The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
For the second year in a row, Hack’s Pack UTE has won the Affiliate Cup at the CrossFit Games.
Tommy Hackenbruck’s team were the standout performers in 2013, finishing more than 100 points clear of the nearest rivals, CrossFit New England.
After the final Event at the StubHub Center, all six members spoke to a packed media room about their win.
Check out the interview above.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
The Rx Review caught up with Sandy Kellin from Extreme Endurance in ‘Tent City’ at the 2013 CrossFit Games.
He spoke about just how big the crowds have been in 2013, gave us in insight into his product, Xendurance, and talked about his sponsored athletes Josh Bridges and Camille Leblanc Bazinet.
Check out the interview above.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
The Rx Review caught up with Shane Rogers from RPM Fitness in ‘Tent City’ at the 2013 CrossFit Games.
He spoke about the growth of their RPM Speed Ropes over the past year, gave us in insight into his new range of ropes, and spoke about some of the top CrossFitters using the RPM products.
Check out the interview above.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
The Rx Review caught up with Cindy Nachman from Altrient in ‘Tent City’ at the 2013 CrossFit Games.
She spoke about the growth of her brand over the past 12 months, gave us in insight into her high performance nutrient products, products, and talked about her sponsored athletes Matt Chan and Cheryl Brost.
Check out the interview above.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, Ruth Anderson Horrell
It has taken me a bit of time to put together some thoughts after the 2013 CrossFit Games. So much of your thoughts, energy and time are occupied toward such a big event, so when it finishes, you can feel like you’ve just been through a vacuum and slipping back to daily life can seem a bit strange.
For me it was returning to New Zealand, catching up with friends and getting back into some coaching. It’s been a great time, but to not be training for so many hours of the day, suddenly you feel like you’ve stopped going to church! Yesterday, I got my first real WOD in since the Games. It was a great feeling to have such a well rested body and to have a new focus for the coming year.
This year was filled with many ups and downs. My training in the first 6 months went well, I gained good strength and although I was a little under conditioned, I felt the benefits of this in the WODs. The last 6 months I had some thoracic spine and neck issues which flared up 3 weeks before the Australia Regional, and really blew up 2 weeks before the Games. I definitely was considering not competing, but that was essentially giving up, and I was very fortunate to get some great mental and emotional support from everyone around me to get me to push through and continue with treatments, doing a little training if I could.
I was scared to be competing at the highest level when you consider I was leading in to the Games with just a few sprints, and aerodyne workouts (initially really just biking because any arm movement was painful). The year before, I had felt my cardiovascular fitness was peaking, but this year, pain obstructing my training meant I felt a little under done.
In hindsight, the rest was probably excellent for me, and on the Games weekend I felt my body coped fairly well with the volume. My neck was requiring treatment throughout the competition, and referred a lot of pain in to my shoulder, and I think caused some deactivation of stabilizing muscles, as even ring support became difficult. It was frustrating to not have the strength and gymnastic skill (turnover, in the rings was difficult, and landing on my head in deficit HSPU caused so much pain my movement was very hindered), that I worked so hard on through the year, but I guess, it has fuelled a fire within for me to come back and show what I can do.
My program is currently mobility, treatment, activation exercises, and some strength work that does not induce any pain. I’m working closely with my physiotherapist and also seeing what time and rest can heal. I expect to do this for another week and then am hoping to hit a few WODs before competing at the Wellington Cup. I’m looking at some options for training this year, which are really new and exciting, but will continue to work with my wonderful coaches, who have been so patient with my issues and injuries.
So what is my focus? It looks like I’m planning on returning to the CrossFit Games for another year. Every year I think it may be my last, and then I feel I can get further and want it again.
2014 will be a massive year, I cant wait to see where this year’s journey takes me.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
Shortly after the final Event at the 2013 CrossFit Games, Director Dave Castro, GM Justin Bergh, Head of Media Tony Budding and the individual podium finishers spoke to a packed media room about this year’s competition.
Check out the full interview with Rich Froning, Jason Khalipa, Ben Smith, Sam Briggs, Lindsey Valenzuela and Valerie Voboril in the video above.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
With the 2013 CrossFit Games now complete, we have once again crunched the numbers and updated ‘The Rx Review Rankings’ for individual male and female competitors.
Over the past two years, we have been regularly updating our Ranking charts, presenting what we feel is a fair analysis of the best functional-fitness athletes in the world.
We would like to make it clear that The Rx Review’s Rankings are completely independent, and are in no way linked to CrossFit HQ. The Rx Review’s Rankings also have no impact or bearing on any Event or Competition run by CrossFit, they are simply a points system created by us, ranking the top individual competitors across the world.
How The Rx Review Rankings Work:
We trawled through the results of the past seven CrossFit Games and came up with a points structure we believe is accurate.
Starting from 2007, top competitors in each year’s Games are awarded rankings points depending on where they finished, with winners receiving bonus points.
The point system stays the same for each CrossFit Games, but increases for every year after 2007. For example, a competitor who finished fourth in 2010 will receive more points than a competitor who finished fourth in 2008.
The system also includes the 2013 CrossFit Open and Regional results, but rewarded less points for top athletes. This is because there is essentially no major prize for the winner of the Open, and the level of competition compared to that of the Games is logically lower.
Next we added the 2013 CrossFit Games into the equation and once the final numbers were calculated, we removed any CrossFitters who had retired from the sport, and also deducted points for those who failed to qualify for this year’s Regionals for reasons other than injury or personal matters.
The parenthesise next to their current standing denotes the ranking each competitor had just after the 2012 CrossFit Games. If there is a (-), that indicates they were not within the top 30 prior to this.
In the end we came up with the following results for the 2013 Rankings:
NOTE: The Rankings will be updated after every major event. i.e. the CrossFit Games.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
In July, 2013, the world’s fittest people made their way to Carson, California to compete in the CrossFit Games.
With the Event being a sell out, not everyone could check out the action in person, live. So we thought we’d give you a tour of the venue ourselves, to show what it was like to be inside the StubHub Center during the 2013 CrossFit Games.
Check out the video above.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, Michael McCoy
Annie Thorisdottir won the 2011 and the 2012 CrossFit Games. Heading into the 2013 season she was the overall favourite but after suffering a herniated disc she was unable to participate in the Open and ultimately had to withdraw from Games.
In a recent video filmed by CrossFit HQ, Thorisdottir talks about her road to recovery.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, Michael McCoy
In an interview with Dave Castro, three time CrossFit Games Champion Rich Froning Jr. talked about the disappointing loss Team USA suffered at the recent CrossFit Invitational against Team World.
While that is a conversation not to be missed, what was most interesting about the discussion was Froning’s talk on his own individual competition future.
As Froning stated, “This may be my last year as an individual and I do want to try team and I want to see if I can master that.”
It’s hard to know if Froning was talking about leaving the individual competition for good but at only 26-years of age it would be a surprise departure from the sport.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
Here’s a great video for anyone who is still yet to check out the highlights of the 2013 CrossFit Games.
A fortnight ago, Eurosport aired this 25-minute recap of the Games, featuring a detailed overview of all the Events and turning points of the week-long competition in Carson, California.
Check out the video above and let us know in the comment section below what your favourite highlight of the 2013 CrossFit Games was.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
We can expect to see a new Affiliate Cup winner at the 2014 CrossFit Games with news Hack’s Pack UTE will not be defending their title next year.
The winners of the past two Affiliate Cups will split up next year with two members to compete as individuals, and three members to take a year of competing all together. That leaves Team Captain Tommy Hackenbruck as the only remaining member of the dominant team.
Adrian Conway and Taylor Richards-Lindsay have both decided they will compete as individuals next year, starting in the 2014 CrossFit Open. In a recent article on the CrossFit Games website, Richard-Lindsay reveals she wants to have one crack at competing in Carson, California before focusing on expanding her family.
“It was either going to be (compete as an) individual or expand our family. My husband and I have been trying to find the right timing for expanding our family, but it seems I need one last fix of the Games before trying for a second child.” she says.
Hack’s Pack UTE at the 2013 CrossFit Games
23 year old Michael Cazayoux will take the year off in 2014, after he undergoes a spinal fusion next month. Erin Bennion will focus on pursuing Ph.D and plans on spending more time with her family next year, while Mary Lampas is focusing on summiting Mount McKinley in Alaska with her husband.
However, despite the team splitting up, Hackenbruck isn’t giving up hope of re-claiming the title in 2014 with a new team.
“I’ll do my best to field a team that can represent our gym and defend our title,” he said in a recent article on the Games website.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
Three time CrossFit Games competitor Dan Bailey has announced he’s leaving the Central East Region next year.
The 8th place finisher at this year’s Games will be competing in Southern California in 2014, after moving to San Diego to live. Bailey has made the move to the west coast after accepting a job with former CrossFit Games competitor Josh Everett.
In a recent interview with CrossFit’s Sevan Matossian, the 29 year-old talked about the change of Regions next year, and gave his thoughts on whether it will be easier, or harder to qualify for the Games through SoCal.
For many, the Central East is regarded as the toughest Regions in CrossFit, boasting the likes of Rich Froning, Graham Holmberg, Scott Panchik and Marcus Hendren.
Southern California, on the other hand, is arguably less competitive. From the Region, Josh Bridges was the only top-25 finisher at the 2013 CrossFit Games.
However, Dan Bailey was talking up the SoCal Region’s competitors, especially Bridges, who he has never finished higher than at the CrossFit Games.
“In all Regional competition I’ve beat Josh Bridges… If you look at our (Regional) scores, when you compare them to each other, I have (beaten him), but I’ve never beat him at the Games,” he says.
You can check out the full interview between Sevan Matossian and Dan Bailey in the video above. Some of the other things the pair discuss include, Bailey’s previous smoking phase, the issue of steroids, training with Rich Froning and life after the CrossFit Games.
Let us know your thoughts on Dan Bailey’s change of Regions in the comment section below:
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
The dates for 2014 CrossFit Games Open and CrossFit Regional Events have now been released!
This year, the Open will start a little bit earlier, with the first workout to be released on Thursday, February 27. Just like previous years, the 2014 CrossFit Open will consist of five workouts, with the final one to be announced on Thursday, March 27.
Of course, registration will begin a lot earlier, with athletes able to sign up from as early as January 15.
Once the 2014 CrossFit Open is wrapped up, attention will then turn to the CrossFit Regional Events, which will determine who will compete at the CrossFit Games in 2014.
Here are the dates for the 17 Regional Events taking place this year:
North Central
Canada West
South East
Latin America
Central East
Canada East
North West
Europe
Australia
Mid Atlantic
SoCal
South Central
Asia
North East
NorCal
South West
Africa
More details about Regional Events, including venues, hotel and ticket information will be revealed later in the month.
Dates for the 2014 CrossFit Games will also be released in the next couple of weeks. While information on being a volunteer this CrossFit Games will be released in February.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
Andrea Ager is the latest high profile athlete to announce she’s changing CrossFit Regions in 2014.
The 25 year old who has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the CrossFit Games on numerous occasions, has revealed she won’t be competing in the Southern California Region this year. Instead, she’ll be representing the South West after deciding to move back to her hometown, Denver, Colorado.
There are some who believe Ager may be changing Regions to make it easier for her to qualify for the Games, especially given the depth of the SoCal Region.
The four qualifiers from the Region in 2013 (Valerie Voboril, Lindsey Valenzuela, Kristan Clever and Rebecca Voigt) have all finished on the podium before with Clever winning the Games back in 2010. Many believe it has the most depth out of all the CrossFit Regions across the world.
But while Ager admits it might be an easier Region to compete in, she is fully aware of how tough it will still be to finish in the top three come Regional time.
“I am not naive enough to say that any Region would be easy because every Region is full of hard competitors that come out of nowhere and surprise me all of the time,” Ager said in a recent interview with CrossFit’s Sevan Mattosian.
Andrea Ager’s announcement comes just weeks after three-time CrossFit Games competitor Dan Bailey revealed he’s changing Regions in 2014. Bailey will compete in Southern California rather than the Central East after moving to San Diego to live.
You can check out Mattosian’s full interview with Andrea Ager above, where she also talks about her performance at the SoCal CrossFit Regional in 2013. In particular, her efforts in the overhead squat Event.
Let us know your thoughts on Andrea Ager’s change of Region in the comment section below:
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
The 2014 CrossFit season gets underway later this month when registration begins for the 2014 CrossFit Open.
Just like 2013, there will be a few rule changes this year with stricter regulations for athletes. Some of the big changes include spot drug testing, wild card entries to the CrossFit Games, and new Master’s Qualifiers. Here is a closer look at some of the changes in 2014:
For the first time ever, Wild Card spots could be handed out to athletes for the Games this year. HQ has revealed that if it chooses to, wild card spots will be awarded to athletes who performed the best relative to all other Regional competitors during the 2014 CrossFit Season. The number of wild card spots will be announced after the CrossFit Regionals.
In addition, only 43 men and women will be awarded spots to the 2014 CrossFit Games at the Regionals. That means that even if a former champion qualifies, additional spots will not open up. So a fourth or fifth place finisher at Regional Events will not qualify unless they are handed a wild card spot by CrossFit.
Drug testing will be even stricter during the 2014 CrossFit Season. CrossFit has announced that ‘unannounced’ drug testing will be held this year. This means that any registered athlete in the 2014 CrossFit Games Open could be drug tested at any time during the season for whatever reason.
Athletes hoping to compete at the Regional Events will now also need to videotape all their workouts. They can still have their workouts validated by an affiliate manager, but if they finish in the top 60 men or women in their Region, they will be required to submit at least one complete video of one of the Open workouts.
Athletes will not be told which video they will need to submit until after the final workout has closed. The required video will then be verified by CrossFit Games staff prior to sending out Regional invitations for individuals and teams.
Qualifying for the Masters Division at the 2014 CrossFit Games will now be a longer process with the introduction of a ‘Masters Qualifier’.
Once the 2014 CrossFit Open is complete, the top 200 Masters athletes in each age category will be invited to perform four additional workouts. These workouts will be released on Thursday, April 17 at 5PM (Pacific Time) and athletes will have until Monday, April 21 at 5 p.m. PT, to submit their scores or video submissions.
In addition, Masters athletes will need to videotape these workouts as they may also be asked to submit one to four of these videos for review.
To find out more about the rule changes for the 2014 CrossFit Season, you can check out the 2014 Rulebook and 2014 Drug Testing Policy.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, Michael McCoy
With only hours before the launch of the 2014 CrossFit Open Pat Sherwood and Sean Woodland talk Regional movements in the latest instalment of the CrossFit Games Update Show.
Check out the video above to find out where some of the big name athletes will be competing in 2014.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, Michael McCoy
The 2014 CrossFit season kicks of today! 14.1 will be announced live from CrossFit North Atlanta in Georgia at 5PM Pacific Time with Games Director Dave Castro revealing all the details.
On the latest episode of the CrossFit Games Update Show, hosts Nicole Christensen, Pat Sherwood & Sean Woodland make predictions on what the first workout will be, and who they think will win the head-to-head battle between Garret Fisher and Marcus Hendren.
You can check out all the action live on the CrossFit Games website, or keep up to date with all the workout details on our home page.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
The first workout of the 2014 CrossFit Open has been released! Games Director Dave Castro revealed the details of the CrossFit Open 14.1 workout during a live announcement at CrossFit North Atlanta, in Georgia just moments ago.
The CrossFit Open 14.1 workout is a repeat workout from 2011 – the first workout (11.1) in the first ever CrossFit Open:
10 minute AMRAP of:
30 double unders
15 Power Snatches 75lbs/55lbs (34kgs/25kgs)
Now it’s time to watch 5th place finisher at the 2013 CrossFit Games, Garret Fisher, and 6th place finisher at last year’s Games, Marcus Hendren go head-to-head in the workout! [Find out who won by clicking here]
Here is the full description for the CrossFit Open 14.1 workout from the CrossFit Games website:
MEN - includes Masters Men up to 54 years old
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
30 double-unders
75-lb. power snatches, 15 reps
WOMEN - includes Masters Women up to 54 years old
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
30 double-unders
55-lb. power snatches, 15 reps
MASTERS MEN - includes Masters Men 55+
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
30 double-unders
65-lb. power snatches, 15 reps
MASTERS WOMEN - includes Masters Women 55+
30 double-unders
45-lb. power snatches, 15 reps
Notes
This workout begins with the Athlete holding their jump rope with the barbell loaded to the appropriate weight. After 30 double-unders are completed the athlete will move to the barbell to perform power snatches. For the power snatch to count, the barbell will move from the ground (or below the knee if the barbell is unloaded) to the overhead position with the knees, hips and shoulders extended in one line. After the 15 reps, they will move back to the jump rope and begin the next round.
Every rep counts in this workout. Credit will be given for partially completed rounds. You will enter your result by the total number of reps completed.
Equipment
• Jump rope
• Barbell
• Collars
• Plates to load to the appropriate weight for your division
Video Submission Standards
Prior to starting, film the plates and barbell to be used so the loads can be seen clearly. All video submissions should be uncut and unedited in order to accurately display the performance. A second person with a stopwatch should be in the frame throughout the entire workout. Shoot the video from the side so it is clear that the barbell is locked out overhead and the rope is passing twice under the feet.
The Rx Review: Reporting on Fitness and CrossFit News, John Michael Bric
Fisher Defeats Hendren in CrossFit Open 14.1
After a 10-minute AMRAP of power snatches and double-unders, Garret Fisher defeated Marcus Hendren in the CrossFit Open 14.1 workout.
It was a close battle with both athletes going head to head in the repeat workout (11.1) before Fisher broke clear in the final few minutes.
In the end, Fisher finished with a score of 373 while Hendren was two reps short of finishing his 8th round, ending the workout with 358 completed reps.
Garret Fisher collapses after 14.1
Three-time CrossFit Games champion Rich Froning still has the best score for the workout, which he scored during the 2011 CrossFit Open. His 448 reps was two reps shy of completing 10 rounds, which would have averaged out to be a round a minute.
Now it’s your turn!
Make sure you head to the CrossFit Games website for all the details and the full workout description.
You can check the full workout announcement including the head to head battle between Hendren and Fisher below:
