitement.
This year, the Games went above and beyond to take care of their affiliate owners, including a dedicated lounge with big screen TVs and food & drink. They hosted multiple educational and social events and a management roundtable discussion.
Besides the actual competition events, the next best thing to being at the Games is the people. I ran into sooo many friends from past competitions, certifications, and other events: athletes, coaches, employees, box owners and more. In true CrossFit community style, we picked up right where we left off. The people make this special.
About Sandy Sandy started Day 1 with a bit of bad luck. Her long swim went well, but the kayak paddle, not so much. She thought it would be similar to rowing (she was a collegiate rower) but her technique faltered until she figured it out at the halfway point. Unfortunately, it was too late to make up ground. She admitted that the sting of her placement for that event affected the rest of her performances on Day 1. Sandy rebounded on Day 2 & 3, moving from 30th overall to 20th, but she was unable to make the final cut and was out on Saturday in 22nd place. She was extremely disappointed to not be able to snatch in the arena on Saturday night for her last Games appearance.
Now, Sandy and her husband Achim are off to Canada for a few weeks to visit her family, then she’ll be back in the Bay Area and in the gym. We’re sad to see her retire from competition, but tremendously grateful for all of the memories from her amazing career in this crazy sport of CrossFit.
Masters Are Inspiring! I heard this over the loudspeaker in the arena: “For all those men out there with health problems, I’ve had 2 heart attacks and 4 stints! Go get some fitness” These were the words from Gus Vandervoot, winner of Event 9 (HS Walks & heavy Thrusters) in the Men’s 60-64 division. It was an incredible testament to the power of CrossFit to change lives at any age. There are many, many more stories like this in the Masters division – men & women who have found their inner athlete after age 35. It’s never too late to CrossFit.
Teens Are The Future of The Sport of Fitness Did you know that a 15 year old girl snatched the most weight at the CrossFit Games? More than all of the other women in the Open category? CrossFit Games rookie Olivia Kerstetter nailed a 202lb snatch in event 3 enroute to a 1st place finish in her division. Wow. Just, wow.
Watching the 14/15yo teens walk onto the competition floor is like watching a junior high school assembly line up: young faces, messy hair, and a carefree attitude. You can’t believe the feats of strength and skill they’re about to accomplish. And then, the buzzer sounds and you instantly realize: these kids can kick your ass. It’s astonishing to watch. From this crew of young athletes the future Fittest In The World will be crowned. It’s inevitable. The increasing loads, skills and endurance require many years of progressive adaptation. There is no shortcut. There is no athletic or physical phenomenon that can leap frog the work that must be done. You must pay the man.
Adaptive Division is Jaw-Dropping This was the first year of participation in the Games for adaptive athletes. I expect this division to grow fast as the stories hit social media. One of the most loved moments in the 2021 Games was Logan Aldridge’s 502 Deadlift. Watch the lift and listen to his story.
What About Monster? You may have heard that CrossFit accepted a sponsorship from Monster Energy Drinks, who took the opportunity to promote their sugar-free drink. Personally, I’m not happy about it and I plan to make it known to CFHQ. Sugar laden caffeinated energy drinks are contributing to the rapid increase of obesity and diabetes, especially in children. CrossFit has battled Coca Cola (a minority shareholder in Monster) very publicly in the past – a battle that everyone else has avoided. We can cure chronic disease with CrossFit and healthy nutrition.
‘Should You Go?! Hell yes! If you’re passionate about CrossFit and enjoy watching athletes at their best. This is your mecca!
Golf Part Deux: We’ll be headed back out to Diablo Hills for 9 holes of golf craziness with our Diablo fam. Reach out to Yvonne if you’d like to join in the fun. We’ll be repeating our best-ball, scramble format for prizes!
Lara Running Pre-Hab & Stability Clinic This is the 2nd offering of this very popular clinic. If you’re a runner, or if you want to become one – this is a very cool clinic. It’s 4 weeks on Thursdays at 4:30PM. Sign up on our app.
Row’d Royalty Summer Splash RR Summer Splash begins August 26! Its one weekend and 3 workouts. Registration is only $10. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three athletes in all age groups and divisions. You can register here!
Diablo Business Mixer Our members represent many different businesses, services and professions. On Friday, Aug 13 at 7PM, we’re going to host a business networking mixer at Diablo for Diablo members. If your business/service is local and you’d like to do more with our Diablo community, come say hello and talk to some amazing people. Look for this on the app under “events”.
TWEET OF THE WEEK: “The more unhealthy you are the easier you are to control” @fitfounder
WORKOUTS
August Focus: Technical Strength (check out the video!)
- Primary: Squat Snatch
- Secondary: Front Squat + Jerk
- Skill: Ring Muscle Ups & Lunge Variations
The week ahead:
- Mon – Snatch Pulls. Metcon: Amrap 7m – 12 SDHP #65/95, 12 WB
- Tue – Mup Skillz. Metcon: 2RFT – 20/30c Bike, 10 Push-up Renegade Row #35/50, 50 DUs
- Wed – 5x 3m Amraps (1m rest): 15 KB #35/50, 200m Run, Max Wall Walks
- Thu – Fsquat + Jerk. Metcon: 3RFT – 25 Air Squats & 10 Box Jumps
- Fri – CF Girl, “Grettle”: 10RFT – 3 C&J #95/135, 3 BF Burpees
- Sat – 3RFT: 15 T2B, 400m Run, 12 DB FSquats #35/50, 100m FC
- Sun – 1500m Row, 16 SA Strict Press #35/50, 1000m Row, 16 SA Strict Press, 500m Row
CRAIG’S LIST (Stuff I’m Reading, Hearing, Watching, Using or Buying)
Ted Lasso – Apple TV. This is comedy gold. Jason Sudeikis plays a US Midwestern college football coach hired to coach a British Professional Soccer Club.
The CrossFit Games Final Day on YouTube – I was traveling today, so I had to catch up! The coverage is awesome and the workouts were fun to watch. Check it out (skip the team stuff.. not as interesting).
Buying:
Whoop Band. I finally broke down and purchased a fitness/health wearable. I’m only a couple days in so, I’ll keep you posted. I’m most interested in sleep patterns.
Make it an awesome week!
Craig
