If you are a CrossFitter, the title needs no explanation. But, if you are new to the world of CrossFit, you likely have no clue what I'm talking about, unless you stumbled across the Live Announcement of 18.1 this past Thursday night on Facebook.
The CrossFit Games is like the "Olympics" of the CrossFit world, where arguably the fittest athletes in the world compete to be crowned the “fittest man/woman” alive. The CrossFit Games take place in July each year, and have since they began in 2007. Source
But, not just anyone gets to compete at The Games. They must first qualify at Regionals, where athletes arrive from 18 Regions across the globe. But, to complete at Regionals, you must first qualify in the Open. And, The Open kicked off last night with the Live Announcement of the first workout: 18.1. Source
Now, anyone, 14 and older, can compete in the Open for a $20 fee. A small price to pay to take part in a 5 week test of fitness to see how you stack up against the rest of the world. Source
My proof of registration can be found here:
I've competed in the Open for the last three years for fun and for the camaraderie of participating in a world wide event with other lovers of CrossFit.
Every Thursday night at 7:00pm CST for five weeks (Feb 22nd--March 26th), The CrossFit Games runs a live announcement of that week's workout. It's a surprise to ALL involved. Then, athletes go head-to-head, completing the workout live!
This past Thursday night, the Live Announcement was from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The crowds were pumped up to watch two of the female CrossFit stars, Sam Briggs (2013 winner of the CrossFit Games) and Kristen Holte (7th place at the 2017 CrossFit Games) compete alongside two of their local Brazilian athletes. It's great to see athletes, just like you or I, working out alongside elite athletes, showing that CrossFit is for anyone who desires to do it.
So what is it already!
AMRAP 20:
8 Toes-to-Bar
10 Dumbbell Hang Clean & Jerks (5 each side)
14/12 Calories Rowing
Let me decipher. AMRAP stands for As Many Rounds As Possible. 20 is the number of minutes you have to complete rounds. Toes-To-Bar is what it sounds like, raise your toes to the bar (there are scaling options for those who cannot do these, such as Hanging Knee Raises). Dumbbell Hang Clean & Jerk is a dumbbell variation of an Olympic lift where you “clean” the dumbbell from a hanging position to your shoulder and then “jerk” it overhead. And, finally, rowing on a rowing machine is fairly self-explanatory.
You won't truly understand the excitement and fun of this event without actually watching it! Let me warn you though, you WILL become inspired to start working out! You can watch the next CrossFit Games live announcement this coming Thursday on their Official Facebook Page at 7:00pm CST.
On Friday nights, at our gym, we run heats of this workout in a "Friday Night Lights" style. We'll have a theme each week--last night's theme was Black Out!
It's one of the best times of the year for CrossFitters. I hope you'll follow along as I share each week's workout, and my results as I try to advance up the leaderboard!
Thanks,
Coach JJ
Hi! My name is Coach JJ and I've been coaching and inspiring athletes to better health and fitness for over five years! I'm a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer at CrossFit Edwardsville in Edwardsville, IL, USA. But, my vision is to bring together the Fitness Community on Steemit in order to have a greater impact on improving the health and fitness of our fellow Steemians.
I'm also a mother of two teens and a self-defined “spicy, sassy Christ-follower” who posts about my personal journey, but loves all those on any journey. Feel free to check out my intro post, get inspired on your fitness journey, or ponder on my faith-based posts. If any of this connects with you, follow me and say Hello!
Happy Steeming,
Coach JJ
