CrossFit has exploded in popularity over the last several years which has prompted some major format changes starting with the Open. The CrossFit Open has now been moved to the front of the season and will kick off October 10th, 2019 at 5:00 PM PT. As in previous years, the Open will run for 5 consecutive weeks with ensuing workouts releasing on October 17th, 24th, 31st, and November 7th. Athletes will have from Thursday (the day the workout is announced) until the following Monday to submit their scores. Athletes of all ages and ability levels can participate by registering on the CrossFit Games website. The Old Format  In previous years, all of the CrossFit athletes would participate in the Open. From there, 260 athletes— 40 men, 40 women and 30 teams of 6 moved on to eight Regional events where the top five in each category would earn an invitation to the Games. The New Format With CrossFit's rapid global rise in popularity, founder Greg Glassman has decided to introduce a new format that would allow more participates from across the world to be represented at the games. The top 20 individual men and women worldwide in the Open, along with the National Champions of each country, will earn a qualifying spot to the 2020 CrossFit Games.  CrossFit-sanctioned competitions have replaced CrossFit's Regional events and will become a direct pathway for top men, women and team competitors to receive invitations to compete at the CrossFit Games. Since teams are no longer required to share an affiliate or geographical location to earn an invitation to the CrossFit Games team competition, Sanctionals are now the only pathway for teams to compete at the CrossFit Games. There will be 28 events in 21 different countries spanning 6 continents. (Source: https://games.crossfit.com/sanctionals/overview)  Prepping for the Open We are 3 weeks away from the start of the Open which means it’s time to ramp up your training regime! The CrossFit website is a valuable resource to view all of the previous Open workouts and even see competitors times which will help with your training. We highly suggest taking a look at the workouts from the last few years and incorporating them into your routine.  Avoiding injuries is pivotal to compete at your optimal level. We carry an array of products that can be used to help you perform at your best. We took a look at the most frequent Open workouts and provided you with the recommended gear: Box Step-Ups/Jump Overs - 5mm Shin Guard Sleeves Dumbbell Overhead Lunge - Adjustable Strength Wraps, 3mm Knee Sleeves  Toes-to-Bar/Pull-Ups - 2 Hole Titanium Hand Grips Squat Cleans - II-Band Wrist Wraps, 3mm Knee Sleeves Snatches - 5mm Knee Sleeves, Elbow Sleeves  Thrusters - Adjustable Strength Wrap, 3mm Knee Sleeves  Good luck to everyone participating in this years Open!  Sources:  https://games.crossfit.com/history-of-the-games https://games.crossfit.com/sanctionals/overview https://games.crossfit.com/about-the-games https://wodprep.com/blog/crossfit-open-2019-changes/    

A CrossFit WOD is a common abbreviation frequently used in CrossFit gyms as well as its community, it’s everywhere in CrossFit! Although not quite clear at the beginning, once you know what it stands for it seems quite clear and it makes sense! Here’s a hint: It is used daily in CrossFit gyms. 3 examples of CrossFit WODs and its meaning Before we begin with the examples, we have to know. What is a CrossFit WOD? The abbreviation WOD stands for Workout of the Day and refers to the daily workout routine which is put on the board in CrossFit gyms. It is different every day, although it can be repeated at times. The workouts can consist of a mix of any of the following: cardio, weightlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, etc. Now let’s see some examples! CrossFit WOD Example 1 The workout example I am about to present comes from the CrossFit worldwide competition, the CrossFit Open, from 2017. It was the 17.1 CrossFit WOD. For Time: 10 Dumbbell Snatches (50/35 lb) 15 Burpee Box Jump Overs 20 Dumbbell Snatches (50/35 lb) 15 Burpee Box Jump Overs 30 Dumbbell Snatches (50/35 lb) 15 Burpee Box Jump Overs 40 Dumbbell Snatches (50/35 lb) 15 Burpee Box Jump Overs 50 Dumbbell Snatches (50/35 lb) 15 Burpee Box Jump Overs Time Cap: 20 minutes Athletes must alternate hands for each dumbbell snatch and face the box for the Burpee Box Jump Overs.   CrossFit WOD Example 2 The following CrossFit WOD comes from that competition as well, but from the 2018 version, the 18.2. However, this workout was followed by a second challenge, the 18.2a. Workout 18.21-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 reps for time of:Dumbbell squatsBar-facing burpees Workout 18.2a1-rep-max clean Time cap: 12 minutes to complete 18.2 AND 18.2a CrossFit WOD Example 3 This CrossFit WOD was also used in the competition. However, not only was it used in 2011 as 11.6, but also in 2012 as 12.5, and it was so challenging it was also used in 2018 as 18.5. Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes of:3 thrusters3 chest-to-bar pull-ups6 thrusters6 chest-to-bar pull-ups9 thrusters9 chest-to-bar pull-ups12 thrusters12 chest-to-bar pull-ups15 thrusters15 chest-to-bar pull-ups18 thrusters18 chest-to-bar pull-ups This is a timed workout. If you complete the round of 18, go on to 21. If you complete 21, go on to 24, etc. Even though no gymnastics were shown in these examples, many movements were put in the competition. Such as handstand walk, bar muscle-ups, and ring muscle-ups, etc. Whether you think they sound easy or hard, these CrossFit WODs are sure to get you into shape and give you an idea of what CrossFit is all about!

If you are a coach or you own a CrossFit gym, and you are yet to be affiliated, you are missing a lot. CrossFit is captivating the world of fitness, and everyone is pretty aware of that. Over the years, it has witnessed massive growth, and all that can be said is that CrossFit is here to stay. Gyms around the world are jumping on the CrossFit bandwagon with many training methods being invented day in day out. Before you think about joining CrossFit as an affiliate, below are four reasons to think through. Community Millions of people around the world come together and share some of the basic ideas on nutrition and movement which are set to change the world. The CrossFit community is a powerhouse that links you with a network of people who are determined to achieve some of the most robust goals. In a community like this, you share challenges and celebrate victories together. A CrossFit affiliate links you with a much stronger family. Authenticity CrossFit, unlike other conventional sporting lifestyles, is authentic. Therefore, if you have a gym and you do WODs, it is essential to affiliate to CrossFit so that you can allow your participants to enjoy the full benefits of the fitness industry. When you add affiliation to your gym, you make it unique among your peers. A Network of Coaches   Incredible coaches do not limit themselves to the CrossFit industry, but the network of coaches there is in CrossFit makes the sport a highly respected one. If we look at fields like running, weightlifting, nutrition, and business development, etc. there isn’t one that is as comprehensive in its community of coaches as CrossFit. By affiliating to CrossFit, you benefit from the immense knowledge these coaches have, but also you get the opportunity to contribute to it. Resources It can be argued rightly so that in the fitness industry, few entities compare to CrossFit in terms of the content provided. CrossFit is providing lots of content to men and women in the community in areas like diet, CrossFit workouts, and even personal development. The CrossFit Journal has lots of videos and textual content that can help you develop as a coach so that you can also pass it on to your members. How to Affiliate There are five steps to becoming a CrossFit affiliate. The levels are enlisted below: Step 1 – Application: Here, you complete general information concerning the entity you want to affiliate and do a small essay. Step 2 – Location: You will be required to provide the exact location of your affiliate to be so that it can be prepared in readiness for the CrossFit affiliate maps. Step 3 – Insurance: If you are an applicant from the UK or the US, you will be required to submit a proof of your valid insurance policy or cover. Step 4 – Payment: Once the above steps have been successfully executed, you will be asked to make a payment to cover your first year as an affiliate. Step 5 – License Agreement: You will be provided with a copy of the annual license agreement which you should e-sign and send back. Once you are done with the above, you are right to go and congratulations!  You have officially been admitted as an affiliate.

At the beginning of every year, millions of people make resolution goals to live healthier and get in better shape.However, hitting the gym each day can feel like more effort than it’s worth. You start by missing one workout, and then two, then sooner or later morale and motivation decreases drastically. A backup plan is therefore very much needed. Working out in your living room may seem less effective than using fancy gym equipment, but you might just be surprised at how well a workout using just your body weight as resistance does the trick.In fact, you may be able to reach all your goals at home. What I strongly recommend therefore is setting small, attainable targets each week to get you to your larger goals. A comprehensive routine includes resistance training to strengthen your muscles and cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart pumping. At first, any amount is good, but you’ll want to work up to strength training at least twice a week and at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio activity five times a week. Here’s how you can get started and work out at home without spending a lot of money. Body weight workouts When starting your fitness journey, body weight workouts is a good way to begin. I suggest the following 35- to 40-minute starter plan: 5-10 minutes of moderate but steady state cardio, such as shadow boxing and jogging. 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretchings, such as arm circles, standing hip flexor stretches or rotating hamstring stretches. 10 minutes of functional body weight exercises, such as squats, walking lunges, push-ups, and sit-ups. 10-15 minutes of isolated movements, like lying leg raises, hip raises, bridges and seated Russian twists. 5 minutes of cool-down stretching without movement. Next is cleaning circuit. This is because housework also burns some calories, but why not take it up a notch and work toward your fitness goals too? The next time you’re about to do some cleaning, put on your favorite workout playlist and do a few jumping jacks or dance moves to get your heart rate up. This might take longer than your regular house cleaning session, but you’ll be accomplishing two things at once. Mobile apps in the various app stores provide several fitness apps allow you to mix and match moves, or use your goals to create a different daily routine for you. It is always recommended that you add variety in your exercise routine and there are both free and paid apps in the app stores. These will not only guide you but also help you keep track of your fitness routine. Finally, throw in some small equipment If you’re tired of the same old exercises. Try purchasing inexpensive resistance equipment such as low weights, resistance bands, a kettlebell or a jump rope. These small items can be found at a variety of stores and often include instructions for moves you can do with them while exercising.

Athletes and CrossFit beginners who become infatuated with weightlifting stand the risk of having their dreams crushed by the snatch lift. Compared to jerk and clean, snatch requires not just precision, but mobility as well. You require perfectly harnessed aggression consisting of maximal effort perfectly timed and channeled into a precise movement. Lifters are different. They are that who are endowed naturally, and quickly develops consistent and impeccable technique. On the flipside, there are others who struggle and spend quite some time to refine their technique. Some of them finish their lifting careers with lots of dissatisfaction. In order to prevent such a fate from visiting you, below are some assistance CrossFit exercises to perfect your snatch. Snatch Pull This is one of the basic strength builders for the snatch. You can adjust your snatch pull to exercise speed or strength and incorporate a considerable number of variations to address your needs as a lifter. Snatch pulls are usually performed with weights of about 90 to 105% of your best snatch. However, such changes depending on your level of development. The more advanced you are, the lower the snatch weights percentages for pulls because of your greater ability to snatch higher rates of your basic strength capacity. The weights can be kept light if your focus is more on CrossFit training speed or mechanics. Muscle Snatch The muscle snatch serves two main purposes; as a drill to teach you the proper mechanics of the third pull and as an exercise to train and strengthen your movement. Whatever the aim, it is important that it is performed accurately to obtain effective results. You can use the muscle snatch as a technique primer. In this case, you do it with light weights immediately before snatch training to practice and prime the proper pull under the bar. You can also use the muscle snatch as a warm-up couplet which combines with snatches to strengthen and train the turn over while warming up in a snatch session. Lastly, you can do the muscle snatch as a standalone strength exercise done at the end of the workout. Snatch Balance This exercise can include three variations which are heaving snatch balance, drop snatch, and the regular old snatch balance. As a group, the snatch balance exercises help in addressing elements of the snatch such as the timing of lockout overhead, receiving position strength, turnover aggression, receiving position precision, footwork, and confidence. Snatch balances are seen as an advanced variation of the overhead squat. As an advanced lifter, you will find yourself using more of snatch balances than overhead squats during your training cycle. That said, the more common progression is to start with overhead squats and then ease into snatch balances. Dip Snatch This exercise can help you train the final aggressive drive of your legs in the pull, proper position, as well as balance in this lift phase. It also plays a key role in helping you practice better bar proximity in your third pull. Equally important, dip snatch is instrumental in correcting overreaching of the hips through the bar as well as practicing better foot transitions from the second to the third pulls. Apart from the above CrossFit workouts, there is the tall snatch which trains the proper mechanics for the turnover. It is also an excellent exercise to help you train proper movement of your feet.