-
WOD MAGAZINE
2013 Reebok CrossFit Games:How did the Aussies stack up?
Australias First CrossFit Magazine
Chad MAckAY: The Importance of
Strength in crossFit
The Early Days of CrossFit In AustraliaAdvice on Programming,
scaling and nutrition
Your CrossFit Stories, Box Directory, Gear Reviews and
more...
Amanda Allen: PERFOrMANCE & RECOVERY
What You Need To Know About Running Your Own Box
Issue 1
-
6 | Obstacle Racing Magazine
MEMBEREXCLUSIVE!
Get 25% o plus FREE postage on any Polar
monitor when you order via www.polarrevolution.com.au
and enter the promotional code: CALORIES
MEMBEREXCLUSIVE!
Get 25% o plus 25% o plus 25% o FREE postage on any Polar
monitor when you order via www.polarrevolution.com.au
and enter the promotional code: CALORIES
MEMBEREXCLUSIVE!
Get 25% o plus FREE postage on any Polar
monitor when you order via www.polarrevolution.com.au
and enter the promotional code:
OCRA2013
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 6 20/11/2013 10:42 pm
-
6 | Obstacle Racing Magazine
MEMBEREXCLUSIVE!
Get 25% o plus FREE postage on any Polar
monitor when you order via www.polarrevolution.com.au
and enter the promotional code: CALORIES
MEMBEREXCLUSIVE!
Get 25% o plus 25% o plus 25% o FREE postage on any Polar
monitor when you order via www.polarrevolution.com.au
and enter the promotional code: CALORIES
MEMBEREXCLUSIVE!
Get 25% o plus FREE postage on any Polar
monitor when you order via www.polarrevolution.com.au
and enter the promotional code:
OCRA2013
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 6 20/11/2013 10:42 pm
-
2 | Obstacle Racing Magazine
Bounce 4 in 1 Daily Shake 100% Natural Nutritional ShakeGrass
fed, hormone free Whey ProteinSuper greens / super fruits Pre and
Probiotics Chia Fibre
Bounce Daily Superfood Shot 100% Natural Pre-exercise Blend 33
nutrient-dense Superfoods Pea Protein Pre and ProbioticsChia
Fibre
ALL NEW!
Perfect pre
race OR pre
training drink Energise your race
www.bouncefoods.com.auPh: 1300 303 517Bounce 12 ball boxBounce
40 ball tub
Bounce Energy Balls100% natural goodness to refuel your body,
invigorate your mind
and feed your soul.
Online code:
ORCRA2013
for a 15% discount!
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 2 20/11/2013 10:42 pm
obstacleracingmagazine.com.au | 3
Bounce 4 in 1 Daily Shake 100% Natural Nutritional ShakeGrass
fed, hormone free Whey ProteinSuper greens / super fruits Pre and
Probiotics Chia Fibre
Bounce Daily Superfood Shot 100% Natural Pre-exercise Blend 33
nutrient-dense Superfoods Pea Protein Pre and ProbioticsChia
Fibre
ALL NEW!
Perfect pre
race OR pre
training drink Energise your race
www.bouncefoods.com.auPh: 1300 303 517Bounce 12 ball boxBounce
40 ball tub
Bounce Energy Balls100% natural goodness to refuel your body,
invigorate your mind
and feed your soul.
Online code:
ORCRA2013
for a 15% discount!
OCRA
DDDIISSSCC
OOOUUNTTTSS AAVVA AAVV IILABLE
FFFOORR MMMMEEEMMMBBEERSS
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 3 20/11/2013 10:42 pm
-
2 | Obstacle Racing Magazine
Bounce 4 in 1 Daily Shake 100% Natural Nutritional ShakeGrass
fed, hormone free Whey ProteinSuper greens / super fruits Pre and
Probiotics Chia Fibre
Bounce Daily Superfood Shot 100% Natural Pre-exercise Blend 33
nutrient-dense Superfoods Pea Protein Pre and ProbioticsChia
Fibre
ALL NEW!
Perfect pre
race OR pre
training drink Energise your race
www.bouncefoods.com.auPh: 1300 303 517Bounce 12 ball boxBounce
40 ball tub
Bounce Energy Balls100% natural goodness to refuel your body,
invigorate your mind
and feed your soul.
Online code:
ORCRA2013
for a 15% discount!
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 2 20/11/2013 10:42 pm
obstacleracingmagazine.com.au | 3
Bounce 4 in 1 Daily Shake 100% Natural Nutritional ShakeGrass
fed, hormone free Whey ProteinSuper greens / super fruits Pre and
Probiotics Chia Fibre
Bounce Daily Superfood Shot 100% Natural Pre-exercise Blend 33
nutrient-dense Superfoods Pea Protein Pre and ProbioticsChia
Fibre
ALL NEW!
Perfect pre
race OR pre
training drink Energise your race
www.bouncefoods.com.auPh: 1300 303 517Bounce 12 ball boxBounce
40 ball tub
Bounce Energy Balls100% natural goodness to refuel your body,
invigorate your mind
and feed your soul.
Online code:
ORCRA2013
for a 15% discount!
OCRA
DDDIISSSCC
OOOUUNTTTSS AAVVA AAVV IILABLE
FFFOORR MMMMEEEMMMBBEERSS
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 3 20/11/2013 10:42 pm
-
Stand Up and be counted Aussie dominate Molokai crowning
multiple champions
LAUNCH ISSUE MARCH 2014
Spartan Race World Champio
nships
Northface100 record holder Brendan Davies shares his training
tips to a better trail race
Trail running
Our boy Matt grabs
second and puts Aussie
OCR on the map
Aussie CrossFit on the world stage Chad and Karas world team
selection and amazing journey to 2013 CrossFit invitational.
OCR TRAINING TIPSHIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETES
S4H LIVE EVENTS
SUBSCRIBE NOW AT WWW.SEARCH4HURT.COM.AU
SEARCH4HURT MAGAZINE LAUNCHING MARCH 2014
Training advice from the best
Extreme endurance features
Race and Gear Reviews
AS SEEN ON
Available at www.search4hurt.com.au
Own season one of the original TV series
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 98 20/11/2013 10:49 pm
-
Stand Up and be counted Aussie dominate Molokai crowning
multiple champions
LAUNCH ISSUE MARCH 2014
Spartan Race World Champio
nships
Northface100 record holder Brendan Davies shares his training
tips to a better trail race
Trail running
Our boy Matt grabs
second and puts Aussie
OCR on the map
Aussie CrossFit on the world stage Chad and Karas world team
selection and amazing journey to 2013 CrossFit invitational.
OCR TRAINING TIPSHIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETES
S4H LIVE EVENTS
SUBSCRIBE NOW AT WWW.SEARCH4HURT.COM.AU
SEARCH4HURT MAGAZINE LAUNCHING MARCH 2014
Training advice from the best
Extreme endurance features
Race and Gear Reviews
-
Contents
CONTENTS12 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Feature
42 2013 Reebok CrossFit Invitational2013 Reebok CrossFit Open -
What to expect45The History of CrossFit in Australia
2013 Champions - Rich
Froning..........................................................................................................................222013
Champions - Samantha
Briggs...................................................................................................................23Interviews
with 2013 Australian Games
Athletes...............................................................................................24Rob
Fortes 2013 CrossFit Games
Experience.....................................................................................................38
466 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
Programming and
Scaling......................................................................................................52Performance
and
Recovery.....................................................................................................56The
Importance of Strength in
CrossFit.................................................................................60Putting
the Pro in
Regionals...................................................................................................62Running
Your Own
Box.........................................................................................................66Athlete
Spotlight - Amanda
Allen..........................................................................................68CrossFit
Nutrition
Basics........................................................................................................72This
One Time, at CrossFit - Bonnie
Sein..............................................................................78My
CrossFit Journey - Megan
Drapalski................................................................................82Finding
New Strength - Virginia
Vij.......................................................................................86The
CrossFit Experience of Robert
Carlin..............................................................................78Rising
Up to the Challenge - Logan
Poon...............................................................................90CrossFit
Southern Highlands kicks Crohns in the
guts..........................................................92
Recipes.............................74 Challenge
WOD..............83International
CrossFit....93Reviews............................94Box
directory...................98
Image by Frankie Lee M
atthews Photography
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 7
-
WOD MAGAZINE
Editor - Ben [email protected]
Design - Natasha [email protected]
Media Sales - Adam [email protected]
WordsAdam Richardson
Adam StraneckiAmanda Allen
Ben QuinneyBonnie Sien
Bronwyn SparkesChad Mackay
Corrine ChalmersGinny Gallegos
Ian SeboaJames WilsonLeigh TaylorLogan Poon
Megan DrapalskiNaomi Benedetti
Rob ForteVirginia Vij
images21 15 9 ClothingAdam LesniakAdam StraneckiBonnie
SeinBronwyn SparkesCorrine ChalmersCrossFit IncFrankie Lee
MatthewsGinny GallegosJames WilsonJoel VoglerLogan PoonMatthew
TownsendMegan DrapalskiNaomi BenedettiNatasha QuinneyRobert
CarlinSam FitzpatrickVirginia Vij
Some opinions expressed in WOD Magazine are not necessarily
those of its staff or contributing editors. Those opinions are
reproduced with no guarantee of accuracy although WOD Magazine
endeavours to ensure those opinions and comments are factual.
WOD Magazine, 2013. All rights reserved.
The global CrossFit community has a wonderful voice, we hear
about amazing and truly inspirational stories every day through
various social media outlets, print and video but most of these
stories have a distinctly American focus.
The idea behind WOD Magazine was born from a personal desire to
read, listen and watch more about Australian CrossFit whether it
was highlighting the very best Aussie athletes as they compete
locally and abroad or showcasing the life changing stories of
CrossFit-ters from local boxes around the country.
With the magazine, its Facebook and Twitter pages and our
website we hope to help build a unique community, to enable
Australian CrossFit-ters to have a voice of their own. Through
community involvement we plan to deliver Australian stories of
tri-umph in their own words, opinion pieces from community members,
training pro-gramming advice and mental insights from top level
athletes.
In the coming issues for 2014 we will bring you advice on what
to expect at your next competition, the CrossFit Open, what to look
out for at the regionals in either a spec-tator or competitors
perspective and what to expect at this years big show - The 2014
CrossFit Games.
If you feel like you have something to say, or are just
interested in joining in the con-versation shoot us an email at
[email protected], follow us on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram and make sure to sign up to our newsletter on our website
(www.wodmagazine.com.au) to make sure you are kept up to date with
news from us or our sponsors.
2014 is going to be a huge year for Australian CrossFit and we
look forward to being a part of it with you.
Cheers,
Ben Quinney
Contributors
From the Editor
Front Cover: Chad Mackay by Sam FitzpatrickBack Cover: Rich
Froning by CrossFit, Inc
8 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
WOD MAGAZINE
PRESSURISED HYDRATION SYSTEMDrinking from a hydration pack
should be easy and continuous, not hurried and gluttonous. With
GEIGERRIG Hydration Packs, all that you need to do is lightly bite
down. The GEIGERRIG pressurised system does the rest continuous,
easy, comfortable hydration without disruption or inconvenient
sucking. Spray your face and hands, share your water, the options
are endless.
THE OFFICIAL HYDRATION PARTNER OF SPARTAN RACE AUSTRALIA
For more information visit geigerrig.com, drop in to your local
outdoor store, or call (02) 8878 3600 for stockists.
GGEIGERRIG
Geigerrig_PrintAd_210x297_ObsticleRacingMag.indd 1 3/10/13 11:09
AM
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 9
-
wodmag
-
Reebok CrossFit Games2013
Feature
12 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
Reebok CrossFit Games
early 17th century: from Latin competere, in its late sense
strive or contend for (something), from com- together + petere aim
at, seek
Compete [kuh m-peet]
(Oxford Dictionary)
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
Event sumary and results compilation based on CrossFit.com
oinline archive by Ben Quinney
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 13
-
Day 1 Wednesday 24/7/2013 The Pool Row 1 Row 2Chad Mackay 7th
5th 11th
Rob Forte 19th 39th 8th
Brandon Swan 8th 29th 34th
Kara Webb 2nd 15th 27th
Ruth Anderson Horrell 37th 7T 3rd
Pip Malone 29th 41st 20th
Day 2 Friday 26/7/2013 Burden Run ZigZag Sprint LeglessChad
Mackay 23rd 33T 17th
Rob Forte 6th 42nd 34TBrandon Swan 43rd 22T 45th
Kara Webb 9th 8th 25TRuth Anderson Horrell 2nd 33T 34TPip Malone
32T 38T 39T
Day 3 Saturday 27/7/2013 Naughty Nancy C & J Ladder 2007Chad
Mackay 35T 7T 36th
Rob Forte 19T 38T 25th
Brandon Swan WD WD WD
Kara Webb 18th 4th 33rd
Ruth Anderson Horrell 5th 8th 30th
Pip Malone 9th 15T 37th
Day 4 Sunday 28/7/2013 Sprint Chipper The Cinco 1 The Cinco
2
Chad Mackay 6th 21T 7TRob Forte 31st CUT CUTBrandon Swan WD WD
WD
Kara Webb 11th 19th 19th
Ruth Anderson Horrell 15th 14th 24T
Pip Malone 37th CUT CUT
Games results
2013 ReEbok CrossFit games How did the Aussie's stack
up...Workouts
Even
t 1
The
Pool
Event
2 &
3Ro
w 1 &
2Ev
ent
4Bu
rden
Run
Even
t 6
Legl
ess
Even
t 7
Naugh
tyNa
ncy
Even
t 8
Clean
& Je
rkLa
dder
Even
t 9
2007
Even
t 10
Sprin
tCh
ipper
Even
t 11
The
Cinco
1Ev
ent
12Th
e Cin
co 2
Ten rounds for time of: Swim 25 yards3 Bar muscle-ups
Swim 25 yards
Even
t 5
ZigZag
Sprin
t
For time: Row 21,097 metersRow 1 is time at 2,000 meter
checkpointRow 2 is time for entire 21,097 meters
For time: Run 2.1 milesFlip the PiG 100 yards
600 yard log carryDrag the Iditarod 66 yards
50 yard Sprint with 4 obstacles4-round bracket style
tournament
For time: 27, 21, 15, 9 Thrusters (43/29.5kg(
4, 3, 2, 1 Legless rope climbs
Four rounds for time of:Run 600 meters up and over berm
25 Overhead squats (63.5/43kg(
1-rep Clean and Jerkevery 90 seconds with progressively
heavier barbells(
For time: 1000 meter Rowthen, fIve rounds of:
25 Pull-ups7 Push jerks (61/38.5kg(
For time: 21 MedBall GHD Sit-ups15 Snatch (75/45kg(
9 Wall burpees
Three rounds for time of:5 Deadlifts (184/120kg(
5 weighted One-legged squats, l (24/16kg(5 weighted One-legged
squats, r (24/16kg(
Then 24 metres Handstand walk
Final 2 begins one minute after Final 1
Three rounds for time of: 5 Muscle-ups5 DefIcit handstand
push-ups
Then 27.5 metres Overhead walking lunge (72.5/45kg axle bar(
Chad Mackay 11thRob Forte 33rd
Brandon Swan 45th
12th Kara Webb15th Ruth Anderson Horrell36th Pip Malone
Men WoMenOverall placings:
T = tied, WD = Withdrawn, CUT = Athlete didny advance to next
workout14 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
Event 1: Swim & Muscle UpThe 2013 CrossFit Games started off
well for our Aussie athletes on Wednesday morning with the first
pool event ever seen in the games. As Aussies we have a reputation
for being good in the water and Kara Webb proved herself more than
capable as she held her own in the 3rd and final heat as she
finished in 2nd, just in front of Sam Briggs and only 36 seconds
behind the winner Michele Letendre.
The NSW central coast local and self described surfer Chad
Mackay put in a very solid per-formance in the 3rd and final heat
coming in 4th in the heat and 7th overall in the pool while
Queenslands Brandon Swan came in 2nd in his heat to finish 11
seconds behind Chad taking out 8th place. While the Australians all
looked comfortable in the water the big upset of the event was
watching Rich Froning Jnr struggle through his 10 rounds to finish
in 30th, his worst placing in any event in his CrossFit games
history.
Event 2 & 3: 2k and Marathon RowLater that same day Chad
Mackay would again show the world he was a force to be reckoned
with after coming 5th in the 2k and then 11th in the marathon row
while Rob Forte was methodical throughout the row coming in 39th in
the 2k but held his pace to finish 8th in the 21km. After
suf-fering a little in the pool earlier in the day Jason Khalipa
put on a show taking 1st in both events, finishing his 2k in 6:21
13 seconds in front of Rich Froning and grinding out 21km on the
con-cept 2 in just 1 hour and 18 minutes.
For the ladies NZs Ruth Anderson Horrell tied for 7th place with
Talayna Fortunato in the 2k but put in an amazing performance to
finish 3rd in the 21km only a minute and a half behind the winner
Sam Briggs.
Event 4: Burden RunAfter a day of rest on the Thursday the
Aussies faced the Burden Run Friday mornuing. While Garret Fisher
dominated the running portion Rob Forte held pace with the front
pack of athletes. Once the athletes hit The Pig Garret Fishers lead
disappeared while the more powerful athletes made up ground. Jason
Khalipa was the first to finish with the pig and get to the log
while Rich Froning was breathing down his neck back in 4th
place.
Once he got to the log it was the Jason Khalipa show all the
way, Jason stayed out in front and even had time to rest a little
pulling the sled. Our own Rob Forte managed to sneak in front of
Rich Froning in the final seconds to finish 6th while Chad Mackay
finished 23rd and Brandon Swan 43rd.
Sam Briggs dominated the Burden Run from the very beginning,
opening up a huge lead in the run portion. Sam maintained her lead
throughout the Pig Flip and was the first woman to pick up the Log
and head towards the soccer stadium. Kaleena Ladeairous overtook
Sam during the Log carry and was the first woman to begin the 60
metre sled drag. Although identified by the commentators as Valerie
Voboril, New Zealand native Ruth Anderson Horrell had been making
steady progress on the leaders throughout the event and moved into
3rd place during the Pig Flip and the log carry and never stopped
moving once she got to the sled drag and actually overtook Sam
Briggs to finish in 2nd place. Kara Webb finished strong to take
9th place and Pip Malone put in a solid performance to finish in
32nd place.
Event 5: ZigZag SprintKara Webb was the only Australasian woman
to progress past the first bracket of the Zigzag sprint as she
finished 1st in her qualifying heat and was even relaxed enough to
wave to cameras after-wards. Kara then finished 3rd in her quarter
final heat and 5th in her semi-final giving her 8th place overall.
Michelle Crawford had been dominant in each of her heats and really
turned it on in the final to take 1st followed by Lindy Wall and
Stacie Tovar.
Brandon Swan was the only Australasian male to enter the second
round of the Zigzag sprint by winning his qualifying heat.
Unfortunately Swan finished last in the quarter finals heat leaving
the competition open for quicker athletes like Marcus Hendren, Dan
Bailey and Aja Barto to dominate.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit games How did the Aussie's stack
up...SUMMARY
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 15
-
Event 6: LeglessPip Malone was the only Aussie in heat one of
the Legless event competing against some big names of previous
CrossFit Games includ-ing Kristan Clever and Gretchen Kittelberger
while both Ruth Anderson Horrell and Kara Webb were competing in
heat 4 along with all the top athletes of this years games
including Christy Phillips and Sam Briggs. Sam took an early lead
with four quick rope climbs in the first round while Kara and Ruth
kept pace with the majority of the athletes in the heat.
As Sam Briggs gave up the lead on the third rope climb of the
second round Christy Phil-lips and Alesandra Pichelli took full
advantage and pulled ahead fighting for the lead. The stadium
erupted in the final moments of the event as Pichelli took 1st
place with her amaz-ing legless kipping rope technique.
Brandon Swan was the lone Australian male in heat two of the
Legless event. Lacee Kovacs was the standout athlete for this heat
as he put in a dominant performance easily climbing the ropes
without his legs. Both Rob Forte and Chad Mackay faced off in heat
four with some big name athletes like Josh Bridges and Neal Maddox.
Rob and Chad held pace behind Josh Bridges through the first round
of four rope climbs and made it to the second round of thrusters as
Bridges got started on his second round of rope climbs.
Rob and Chad held 3rd and 4th place through-out the first half
of the heat and as Bridges ap-proached his final set of thrusters
Rob fell out of the top 6. Chad was still fighting for 3rd place
with Travis Mayer and Daniel Petro but ended up taking 6th as he
was beaten by a very narrow margin up the final rope by both
athletes.
The final heat of the day was an all star whos who of CrossFit
with Jason Khalipa, Rich Fron-ing, Ben Smith and the rest of the
top athletes for 2013. Going into the event Jason Khalipa was
holding 1st place on the leader board and Rich was sitting in 4th
but after his failure on the rope climb in 2010 Rich had something
to prove.
Going into the final set of thrusters and rope climbs Rich,
Marcus Hendren and Jordran Troyan were fighting for the top spots
in the heat as all three athletes were eyeing off each other at the
last rope climb and as Jordan Troy-an began to celebrate his win
Marcus Hendren dove over the line to steal the top spot leaving
Troyan with 2nd and Rich with 3rd ahead of all the other athletes
in front of him in the stand-ings enabling Rich to climb a little
closer to the top spot he is so familiar with.
Clean & Jerk LadderLindsey Valenzuela
2013 ReEbok CrossFit games How did the Aussie's stack up...
16 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
Event 7: Naughty NancyComing into day three Kara Webb was
sitting in 8th place overall. In the first heat Pip Malone was in
the top five women to put down the barbell at the end of the first
round and was the 3rd athlete to reach the overhead squats in the
second round. Malone took 2nd place during the overhead squats in
the third round and looked to be going strong heading into the
fourth and final round. Pip was able to hold her own against
Tiffany Hendrixsen until the final set of overhead squats and ended
up finishing in 3rd.
The second womens heat saw the top 21 athletes push themselves
hard right out of the gate, after the first run Kaleena Ladeairous
was in first place while Ruth Anderson Horrell was among a dozen
athletes in the pack just behind her. As Sam Briggs was fighting
for 2nd place in the event she was several places ahead of the
current games leader Christy Phillips giving Sam an opportu-nity to
score some valuable additional points to put towards her run at the
top spot on the overall ladder. Ruth Anderson Horrell finished
strong and took 4th in the heat and 5th overall.
Before the mens heats of Naughty Nancy began Brandon Swan was
advised by event medical staff to not take the field after his grip
failed the night before and he fell and injured his knee during the
Legless event. After taking their advice Brandon withdrew from the
competition.
Rob Forte took an early lead coming down the hill during the run
in the first round in heat one and was in the lead going into the
first set of overhead squats but lost the lead when he had to brake
them up and was overtaken by Tyson Takasaki. Coming down the stairs
on the second round Rob was holding pace in the top 3 but began to
fall behind during the second round of overhead squats. Ben
Stoneberg overtook Takasaki on the stairs in the final 600 metre
run of the heat but Takasaki took the lead back on the downhill
section to get to the overhead squats first as both athletes went
rep for rep neither athlete putting the bar down. Ben Stoneberg won
the heat in a sprint to the finish and Rob Forte came in around 7th
or 8th in his heat.
Heat two once again saw Chad Mackay again take on the top
athletes in the final heat. Lacee Ko-vacks took an early lead in
the second round but Josh Bridges was hot on his tail. Chad Mackay
looked to be suffering in the second round as we saw him walking up
the hill in the middle of the 600 metre run placed somewhere in the
middle of the field. Josh Bridges then took a command-ing lead
heading into round three after making the second set of overhead
squats look easy. Going into round four Jason Khalipa and Rich
Froning were battling for 2nd place and the overall lead for the
competition. Froning took 2nd place, Khalipa 3rd and Chad Mackay
finished 35th with 11 reps remaining at the end of the 20 minute
time cap.
Event 8: Clean and JerkPip Malone entered the ladder at 185
pounds (84kg) and was a little shaky putting the weight over her
head on her initial lift but managed a successful jerk on the first
platform. Malone looked much more confident with her 195 pound lift
a few minutes later and again for the 200 and 205. Malone took
three attempts to lift 210 but exited the ladder in the overall
lead for the event at the time.
Kara Webb entered the ladder at 205 pounds (93kg) and
successfully cleared the ladder through to 230 pounds while Ruth
Anderson Horrell looked good on the clean at 220 pounds but was not
able to get the bar overhead. Kara gave it everything she had on
two attempts at 235 pounds but was unable to shoulder the bar
exiting the ladder very happy with her lifts for the day.
Event winner Amanda Goodman had the heaviest lift of the day for
the women at 235 pounds (107kg) while Lindsey Valenzuela and
Elizabeth Akinwale both managed to clean 235 pounds but not get the
bar overhead.
The Aussie men began the clean and jerk ladder with Rob Forte
working his way up to a partial lift at 295 pounds (134kg). Chad
Mackay entered the ladder at 285 pounds and made his first lift
look easy. Chad kept his cool and didnt struggle with any of the
lifts through until 325 pounds where he had a little wobble after
jerking the bar. At 335 pounds Chad had a solid clean on his first
attempt but was unable to get the bar over his head, he took a
second attempt but had obviously ran out of energy and was unable
to clean the bar for a second time.
The event winners Lucas Parker and Aja Barto were both able to
clean the 355 pound (161kg) barbell but were unable to jerk the bar
overhead. Rich Froning came in 3rd place after successfully lifting
345 pounds (157kg) and finished 4 places ahead of Jason Khalipa
allowing Rich to take 1st place on the overall ladder for the first
time in the 2013 CrossFit Games by just 6 points.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit games How did the Aussie's stack up...
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 17
-
Event 9: 2007Coming into the last event of Saturday Kara Webb
was in 7th with Ruth Anderson Horrell holding 11th. Pip Malone
competed in the second heat of the event with some big names
including Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Debo-rah Corner Carson and
came off the 1000 me-tre row at about 4:25 with the rest of the
field. Once the row was finished though it became the Camille show
as she dominated on the pull up bar going the first two rounds
unbroken on the 25 pull ups. Malone kept pace with the bulk of the
athletes and was in the middle of the pack during the third set of
pull ups but fell behind in the fourth round and ended up finishing
in 9th place for the heat.
Ruth Anderson Horrell and Kara Webb took on the 2007 workout in
the fourth and final heat with the top 11 female athletes of the
competition. Kara and Ruth came off the row-er and began their pull
ups with the bulk of the women and during the first round Ruth was
hovering around 5th or 6th place. As Valerie Voboril dominated the
heat to finish 1st overall Ruth finished in 8th place for the heat
and 30th outright while Kara finished in 10th place for the heat
taking out 33rd.
As the men began the 9th event Chad Mackay was in 8th place. Rob
Forte entered the field in lane one sitting next to Matt Chan for
the sec-ond heat and got off the rower in about 3:40 with most of
the athletes. Rob was holding pace with Matt Chan during the second
round of pull ups but began to drop off heading into round three
and ended up taking 6th place for the heat.
Chad Mackay took his spot in lane ten next to Scott Panchik in
preparation for the final event of the day and put in an excellent
perfor-mance on the rower finishing 1000 metres in about 3:30 and
looked solid on the pull up bar in round one. As Chad moved onto
the bar-bell for the first time the top five athletes had already
began their second round of pull ups and Josh Bridges then ran away
with the heat while Rich Froning managed to stayed in front of
Jason Khalipa and Garret Fisher.
Unfortunately for the Big Australian work-outs with high rep
pull ups are not kind to ath-letes as with arms as long as Chad
Mackay and as a result he took 11th place in the heat and 36th
overall.
Event 10: Sprint ChipperPip Malone was the last athlete to
finish the GHD medicine ball sit ups in heat one for the ladies and
ended up finishing in 8th place and 37th overall. Kara Webb took
lane four and Ruth Anderson Horrell took lane fourteen for the
third and final heat of the sprint chipper. Both Ruth and Kara
finished the sit ups within seconds of the leader Alessandra
Pichelli but the competition was so close that it was going to come
down to who could complete the nine six foot burpee wall jumps the
quickest. Jen Jones finished her snatches first but Sam Briggs won
the heat in a sprint to the finish. Kara Webb crossed the line in
9th place and Ruth Anderson Horrell took 11th in the heat to claim
11th and 15th overall places respectively.
As the men lined up for the sprint chipper Rob Forte gave it
everything he had in heat one but finished the GHD sit ups towards
the back of the pack. Rob looked good as he strung together a few
touch and go snathces but fell off the pace a little heading into
the burpee wall jumps cross-ing the finish line in the middle of
the pack for heat one. As the top athletes finished their sit ups
in heat three Chad Mackay was right there with leaders, as they
worked through their 15 snathces Chad was within a couple of reps
of the leader Rich Froning. After the burpee wall jumps Chad
crossed the line in 5th or 6th place for the heat and finished in
6th place overall only 21 seconds behind The Champ Rich
Froning.
Both the mens and womens fields were cut down to 30 athletes
after the Sprint Chipper resulting in both Pip Malone and Rob Forte
being unable to compete in the final two workouts of the 2013
CrossFit Games.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit GAMES How did the Aussie's stack
up...LEGless
Rich Froning
Phot
ogra
ph co
urte
sy o
f Cro
ssFit,
Inc
18 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
Event 11 and 12: The Cinco 1 and 2Coming into the final two
events of the games Ruth Anderson Horrell was sitting in 12th place
and took lane six in heat two. Ruth had no problems with the 265
pound (120kg) deadlifts and was in second place behind Elizabeth
Akinwale going into the third round of deadlifts. Ruth was the
fourth woman to begin the handstand walk behind Jen Smith and
Stacie Tovar but Rebecca Voigt stormed down the 24 metre black mat
on her hands leaving Ruth struggling to cover the distance
eventually taking 6th place before the one minute reset for the
next event.
Ruth Anderson Horrell was still working her way through her
muscle ups and deficit handstand push ups when Michelle Letendre
got started on her overhead bar walking lunges and was unable to
complete them within the seven minute time cap taking 8th place
with 17 reps remaining.
As the final womens heat of the games got underway Kara Webb
took lane ten and looked strong during the deadlifts and weighted
pistols but had fallen behind the leaders by the time the women got
to the handstand walk. Kara put in an outstanding effort on the
handstand walk and managed to finish just inside the seven minute
time cap leaving her only one minute to catch her breath before
Cinco 2 began.
Kara seemed to struggle with the muscle up and deficit handstand
push ups at the end of what I can imagine was a very long weekend
as we saw her walk away from the rings to catch her breath on more
than one occasion. As Talayna Fortunato and Lindsey Valenzuealla
began their overhead walking lunges Kara continued to work on her
muscle ups and handstands. In the end Kara placed 19th in both the
Cinco 1 and Cinco 2 events to finish the games in 12th place
outright.
As the men took the field for the final time Chad Mackay was
holding onto 9th place in lane one. With 184kg on the bar Chad got
through the deadlifts without any trouble but looked to struggle a
bit with the weighted pistols. As the seven minute time cap
concluded Chad had made it about four fifths of the way down the
handstand walk taking 9th in the heat and 21st overall.
Chad looked much more comfortable on the rings during Cinco 2
but as Rich Froning ran away with the outright victory and was
celebrating Chad had only just began the overhead barbell walking
lunge and came 10th for the heat and tied for 7th place
overall.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit GAMES How did the Aussie's stack up...
CINCO 1Sam Briggs
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 19
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit GAMES How did the Aussie teams and masters
stack up...
Day 1 Tuesday 23/7 Day 2 Wednesday 24/7 Day 3 Thursday 25/7
Nancy Push Drag Pull
Pullgatory Deadlift / Box Jump
Clean & Jerk Final
Men 40 - 448th Matt Swift 8th 10th 11th 6th 1st 7th
20th Brian Beck 19th 17th 16th 20th CUT CUT
Women 40 - 441st Amanda Allen 1st 1st 1st 3rd 4T 3rd
13th Megan Smith 16th 8th 5th 17th CUT CUT
Men 45 - 49No Australian Athletes - - - - - -
Women 45 - 4913th Lynne Fitzharris 5th 7th 18th 16th CUT CUT
Men 50 - 5410th Matt Nicholson 13th 6th 7th 8th 7T 7th
18th Russell Kapper 17th 11th 18T 18th CUT CUT
Women 50 - 545th Lynne Knapman 4th 7th 11th 5th 7T 2nd
12th Nicolette Dunstone 5th 8th 16T 8th 12th 9th
Men 55 - 598th Alan Hindmarsh 10th 10th 12th 5th 12th 3T
Women 55 - 5915th Jen Stagg 12th 13th 15th 14th CUT CUT
Men 60+2nd Garry Jones 4th 5th 3rd 1st 5T 3rd
Women 60+6th Vivienne Henderson 5th 9th 13th 4th 12th 5th
Day 1 Friday 26/7/2013 Burden Run Iditarod 1 Iditarod 2 Iditarod
3 Legless12th CrossFit Active 26th 13th 25th 18th 18T14th CrossFit
Melbourne 13th 35th 6th 12th 18T35th CrossFit Horizons 34th 19th
29th 29th 11T
Day 2 Saturday 27/7/2013 Squat Burpee Ascending Chipper 1
Ascending Chipper 2CrossFit Active 18T 21st 12th
CrossFit Melbourne 11th 31st 27th
CrossFit Horizons 36th 37th 41st
Day 3 Sunday 28/7/2013 Stadium Relay FinalCrossFit Active 8th
2nd
CrossFit Melbourne 7th 3rd
CrossFit Horizons 40th CUT
Mast
ers
team
s
20 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
TB_002_OR_AD.indd 1 2/05/13 9:48 AM
OCRA
DDDIISSSCC
OOOUUNTTTSS AAVVA AAVV IILABLE
FFFOORR MMMMEEEMMMBBEERSS
Obstacle Racing mag 2013 spring.indd 73 20/11/2013 10:47 pm
2013 ReEbok CrossFit GAMES How did the Aussie teams and masters
stack up...
-
CrossFit is known for not specialising. It doesnt favour the
athlete that is only strong or fast. It favours the well-rounded
individual, and even then, it favours no one. You cannot prepare
for CrossFit because it is the unknown and the un-knowable.
Therefore, it would stand to reason, that no one could dominate the
sport. Until three years ago this reasoning held strongen-ter Rich
Froning Jr.
In 2010 an untried rookie took second place at the CrossFit
Games, missing first place because of a single deficiency in his
repertoire: the rope climb. When he returned to the CrossFit Games
in 2011, Froning, in his own words, bombed the first event before
coming from behind to win the Games convincingly. In 2012 he got
off to a much smoother start, hitting first place before the end of
the second day, a lead he wouldnt re-linquish.
Coming into the 2013 CrossFit Games, the ques-tion on everyones
mind was whether or not the first ever back-to-back male Games
champion could make it three in a row. Unlike 2012, it was a
question that remained in everyones minds until the final day.
Unlike 2012, Froning got off to a poor start, finishing 30th in The
Pool, well behind Jason Khalipa in 13th who would go on to post
three consecutive first place finishes in the following events to
create a sizeable lead. Khali-pa then placed poorly in the Zig Zag
Spring and Legless, which allowed Froning to move up the ladder;
however, in arguably the toughest Cross-Fit Games ever it wouldnt
be till the last day that the reigning champion would truly put his
mark on the competition. Froning finished the Games with three
consecutive wins to finish the competition 72 points ahead of
second placed Jason Khalipa to become the first ever three-peat
CrossFit Games champion.
Coming into the 2013 CrossFit Games, CrossFit HQ posted a video,
How Do You Beat Rich Fron-ing? and the verdict after the Games was
fair-ly convincing you dont. In that video Chris Spealler is quoted
saying that you wont see an-other athlete like Froning for 100
years when his time has come and gone. This then begs the question:
will the Games first ever three-peat champion become the Games
first ever four-time champion in 2014? Is there any known athlete
who has the arsenal to beat Rich Fron-ing? For Fronings three years
of domination, no man has stood on the podium with him more than
once. No male competitor has been able to demonstrate the level of
consistency of Froning.
Its not only how do you beat Rich Froning its who can beat Rich
Froning. Will it be the new-comer, Garrett Fisher, who finished in
5th at his first CrossFit Games? Or will it be a tried and tested
CrossFit warrior like Josh Bridges or Ja-son Khalipa that wrestles
the title away? The 2014 CrossFit Games are still 10 months away
and a lot can happen in that time; however, it seems like a
relatively safe bet that Froning will become the first ever
four-time CrossFit Games champion.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit GAMES champions Ric
h Fr
onin
g 3 times CrossFit Games championWritten by Megan
DrapalskiPhotograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
22 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit GAMES champions
even CrossFit bro?) Fronings, ef-forts to secure a three-peat at
this years games but shocked everyone when she announced part way
through this years open, that she would have to withdraw due to a
back injury.
In the early stages of the 2013 open there was a lot of buzz
about how Annie and Sam were stacking up, and the entire CrossFit
com-munity was looking forward to seeing them battle it out at
Car-son. In yet another strong show-ing of character Annie was
forced to make the same tough decision Sam had made just 12 months
pri-or. It would not have been easy for someone in Annies position,
a 2 time defending champ, to pull out and forgo the opportunity of
get-ting a hat trick.
Having had a serious back injury myself (well before I
CrossFitted guys so lets just all relax) it can
Its March of 2012 and Saman-tha Briggs, a career firefighter in
Manchester England, is coming off the back of a 4th place finish in
the 2011 CrossFit Games and has had to make one of her hard-est
decisions of her life. Due to a major knee injury (a fractured
patella) Sam has had to pull out of the 2012 CrossFit season. This
decision takes Sam out of conten-tion for a podium spot in Carson
California for 2012 but she vowed to be back.
Taking the time to recover, and train smarter as Sam put it,
helped her to re-focus and stop over training. According to Sam it
was her tendency for long hours in the gym that had contributed to
her initial injury, although as her trainer puts it Sam is Sam and
she might still put in an extra work out here or there. After Sam
recovered she came back stronger and more determined, she took the
time to really focus on her weaknesses and at the end of the 2013
open was sitting in first place worldwide.
Having time to rehab, re-train and rebuild post injury may have
been just what the doctor ordered (the B, is for bargain!) as Sam
won a tough fought battle at this years Games and took the title of
Fittest woman on earth for 2013.
Knowing when you are injured and actively preventing yourself
from doing anymore harm isnt an easy thing to do for any athlete.
CrossFitters tend to think, nah Im good bro, just a bit sore, Ill
push on, I will be fine when in re-ality the smartest and safest
thing to do when you are injured is stop. Unfortunately that old
ego often steps in and we solider on. Well in this case (thank
Shirley - sorry to make such an old reference, kids ask your
parents) Ego [really] is a dirty word. Being able to actu-ally pull
yourself out, stop what you are doing despite missing out on a few
more reps or even a chance to compete at the games, this takes true
character.
There is however, a piece of the paleo pie missing, the smiling
Vi-king, Iceland Annie Annie Tho-risdottir.
Thorisdottir, the 2 times Games champion for 2011 and 2012, was
preparing to match Rich (if you need his last name, do you
samantha briggsInjury, recovery, winning the games, and the
looming rumble in carson...
be quite debilitating and frus-tratingly slow to recover from.
So even though the mind would have been willing I could bet that
the body would not. If the events in Sams life over the past year
and her amazing turn around is any-thing to go by, then Annie,
being a super badass Viking ninja, will come back stronger than
ever af-ter 12 months to recover, refocus and re-train.
I cannot wait to see the epic throw down between these to giants
of CrossFit in next years Open season. Not to blow things
com-pletely out of proportion, but watching these two going head to
head could be bigger than the AFL grand final (yeah, Im from
Victo-ria, what of it?), the Bathurst 1000, the ultimate Frisbee
world cham-pionship, the Darwin ice hockey league and dub-step cat
all rolled into one. Think about it.
Written by James WilsonPh
otog
raph
cour
tesy
of C
rossF
it, In
c
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 23
-
In your life before CrossFit you were a professional
tri-athlete, cyclist and canoe-ist. Can you give a quick summary of
your sport-ing achievements prior to CrossFit?
Primarily my sports were Triathlon, Cycling and then High
Kneeling Canoeing. High Kneeling Canoeing was proba-bly the hardest
thing Ive every done! I won state and national titles in each of
these sports not to mention a World Masters Triathlon Title. I also
qualified for the Paralympics riding tan-dem on the track with a
blind athlete by the name of Sarnya Parker. Ive also been
reason-ably competitive in mountain biking, adventure racing and
orienteering.
You have said that the day you walked into CrossFit Adeliade was
the day your life began to come togeth-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview... AM
ANDA
ALlen
er can you elaborate on that?
Im a misfit, Ive had a tril-lion jobs including being a
firefighter, model, radio an-nouncer, marketing manager in the wine
industry, profes-sional triathlete, corporate team building
facilitator, fundraiser for Greenpeace and massage therapist. The
list really does go on and on! Ive moved houses, states and
countries too many times to remember; Ive tried my hand at a few
sports over the years; I tried drinking, sometimes excessively;
tried being vege-tarian; I took a guru, bought a rural-hills
property and tried total immersion in a yogic style of living.
Ive never been married and I have no kids. I have always felt
that I didnt belong any-where in particular and that I probably
never would and by
40 years of age I was starting to become ok with that! As it
turns out I did belong some-where after all, Ive just tak-en the
long road to get there while all the while eliminating things from
my life that are not me. The best part about my particular
situation is that Ive found where I belong and there is no shadow
of a doubt about it. Misfits now surround me every day, people
equal-ly as individual as me who share a common passion for
discovering the depths of their characters and physical
capa-bilities through the sport of fitness that we know and love:
CrossFit!
One of the common threads I have found in many of the how I
found CrossFit sto-ries I have read is a sensation of finally
finding yourself through CrossFit what does CrossFit and your
abil-ity to do CrossFit mean to you?
There is something remark-ably real, gritty, and honest and
humbling about CrossFit. I really resonate with this as a way of
life, as a way of be-ing an athlete and as a way of relating to
others. Ive become entirely myself in this environ-ment. CrossFit
invites or even demands me to be me, I do not have pretend to be
something other than me, or be only the palatable bits of me. I
love that CrossFit seems to be constant-ly asking me what Im made
of, I always want to know the answer, to plumb the depths of my
character and take a peak at my foundations. Im always ready to
chalk up and find out if Ive got what it takes this time - no
matter the fear or doubt I feel. Im never more fully alive than in
the thick of a workout out, surrounded by my CrossFit family.
As someone who has seem-ingly always been very com-petitive was
CrossFit ever
Photograph courtesy of Joel Vogler Photography
24 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
the general strength and conditioning lifestyle that it is for
many people or was it always a sport in your eyes?
I actually took up training at CrossFit Adelaide a couple of
times a week to get strong for Canoeing so it wasnt really a thing
when I began it. I real-ly enjoyed it but at that stage my focus
was on qualifying for world in canoeing! When I didnt make the
Worlds team thats when CrossFit became a thing. This was basically
the week the 2011 Open began and I never returned to Ca-noeing, I
couldnt, I was totally enamored by everything about CrossFit.
What does your average day look like?
Work 6-10, train 10-12, work 12-1, train 2-4,
recovery/mas-sage/float 4-6, dinner & ad-
min 6-8, bed 9.
How often/long do you train?
Basically 4 hours per day M-S, split morning and afternoon, with
a long run & long stretch on Sundays!
What does your training look like? Strength vs Met-cons
It keeps changing, right now Im going back to basics with my
strength, fixing my squat and other gymnastics weak-nesses, I now
have an Olympic coach twice per week, I love met cons, but thats
backed off a bit to just a couple a week.
Do you have a period-ised training program?
My coach Ben Norman pro-grams for me with input now
from a couple of other special-ist coaches; so the basic answer
is yes, but in my case, although I program for other athletes all I
do with Ben and my program is turn up and kind of do what Im told
to do. I love that, I dont have to think about it, just do it!
How much sleep do you get?
I should be sleeping right now! LOL! I get 8-8.30 hours per
night, I try to have a 30min nap if I ever get a chance during the
day - its not very reliable! But the 8:30hrs works well...less than
8 almost never happens, the wheels fall off quickly if I compromise
even one night on my much needed and valued sleep.
What do you eat?
Apart from bacon?
Oats & rice are my preferred carbs, Ive reintroduced
them
pen this year, I have a plan in place that fills me with
excite-ment and confidence. I want to return to the main stadium to
compete against the best women in the world as a 44 year old!
Imagine how cool that would be!
We had several questions come in from our Facebook page:
Tihane asked Favorite and most effective recovery methods?
Massage, floating and 8 - 9hrs sleep per night! No competi-tion
or doubts there!!!
Marlene asked How do you stay mentally focused during training,
games preparations and while com-peting?
I love, love, love CrossFit! This passion fuels everything,
during everyday, every session and every competition I am fully
present, engaged, delight-ed and determined! Ive spent many years
looking for where I belong and what I am good at and I have no
doubt that CrossFit is that thing for me. It makes it all very easy
to maintain a healthy perspective and total commitment and focus
and honestly, in times of doubt, I do check in with my-self during
competitions and training. Sometimes its simply necessary to remind
myself if why I do this, which only takes a moment and my head is
clear and ready to support me on my mission again!
Joel asked You have won Australias first CrossFit medal. What is
next?
Its time to take my perfor-mance to another level and re-turn to
Regionals and Games with NO WEAKNESSES!!!
And finally Ciara asked What will you do different-ly in 2014 to
make sure you qualify in the top 3 spots at regionals to ensure you
make it back to the games?
I have a new and better plan than I did previously with some
wonderful new specialist coaches onboard to work with me along with
my primary coach Ben Norman. Addi-tionally I have the support of
new sponsors - SMAI, JAW, PROFESSIONAL WHEY and WOD GEAR. They
truly care about me as a person and have shown immense support as I
journey toward 2014. They help so very much! And I guess finally I
have a deepened belief in my abilities and the support from people
around me. I trust the process!!!
more recently as I have found that I need them! Lots of green
veggies, lots of beef, chicken, lamb; almond milk, berries, Maca,
black coffee and I take Professional Whey - WPI, Dextrose,
Glutamine, BCAAs, Creatine, Taurine, Beta Ala-nine, L-Carnatine
post work-out!
Your CrossFit games per-formances to date have been amazing in
the 2011 CrossFit games you placed 19th outright and in 2013 you
won the new 40-44 masters age bracket. Given the choice, which
category would you prefer to compete in for the 2014 games?
Its no secret to anyone where I have my heart set! My goal,
determination and utter focus for the last 2 years have been on
returning to the Open divi-sion and that is my goal again this
year. Im so excited, this will be year #3 of CrossFit and I know
great things will hap-
"I love that CrossFit seems to be constantly asking me what I'm
made of, I always want to know the answer, to plumb the depths of
my character and take a peak at my foundations. I'm always ready to
chalk up and Find out if I've got what it takes this time - no
matter the fear or doubt I feel. I'm never more fully alive than in
the thick of a workout, surrounded by my CrossFit family."
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 25
-
Chad "
The Un
it" Ma
ckay
According to your profiles on the CrossFit Active and CrossFit
Games websites you attribute your drive to being brought up in a
sport-ing family.
What sports did you play as a kid?
Baseball, Tennis, Little Athlet-ics and Surfing.
Have you always been com-petitive? Did you ever com-pete in any
other sports?
Growing up I was always fair-ly competitive until I stopped
playing Baseball and Tennis
at 16 years old. My compet-itive drive to be the best ath-lete I
can be started when I found CrossFit in 2008 and was further fueled
by my first comp in 2009. My family has always been competitive, my
Dad played Rugby League for the Roosters and represented Australia
in 1974.
How and when did you find CrossFit?
My boss at the time and now business partner Luke Starr
introduced me to CrossFit in 2008.
Was CrossFit ever the gener-al strength and conditioning
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
26 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
From the brief peak we got in your Search4hurt episode it looked
like you were eat-ing Paleo. What sort of diet do you normally
follow?
I eat clean food all day every day. My diet includes meat,
veggies, salad, some fruit, nuts and a little dairy.
Your CrossFit games per-formances to date have been amazing in
the 2012 Cross-Fit games you placed 9 and in 2013 you placed 11th.
Are you doing anything different in your training for the 2014
games?
I will continue to work on both strengths and weakness
throughout the year. I will be dedicating more time to im-prove my
gymnastic skills and running efficiency, as these ar-eas need more
fine-tuning.
We had several questions come in from our Facebook page:
Adam asked How much is your weekly food bill?
$300. Money well spent.
Chris asked What do you feel is your biggest weakness that you
are working on?
Gymnastic and running.
Jason asked Do you size up every day objects and think I could
life that?
At times, yes. I had to push a car last week that couldnt get
into reverse up a small incline, but not sure if I would want to
try and lift it.
And finally Andrew asked What do you think about to push through
the pain and lactic barrier?
I think about my game plan and being as efficient as pos-sible
when it gets hard. When it gets really hard my family comes to mind
and there is no greater motivator than your family.
lifestyle that it is for many people or was it always a sport in
your eyes?
It has always been a sport for me due to the competitive na-ture
of the workouts.
What does your average day look like?
Start at 5.15am, Coach from 6am-7.30am, Business relat-ed work
from 7.30am-10am, Training from 10am-2pm, Cli-ent sessions from
2.30-5.30pm then Training 5.30-6.30pm.
How often/long do you train?
3-5 hours a day.
What does your training look like? Strength vs Met-cons?
Strength and Metcon every-day, with every other day O-lift,
Strength and Metcon.
"Growing up I was always fairly compet-itive until I stopped
play-ing Baseball and Tennis at 16 years old. My competitive drive
to be the best athlete I can be started when I found CrossFit in
2008 and was further fueled by my fIrst comp in 2009."
Do you have a period-ised training program?
Yes. My strength and Olym-pic lifting is period-ised.
How much sleep do you get?
7 - 8 hours per night.
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 27
-
Kara
"Big
Dub"
Web
b According to your profiles on the CrossFit Roar and CrossFit
Games websites you have only been CrossFit-ting since 2011. In that
time you have competed in the Australasian regionals each year and
have won them the last 2 years. What is your sporting
background?
Yes I have been doing CrossFit since CrossFit Roar opened in
February 2011. I dont really have a sporting background though and
certainly not at an elite level.
All I can say is that my mum got me involved in school sports
from day 1 and I always loved it.
I did swimming training be-fore and after school and I played
whatever was going during school. I did that until about year 9 of
high school and stopped doing anything all together.
I spent some time just being a teenager doing stupid things and
then realised when I was 19 that I felt a bit fat and le-thargic
from all of the I just turned 18 drinking and par-tying. So I
joined a regular gym that my mum was going to and started to just
try and get some health about myself with the help of my now Coach
Brian who was my PT at the time.
By the time I started CrossFit I guess I just had a good enough
level huffy puffy fitness to allow me to work hard at CrossFit but
still a very blank canvas in the way of skills and strength.
Do you think your sporting background put you in an ideal
position to move to CrossFit in 2011?
I think the most important thing for a successful attitude
towards life and just gener-al wellbeing in life is playing sport
and being involved in physical activities as a child. I am so
grateful my mum got me involved or I wouldnt be the CrossFit
athlete or the per-son I am today.
You need to develop body awareness, coordination, and a love for
being physi-cally active from a young age otherwise life is much
more difficult when you are older.
Have you always been com-petitive? Did you ever com-pete at an
elite level in any of your other sports?
I have always been competitive in that I like doing well. I like
everything I do to be the best Photograph courtesy of CrossFit,
Inc
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
28 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
a competitive sport until after regionals 2011. At the time I
didnt even know that was possible.
I just really enjoyed how I felt and the confidence I regained
from doing it.
Once I heard of the opens and thought oh why not and gave it a
try and made it to re-gionals, then competed there and realised wow
competing is awesome, I just kept train-ing the way I was and didnt
do anything specific other then Brians gym program-ming. I turned
up everyday and worked my butt off. Then coming into the 2012
season I realised that I had gotten pretty good so Brian put some
programming together for me leading into the opens and here we are
2 wins later.
What does your training look like? Strength vs Met-cons
Brian keeps everything fair-ly balanced for me. I need to work
on certain aspects of CrossFit but you never want to sacrifice
anything. Its im-portant to improve what needs to be improved
without losing something else.
I do only train one aspect per training session though. So I
wont do strength and a met-con in the same day/session as such, but
I will combine the two into something like and every minute on the
minute kind of style with something heavy.
The way I train resembles very
Then I pick it back up and start training CrossFit. Which means
whenever I am train-ing I am training at 100%. It doesnt matter
what that is, it needs to always be my best.
How much sleep do you get?
I am a great sleeper and really make it a crucial part of my
life. I sleep typically 7 hours 20 minutes on weeknights due to
when I have to get up to coach. If its a little later for bedtime
then I will make it up with a nap in the day. I typically need 8
hours and that works per-fectly for me. Any more or less and I am a
monster!
Sleep is where the magic hap-pens so if I dont get it then I
cant recover, adapt, and be better when I come to train
so fun because I never do those kinds of WODs. I just enjoyed
doing something different.
I do love Olympic lifting though. Out of everything I have
learnt in CrossFit as an athlete and a coach I just feel as though
Olympic lifting made sense straight away. It feels right and
natural so I am definitely a sucker for it. Un-derstanding
something defi-nitely makes it more enjoyable. I could Olympic lift
any day!
A couple of days ago it was announced that you have been chosen
to be part of Team World at the Cross-Fit Invitational in Berlin on
October 26th. What does your preparation for this event look like?
Will it be hard ramping your training back up so soon after the
games?
My training wont change. My number one priority is the Games and
so I will do what I need to do for that. I have already picked up
my training so there wont be any change there and I should be fit
enough for this anytime of the year really.
I am actually thinking it will be a great booster for that time
of year. Its easy at the end of the year to get lost in training
since it feels like the games are so far out of sight. I think this
will be a perfect way to keep the momentum of some tough training
going and to really keep me focused.
What would be your number 1 tip to someone completely new to
CrossFit on day one stepping into the box for the very first
time?
Take your time and LISTEN! Hopefully if you have found a good
affiliate to train at there are coaches to support your new journey
with the sport. The number one difference I see between people who
do well and people who stay the same are those that take the time
to listen and learn will always pull away from the rest.
No matter what, I do whatever Brian tells me to do. I trust in
him as my coach and as some-one who has my best interests in
mind.
If you turn up, listen and ask questions and take in as much as
you can and apply yourself for that one-hour then you will go far.
Training time is just that so enjoy it and forget everything else
and do YOUR best and not anyone elses.
"whenever I am training I am training at 100% (. It doesn(t
matter what that is, it needs to always be my best."
next time.
I even go so far as to pull my bed back, have dinner cooked, PJs
out ready all before I leave to train and coach in the after-noon
so that when I get home I can be ready as quickly as possible and
have time to wind down for a proper night sleep. NERD!
You came 2nd in the first event of the 2013 games, the swim
& bar muscle up event and 4th in the Clean & Jerk ladder.
These events seem very different are swimming, bar muscle ups and
clean & jerk all amongst your favourite movements?
I really enjoy most movements really. I think the swim WOD came
down to the swim and just being an Aussie and being comfortable in
the water gave me an advantage to keep going in that regard. Also
it was just
of my ability but if I see some-one else do something better
then me then I figure, surely if I work really hard that it
pos-sible for me too.
The highest I competed was in primary school in the
Met-ropolitan North swimming events. Back then I originally wanted
to be a competitive swimmer but as I got older there was so much
pressure around that and at age 12 I just wasnt ready for it.
I just really enjoyed swimming and wanted to be good at it
be-cause I was having fun, but as soon as the expectations were
there I just didnt enjoy it any-more.
That comes with age I guess. I have learnt to have both now.
How and when did you find CrossFit?
Brian was training me at a regular gym and he did his CrossFit
level 1. He was hooked, he explained it to me and then I thought it
was awe-some. That would have been in maybe late 2009 or something
like that.
He began giving me CrossFit style workouts, things that were
rounds for time with the basics, box jumps and ket-tlebell swings
etc and I loved it so much I couldnt stand the thought of running
on the treadmill for 20 minutes, riding on the bike for 20 min-utes
and getting on the bloody stairmaster any longer.
When Brian left the gym to do his own thing out of his home, I
started training with my now husband under my mums deck. We didnt
have any gear except a skipping rope, a 16kg KB between us, and
later we got a set of rings and medicine balls.
Brian had said he was trying to open an affiliate so we were
just waiting. I taught myself whatever I could in the mean-time and
went and trained at Brians place once per week for a partner WOD
with Jase.
When he told us he was open-ing in February 2011 I was so
excited I couldnt wait. I have trained at CrossFit Roar pretty much
every single day pretty much since opening.
Was CrossFit ever the gener-al strength and conditioning
lifestyle for you that it is for many people or was it always a
sport in your eyes?
CrossFit was fun and it was fitness. I never thought of it
as
What does your average day look like?
How often/long do you train?
I train once per day usually in the afternoon. I do a regu-lar
CrossFit WOD each day, but it is just something that is programmed
to suit something that I need to be working on. A few times per
week I might have a starter or finisher to my WOD, for example 1
set max-unbroken muscle ups.
I am in the gym for my ses-sion for about 2 hours but I NEVER
train that long haha. I spend more time warming up and dawdling lol
but typically if its a metcon it might be any-where from 5 minutes
up to 30 minutes and a strength is just a regular strength
session.
I dont do anything weird or out of the ordinary.
much a balance of strength sessions per week and metcons just
like a regular gym pro-gramming.
Do you have a periodised training program?
I dont really have anything to do with my programming as such.
Brian goes through with me what the year ahead will look like
roughly. I guess you could call it periodised programming to a
degree in that we have to work around the games season and be ready
when I need to be ready and take advantage of the time I can use to
make gains when I dont have anything on.
For example when I got back from the games I had a chunk of time
dedicated to repairing my body and re-activating everything. I
worked at 80% weight and focused on moving beautifully again.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 29
-
According to your profile on Reebok CrossFit Frankston and the
CrossFit Games websites you have a sporting background in
motocross, Jiu Jitsu and bodybuilding. Do you think the combination
of these sports makes for a good CrossFit-ter? Not really, most of
my time was spent racing motocross, which is more of an endurance
sport. If you come from a sport that requires you to be more
explosive and powerful then youll have a great base going into
CrossFit.
You have finishing 3rd, 2nd and then 1st in the Australasian
regionals in the last 3 years what is your secret to dominating the
regionals? I would say that training consistently has played a huge
role in my success and also adapting to the growth of CrossFit. The
level of competition today is a lot tougher than it was 2-3 years
ago so that means you have to put in the extra work to stay on
top.
Have you always been competitive? Can you tell us a little about
your competitive motocross days? I dont think I was always that
competitive although that changed when I started winning races and
developed some self-belief. My motocross days was a great learning
curve, we had to be very mentally tough and focused at a young age
to do well in the sport. There is a lot of ups and downs in the
sport and you have to learn to deal with them and keep moving
forward.
How and when did you find CrossFit? My dad started CrossFit
first by looking up Commando Steve off the Biggest Loser. He told
me about it so I gave it a go and loved it straight away. I started
in November 2009 and did my first competition at CrossFit Brisbane
in March 2010 and after that weekend I knew thats what I wanted to
keep doing.
Was CrossFit ever the general strength and conditioning
lifestyle for you that it is for many people or was it always a
sport in your eyes? At first it was but that changed after about 4
months because I got the taste of competition. Although now its
about both, making sure I get fitter and
Rob
Fort
e stronger for the rest of my life not just during my
competitive years.What does your average day look like?
How often/long do you train? I usually train once a day for
about 2 hours.
What does your training look like? Strength vs Metcons. I
usually start with a couple of strength exercises then I hit a WOD
or two after that.
Do you have a periodised training program? No, I do pretty much
the same thing all year round.
How much sleep do you get? On average about 8 hours.
In 2013 games you came 6th on the Burden Run and 8th on the 21km
row would you consider yourself an endurance athlete? Yes, Ive
always done really well at longer events, I dont train for this
stuff much, Im trying to get the rest of my game to the same level
as my endurance and mental capacity.
Did you learn anything new from 2013 CrossFit Games? Are you
going to do anything differently in this years training? Yes, Ive
learnt that you have to broaden your experience as an athlete not
just focus on the typical CrossFit WODs. I will try new things and
broaden my experience as an athlete.
What would be your number 1 tip to someone completely new to
CrossFit on day one stepping into the box for the very first time?
Dont be intimidated, take your time, concentrate on moving well and
have fun.
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
30 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
"I would say that training consistently has played a huge role
in my success and also adapting to the growth of CrossFit. The
level of competition today is a lot tougher than it was 2-3 years
ago..."
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 31
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview... Rut
h Ande
rson H
orrell
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
32 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
According to your profile on the CrossFit Games web-site you
train and coach at CrossFit Invercargill. I have not been able to
find much information on CrossFit In-vercargill can you tell me a
little about your box?
Weve renamed as CrossFit Wild South now, and I now have some
other partners I have bought on board. This has meant that Im not
jug-gling as many jobs within the business. Im now head coach and I
only coach 4 - 6 hours a week. I do the entire box pro-gramming,
and I take care of finances.
You have performed incredi-bly well over the past 3 years
finishing 2nd at the Austral-asian regionals every year
since 2011 and have finished in 17th and 15th at the games in
2012 and 2013. Do you have a competitive sporting background before
Cross-Fit? I used to do mountain run-ning and cross-country events
like the coast to coast and tri-athlon. These were just things to
keep in shape really until I found CrossFit 5 years ago.
Have you always been com-petitive? Did you ever com-pete at an
elite level in any of your other sports? No last year I competed in
Olympic Weightlifting for NZ but that was really after I be-gan
CrossFit.
How and when did you find CrossFit? 5 years ago my brother in
law Chris McSweeney and I started experimenting with the WODs. I
couldnt tell you my first workout, I think we kind of slowly
transitioned from variable cross training to WODs until we were
hooked. The next thing we knew we were signed up for the First
Aussie regional and well now Ive competed in 5 Re-gionals!
Was CrossFit ever the gener-al strength and conditioning
lifestyle for you that it is for many people or was it always a
sport in your eyes? I initially was interested in it to accompany
my triathlon training. Then I just stopped entering triathlons
because I just didnt get the same buzz from them any more. I guess
even when Chris and I first started working out together it was
always a competition. Un-fortunately he and my sister moved away to
set up Cross-Fit Kapiti but it pushed me to set up an Invercargill
box so I could WOD with like-minded people.
You train most of the year in New Zealand but are coached by
Dusty Hyland and Jules Dempsey out of CrossFit Dogtown can you tell
us how this came about? Jules used to lift when I start-ed but
injury meant he had to step back from lifting and we were coming
home from Nationals one day and he said I can make you strong I was
like sweet lets do it, and we got in to it, and now he has a whole
bunch of athletes that are doing awesome.
Dusty I met doing at Gym Cert at Schwartz a few years ago he
said Ive just started training Lindsey Valenzuela you should come
train and I was like ok, I came home and
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview... rang Dog
Town a month lat-er and now I think Ive had 4 trips to train there.
I guess Ive just been offered opportunities so took them.
Tell us a little about Lindsey Valenzuela did you also train
with Sam Briggs this year before the games while she was training
with Lind-sey? Lindsey has been an awesome training partner in the
last couple of years. Unfortunately I was injured so close to the
games this year that I didnt get in much training with ei-ther of
them, but I did get to hang with them a little. They are both great
people. Sam is really down to earth, she is totally chilled, but
also totally made of metal, it was obvious she was unbeatable this
year.
Im really proud of both of them, they both have put in so much
work to achieve really great things, and I know they will both
continue to do so.
What does your average day look like?
Wake 5-6 breakfast is first, fol-lowed by emails. Head to the
gym. I usually get some Ruth-less Ltd orders out to people during
this time, and approx-imately an hour of the box pa-per work done.
Run errands. Train before or after lunch, really varies, then get
in some more paper work. I coach usu-ally a lunch or an evening
class and then lift with Jules in the evening.
One day a week I travel around an hour and work as a vet as a
small animal practice, this is my day of body rest too, sometimes I
get in a lunch time swim or a light row or run but usually I take
it off.
Get home around 8pm, show-er, dinner and bed by 9.30 10pm.
How often/long do you train? 3.5 hours often split into CrossFit
and lifting, sometimes as one session.
What does your training look like? Strength vs Metcons
The last 2 years has been most-ly strength. The metcons have
been there and more so from the open to regionals and then
obviously to the worlds but strength has been No1.
This year I feel I have a good base, so my focus is continuing
to improve my cardiovascular ability, my power, and agility. Ive
also had to work through a lot of rehab on my neck and thoracic
spine so thats a con-stant part of my training.
I want to be lifting 5 - 6 days a week, but just not the same
amount of volume as I was doing.
Do you have a periodised training program? I guess more strength
has oc-curred in the last 6 months of the last 2 years, and more
metcons in the first 6 months of the year. I feel Ive more just
been building that base so I feel quite excited this year that I
can keep maintenance strength and just tidy up some other areas
rather than let my fitness slip a little like I nor-mally would be
at this time of year.
How much sleep do you get? 8 hours.
You came 2nd in Burden Run and 3rd in Row. Would you consider
yourself an endur-ance athlete? Initially yes, thats been my
background but Ive also had some excellent performances in shorter
WODS like Jackie and the rope climb WOD at regionals where I
momen-tarily held a world record. I really consider myself a
Cross-Fit athlete. Ive stopped any thoughts like this isnt my type
of WOD. Ive been tack-ling weaknesses for the last 5 years so I
would like to remove myself of that label. I think the advantage I
have had on some of those workouts is having the mental strength to
push through. Like when you run over a mountain you are often
coming around a corner and seeing more mountain and you just have
to be like ok Im fine I can keep going.
What would be your number 1 tip to someone completely new to
CrossFit on day one stepping into the box for the very first time?
Get the basics perfect. Dont be in a rush to get your muscle up or
that heavy snatch, tidy up your shoulder position, make sure your
strict pull ups look awesome. I am still working on perfecting even
the most basic movements like air squats and push ups. Dont just
think oh yuk more air squats, just get better at them.
Also be prepared to work the stuff you suck at, not the stuff
your good at. If you want to be a good CrossFit-ter trying to
improve on your sub 2.30 Fran is probably not going to make you
awesome but fixing that ugly overhead squat might.
"I've stopped any thoughts like (this isn't
my type of WOD(. I've been tackling weaknesses
for the last 5 years so I would like to remove
myself from that label. I think the advantage I have had on some
of
those workouts is having the mental strength to push through.
Like when you run over a mountain
you are often coming around a corner and
seeing more mountain and you just have to be
like ok I(m fIne I can keep going."
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 33
-
According to your profiles on the Reebok CrossFit GCS and
CrossFit Games websites you have only been CrossFit-ting since
2012. Since then you have finished 3rd in the 2013 Australasian
regionals and 36th in your first CrossFit Games appear-ance. Do you
think your 20 years of gymnastics put you in an ideal position to
tran-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview... Pip
malo
ne
sition into elite level Cross-Fit competition?
Having a lot of years experi-ence in elite sport definitely
helped me in preparation for the 2013 season. Ive been able to
maintain the discipline, determination and stamina required to get
through region-als and make it to the games. Competing in CrossFit
and preparing for the unknown however is unlike any other sport Ive
done.
You have also competed at a high level in Canoe Slalom - have
you always been com-petitive? I have been competitive from as early
as I can remember, my
first competition was gymnas-tics at age 4.
How and when did you find CrossFit? I found CrossFit in 2011. I
met someone in a regular gym that told me about it because they
thought Id love it. They intro-duced me to an affiliate and I loved
it from the first session.
Was CrossFit ever the gener-al strength and conditioning
lifestyle for you that it is for many people or was it always a
sport in your eyes? Coming from Olympic sports it was strange at
first, watch-ing a competition, learning how a games season
works,
and the concept of the open being online. But I thought it was
incredible, I still do. I watched a video of Camille
Leblanc-Bazinet in the 2011 CrossFit Games and did my first
competition less than 6 weeks later. When I first start-ed
CrossFit-ting I knew in-stantly it was what I wanted to do. I
finished my last gymnas-tics national season about 4 months later
then I retired and switched my focus to CrossFit.
What does your average day look like?How often/long do you
train? On average I train 4 hours a day.
34 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
What does your training look like? Strength vs Met-cons Everyday
is a hard day, every day I burn my lungs, and ev-ery day I move
weight.
Do you have a periodised training program? I follow the
givemcoldsteel.com program.
How much sleep do you get?
When Im not studying, as much as possible. 8 hours a night is
the minimum require-ment although studying can mean a few all
night-ers a week, which doesnt help my training at all!
You came 9th in the Naughty Nancy event at 2013 games, are
running and overhead squats among your favorite movements? The
running was where I had to push myself way out of my comfort zone.
I was hurting. The overhead squats were pretty light and
comfortable for me as they one of my favor-ite moves.
What are your training plans for the 2013/2014 season? Are you
going to change anything after your experi-ence at the games this
year? I will stick to my coaches pro-gram and plan, and utilize
ev-
erything I have learnt from my rookie year in the last CrossFit
Games season.
What would be your number 1 tip to someone completely new to
CrossFit on day one stepping into the box for the very first time?
Listen to the coachs instruc-tions and learn how to move safely.
Every workout is achievable at any level of fit-ness. Dont compare
yourself to others. Just have a go and you will surprise yourself
with what you can get out yourself when you step out of your
comfort zone.
"Every workout is achievable at any level of fItness. Don(t
compare yourself to others. Just have a go and you will surprise
yourself with what you can get out yourself when you step out of
your comfort Zone."
Photograph courtesy of CrossFit, Inc
www.wodmagazine.com.au | 35
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...Ma
tT Sw
ift
According to your profiles on the CrossFit Brisbane and CrossFit
Games web-sites you have a background in Triathlons, various
mar-tial arts, cycling and weight-lifting. How much do you believe
your background has contributed to your CrossFit success to
date?
I played a lot of sports growing up but I was never very good
any one thing. I think from a very early age I liked the idea of
being able to do lots of different things rather than focusing on
any one thing, so personality wise I am probably well suited to the
generalist nature of CrossFit. Having a broader sporting background
probably helps a lot with ac-quiring the different skills of
CrossFit. Triathlon helped de-velop my running, Karate and
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) were a great lesson in the importance
of technique, Cycling teaches you how to suffer, and
Weight-lifting has obvious transfer to a lot of what we do. It
definite-ly helps having played sports growing up, but I dont think
it is necessary for success in CrossFit. I think it is more the
case that people who by their nature are attracted to playing lots
of sports are also attracted to what CrossFit has to offer.
Have you always been com-petitive? Did you ever com-pete at an
elite level in any of your other sports?
The second question is easier to answer than the first. I have
only ever competed at what I would call a serious recre-ational
level, never elite. My previous sporting results are really good
evidence that I can do most things ok but no one thing well, so
CrossFit was a perfect fit. As for being com-
petitive, I have always liked competing and testing my-self, and
I love the feeling of competition, but a common complaint of every
coach that I have had is that I am not competitive enough. This is
one of the specific things that I am working on in training at the
moment, I am learning to push harder to win. Play-ing the game well
has always been more important to me than coming first, but that is
something that doesnt serve me well at higher level compe-tition,
so now I am learning to be more driven to win.
How and when did you find CrossFit?I stumbled across the
crossfit.com website in 2005. I was training in BJJ and looking for
information on kettlebell training for martial arts. I found a link
to CrossFit and initially recoiled because it
went against everything that I had been taught. After follow-ing
the site for a while out of curiosity I dabbled a bit in the
workouts but didnt get it until I saw the Nasty Girls video in
December 2005. That video blew my mind and echoed like a challenge
to be able to match what Nicole, Eva and Annie could do, which of
course I couldnt. It started an obses-sion with the program and
very quickly I worked out that I wasnt very fit at all! The more it
humbled me the more addicted I became.
When you started Cross-Fit-ting back in 2005 was there a
competitive scene anywhere in the world yet? How about
Australia?
In 2005 there were only a handful of people doing Cross-Fit in
the country! I remem-ber being so excited to meet
36 | WOD MAGAZINE
-
2013 ReEbok CrossFit Games Aussie athlete interview...
up with other CrossFit-ters and just being able to do a WOD with
someone. Before I affiliated in 2006 I travelled to Sydney to do a
WOD with Andrew Cattermole from CrossFit Sydney in a park. At
around the same time Fiona Muxlow from CrossFit Towns-ville came to
Brisbane and we did a WOD in a commercial gym. Those were really
the only experiences I had train-ing with someone else that
actually knew what CrossFit was. There was no concept of CrossFit
competition. In 2007 we started to hear about ba-sic competitions
in the States and then the first CrossFit Games at Aromas, but even
when the Games were an-nounced I didnt think it was going to
develop into a Sport. The beginnings of organized competitions were
really just opening day celebrations when an affiliate moved into a
new
box. We held our first com-petition in 2008 as a house-warming
party for our first building in 2008 and called it the Hardnup
Challenge. It was meant to just be a couple of workouts and a BBQ
for our members but Steve Willis and Mick Shaw from CrossFit
Effects brought up their crew to support our opening and almost by
accident we found ourselves running a semi-se-rious competition.
The first serious competition that I did was the 2009 Australasian
Regional Qualifier. Although it is everywhere these days, CrossFit
competition is actual-ly a very recent phenomenon.
Was CrossFit ever the gener-al strength and conditioning
lifestyle for you that it is for many people or was it always a
sport in your eyes?
For me CrossFit will always be my strength and conditioning
program. I do it because it keeps me fit and healthy, and it makes
my life better. The sport side of it provides a lot of fun and
motivation, but it is just a tiny piece of what the program has to
offer. If the entire competition side disap-peared nothing would
change in my training or attitude to CrossFit. There is no doubt
that competition has been in-strumental in the development and
popularity of CrossFit, and the Games are an incred-ible experience
as both com-petitor and spectator alike, but nothing can compare to
seeing someone turn their life around and become strong and
healthy. The sport side is just a visible expression of how driven
this community is to be better all the time.
What does your train-ing look like? Strength vs Metcons Do you
have a periodised training pro-gram? How much sleep do you get?
My training volume has ramped a lot since last year. I train 5
days in a row during the week and then rest on weekend. That cycle
fits in nicely with family and work and means that I hit each week
rested and ready to go. I only train once a day in a 2-3 hour block
usually from 2pm to 5pm. My program is not periodised as such but I
do tend to work around themes and at the moment my lift-ing is
percentage based and I dont max out anywhere near as much as I used
to. There is a lot of variety in what I do, however each session
does follow a standard format that involves about 5-6 different
training pieces. The first cou-ple of pieces are strength or
lifting, followed by the WOD which is usually the third piece for
the day, and then a couple
of pieces dedicated to specific conditioning or skill work. So
every day has both strength and metcon work, and over time I am
handling more and more volume within that