The 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games offered more than just an enthralling spectacle of strength, power and fitness. The event itself also offered some interesting insights and a few life lessons.
If you’re competing in the this weekend’s Fittest in Cape Town (FICT) Sanctioned Qualifier event in the hopes of earning a spot the 2019 Games, here are 2 important lessons we learnt from the elites at the Reebok CrossFit Games…
1. Always warm the engine before going from 0-100
Offering insights on the games.crossfit.com site from some of the 26 rookies who competed at the 2018 CrossFit Games, one athlete shared a really important insight.
Due to the technical nature of the workouts the athletes face, they need to perform a general warm-up with specific movement preparation and muscle and joint activation before they hit the floor.
However, getting it wrong, like Stephanie Chung from CrossFit EHOH did, can leave you feeling gassed from the get-go.
Having neglected her general warm-up in favour of technical movements ahead of the Clean and Jerk Speed Ladder, she struggled to get into the workout and was left out of breath by the second barbell. “Get your heart rate up before you go out,” was her message to athletes.
2. Core work makes everything stronger
When multiple Masters champion Amanda Allen was diagnosed was multiple fibroid tumours in her abdomen in December 2017, she was rushed into emergency surgery. While a biopsy revealed that the over 4 kilos of tumours that were removed were benign, she was left with a massive incision that spanned almost the entire length of her torso.
While doctors advised her against exercise, she started training three weeks after her surgery, and included a lot more core strength work in her routine. As a result, she ended up lifting more than ever, setting a PB for the split jerk at the Games.
She also improved her gymnastics and is now able to string together 10 ring muscle-ups for the first time since she started competing in CrossFit at the 2012 Australia Regionals. “I’ve never felt better,” she told games.crossfit.com.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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