‘Battle of the Beast’ 2014 is the next jaw dropping event to be brought to you by Colchester Events Ltd and after much anticipation REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE!!!!
This event is suitable for all abilities to try out and test their current performance levels, with the WOD’s being inclusive enough for all to be involved yet challenging enough to find out who the fittest 100 competitors will be, come 12th October……!!!
Throughout August three online qualifier WOD’s will be released for athletes to attempt and see how high they can get on the leaderboard, each qualifier also has a £200 prize for the top male & female athletes too! So even if you don’t make the finals you are still in for a chance of winning a cash prize and taking part in this awesome event with your fellow CrossFitters.
The 50 overall highest placing men and women will be invited to the ‘Battle of the Beasts’ finals which will be held on 12th October 2014 at Charter Hall in Colchester, the same place as the epic ‘Battle of the Boxes 2014’ which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG267CthVEU
There’s going to be plenty of retailers present at the finals and some delicious Paleo food being served during the day so family and friends can come along, get your shop on and spend the day supporting athletes and enjoying the atmosphere where we will find the UK’s fittest Male & Female CrossFit athletes!
After the success of last year’s ‘Battle of the Boxes’ the demand and anticipation for this year’s event was through the roof! We knew we would have to make it bigger and better than before so we moved this year’s venue to Charter Hall and got ‘Wolverson Fitness’ on board to provide their specialist range of elite equipment.
We were now able to include 12 teams and have 500+ spectators cheering them on, in addition to last year we also had a variety of retail stands coming to sell their CrossFit clothing, products, foods & services.
In the months leading up to ‘Battle of the Boxes 2014’ the first four WOD’s were released in advanced meaning teams could practise together and work out their tactics to deliver their best performances come comp day.
On the morning of 4th May 2014 the pristine flooring and brand new equipment all lay waiting for our athletes in WOD 1 (Clash of the Benchmarks). There were retailers setting up their stalls including: Wolverson Fitness, ChasingFran, Rocktape, Naked Ape, Benchmark girls, GLC2000, The Movement Solution, Paleo Luke, Bulk Powders, The Primal Kitchen and Wholesomeafare. We even had Jodie Finnigan and Katrina Beans with their massage tables ready to fix up the athletes after each gruelling WOD they were about to encounter.
At 9.30am it was time for the first heat, the first four teams took their positions for the opening WOD which consisted of pairs “Fran” into pairs “Grace” and finishing with a 1000m row for time. Athletes and spectators alike were familiar with these classic CrossFit Benchmarks and it was the perfect way to kick off the competition.
CrossFit Colchester had a good chance at defending their title from last year after finishing in first position after WOD 1 but WOD 2 would not be so kind…
‘Team Squat Clean’ was up next, all five team members had to perform a full Squat clean into a Hang Squat Clean all in unison, this meant they really had to work as a team and communicate well to decide what weight to use, when to increase their weight and how many attempts to take. Of all the competitions I have been to this is the only one where the music was turned off during the WOD and this made for an intense atmosphere, you could hear every grunt and groan as the athletes pushed themselves to the limit determined not to be the one to let their team down.
CrossFit Norwich nailed WOD 2 with an impressive team score of 435kg which moved them into joint first place alongside CrossFit Colchester, only one point behind was CrossFit 13, already you could see this would be a close competition with so many talented boxes involved.
WOD 3 was the dreaded ‘Chipper’ a mammoth task of 150 Overhead squats, 150 Hang Power Cleans, 150 STOH, 150 Russian Kettlebell swings and 75 Toes to Bar! All this had to be chipped through on 2 platforms, whilst on the minute every minute one team member had to complete 30 double unders.
Only three teams made it to the toes to bar before the 12 minute time cap, CrossFit CM2, CrossFit Colchester and CrossFit Bury St Edmunds, but only CrossFit Colchester completed them all before the time cap in a remarkable time of 11.50!!! The crowd burst into applause and team Colchester glowed with pride as they had an emotional team hug and recovered from the ‘Battle of the Boxes- Chipper’
The athletes got a well deserved rest during lunch where there was succulent pulled pork or marinated chicken available with roasted vegetables and sweet potato. While everyone discussed the amazing efforts from the last three WOD’s the score board was updated: CrossFit Colchester had fought their way back to first place, followed by CrossFit Norwich and CrossFit Bury in joint second. Only one more WOD remained before the teams would be cut to the top four for the semi finals.
The shortest WOD of the day WOD 4: ‘Snatch vs. Bar Jumping Burpees’ whilst three team members carry out their one rep max snatch the other two team members completed as many bar jumping burpees as possible in the three minute time cap, the three snatches are added together and multiplied by the total amount of burpees performed by the other two athletes. Spectators got behind their teams knowing that this could be their last WOD if they didn’t do enough to make the semi finals. CrossFit Colchester put on an outstanding performance once again finishing first in three out of the four WOD’s so far.
Athletes and spectators listened intently as the semi finalist were read out, CrossFit Colchester, CrossFit Bury, CrossFit Norwich and CrossFit CM2 had made the cut and now only two more workouts remained before this title would be decided. The scores were reset to give every team in the semi finals an equal chance of making it to the final and WOD 5 was revealed.
The semi final was one heat with all four teams battling it out head to head, the teams had to make their way through “pairs Deadlifts” vs Pistols starting with 30 of each and reducing the reps by 3 each round. It was so close the whole way as one team would take the lead on the dead lifts another would overtake on the pistols, the 7 minutes flew by and before we knew it we were announcing the finalist….
CrossFit Bury St Edmunds came first in this WOD making it through to the finals and with CrossFit Colchester only 4 reps behind they were also through and ready to defend their title.
There was a 30 minute break for the two finalists to recovery while people speculated what would be coming up in the final. They were not disappointed to hear the final was a ‘Sled Sandwich’ using the shiny new sleds filled with weight the teams would carry them 10 lengths before moving onto 10 bar muscle ups, 3 handstand walks, 10 more bar muscle ups, 100 wall balls then back through 10 more bar muscle ups, 3 handstand walks, 10 bar muscle ups and finally 10 more sled carries to finish!
Bury took the early lead with their rapid sled carries but Colchester closed the gap as they worked through the other movements, both teams delivered brilliant performances and kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. With an incredibly strong final set of sled carries Bury St Edmunds finished 28 seconds ahead of Colchester, claiming the win and the 2014 BATTLE OF THE BOXES TITLE, as soon as they finished captain Richard Peak and his team mates from Bury rushed over to the Colchester team and cheered them on right to the end in true CrossFit style!
Congratulations once again to this year’s champions ‘CrossFit Bury St Edmunds’ who were outstanding all day.
This competition has set the standard for all future events held by Colchester Events Ltd and with the new Individual event launching in June (finals here in October), this will be one event not to be missed!!!
We can now confirm that CrossFit Colchester will be welcoming back the KBTEducation coaching team lead by Sam Dovey after our extremely successful Weightlifting workshop with top olympian Zoe Smith. This time these coaches who train several different “Team GB” athletes will be holding a Powerlifting workshop consisting of the following:
Key benefits to using Powerlifting & what you can expect during the workshop:
1: Powerlifting delivers maximal Strength development, which is the basis for all other athletic qualities.
2: It develops the ability to produce maximal force.
3: The Deadlift is a huge assistance movement for weightlifting and will be one of the main focus’s during the workshop.
4: We will discuss the details about the Deadlift and Squat producing a great amount of stress, this stimulates growth hormone & testosterone and the effect this has on your bodies development.
5: Programming advice to help advance your own Strength & Conditioning training.
Throughout the day Sam & his team will also be focusing on:
We are extremely lucky to have these WORLD ELITE coaches over for the day to deliver this workshop however there is limited availability on the workshop so ACT FAST and book your place using the PayPal buttons below!!!
Head Coaches:
*Sam Dovey (Team GB coach and Silver medalist) *John Buckland (Weightlifting coach, S&C coach and GB Nutritionist for Rugby league AF)
This seminar is a must for anyone looking to improve his or her general Strength & Conditioning so get book up below!!!
Workshop Details:Venue: CrossFit ColchesterDate: Sunday 13th JulyTime: 9:30am – 5:30pm (Simply bring your training kit and some food for lunch and lets get it on!!!)To register your place just simply check out via the PayPal button below and as there are limited spaces available you will need to act FAST:
Personalised Training Programs from Head Coach Darren Hotten:-
Option 1:
6 Week individualised training program, in this program you will receive a initial consultation to assess areas we should address within your program, this will be specifically targeting areas you want to improve such as:
– Olympic lifting technique
– Gymnastics movements & progressions to help with these specific movements
– Hypertrophy elements (Building muscle)
– WOD conditioning
The benefits of following a tailored program is that it will accelerate your results and it will work towards turning your weaknesses into your strengths and making you a better all round CrossFitter!
Price: Just £97
Option 2:
This 6 week customised training program will include all the same details as above but also:
– 30minute 1st session to coach any new progressions that I have programmed for you within the training plan, this will allow you to move through your program with confidence knowing you are doing the right movements and with good form too.
– 30minute session during the 3rd week for a consultation, this will be a session for you to feedback about your progression throughout the program so far at the halfway point and discuss how we are going to tackle the remainder of your program too.
– 30minute end of program consultation, this session will be dedicated to identifying your achievements made from completing your first 6 weeks of individualised programming, and to discuss the next steps in your training!
Price: Just £147
Darren also offers 1-2-1 personal training packages so please contact him direct on the details below for more details and for current prices.
We can confirm that CrossFit Colchester will be welcoming one of the UK’s top Olympians & British Weightlifting record holder Zoe Smith on the 9th of March!!!
Zoe has been an inspiration to many young lifters as she has broken plenty of records aged just 19……. This included the 58kg category Clean & Jerk British Record at the 2012 Olympic’s right here in London, where Zoe lifted an extremely impressive 121kgs and Snatched a mind blowing 90kg!!!
We are lucky enough to have this incredible athlete over for the day to deliver a Weightlifting workshop helping everyone to learn, improve & perfect our Oly lifting techniques.
Zoe and her team which is made up of Sam Dovey (Team GB coach and Silver medalist) and John Buckland (Weightlifting coach, S&C coach and GB Nutritionalist for Rugby league AF) will be covering:
1: Weightlifting techniques and improvements (working on your lifts wit them) 2: Programming to help advance your weightlifting in your own training 3: Nutrition advice including supplement recommendations for lifters
(So simply bring your training kit and food for lunch and lets get it on!!!)
Samantha Briggs & Hayley Knowles Teaching here at CrossFit Colchester:
On Sunday25th August, the 2013 CrossFit games winner Samantha Briggs came to CrossFit Colchester to present a gymnastics workshop to a lucky group of our members. Sam was also accompanied by the very talented Hayley Knowles, who together taught our guys many new training methods and an brilliant insight into their own training regime.
When they arrived everyone was a bit star struck (Carl Saville!), Sam is to CrossFitters what David Beckham is to Football fans so you can imagine what a privilege it was to attend this workshop and have her at our box showing us all her secrets……
After warming up Sam and Hayley explained what they would be doing throughout the day, pull-ups, toes to bar, muscle ups, handstand walks and hand stand push ups were all on the agenda for our athletes to learn nd fine tune their current skills.
We started on pull ups and Sam explained the importance of being able to do any exercise strict before you added a kipping movement to it. We practised kipping pull ups, buffer fly pull ups and a new technique to everyone- frog pull ups, (which Chris Quinney picked up beautifully). The high light of the day for me was when we went on to muscle up’s, feeling a million miles from getting one I was so excited to see what Sam could teach us, we set up boxes under the rig and did bar muscle up’s from the box! We then moved on to the rings and while two people stood either side and helped you up, next you know you’re doing a full muscle up!
We took a break for lunch and Sam sat outside with the rest of us and tucked in to a Nando’s! We got to ask her questions about her life and how she first found CrossFit, she told us about her diet and her job which she is currently taking a career break from to concentrate on her training and retaining her title in 2014.
Back to work and next up was handstands and hand stand walks, we set up a long row of crash mats and after a brilliant demonstration from Hayley (and our own Darren Hotten) one by one we walked on our hands. For those that needed support we were holding on to each other’s legs to help balance and some people who couldn’t before were even doing a few steps by themselves by the end of the day using the key element of the hollow.
Finally we attempted some Handstand push ups, ranging from a 1inch elbow bend for some to a free standing headstand into handstand push ups (now this was just showing off- Andrew Kearton) but everyone had a go and everyone got further than they had ever done before.
Sam showed us that with hard work and dedication anyone can make huge progression, Sam has not been doing CrossFit her whole life; she only started when she was 26 and went on to win the 2013 CrossFit Games at age 31.
Every single person took something from the day and either learnt a new technique or got their first unassisted pull up/HSPU/Handstand walk etc the experience was priceless and something we will all look back on ever time we are struggling to get the hang of something or getting frustrated, even the best fail and struggle at times but it’s the ones that keep trying and pushing themselves harder that reach their dreams.
Fantastic workshop from start to finish and for great value too, now we are all looking forward to the Olympic Lifting workshop next!
Awesome news for all our members as we can now announce we are officially sponsored by Bulk Powders, not only did their supplements come out on top on a recent comparison test for the quality of products used but they also came in at one of the best value available too.
Bulk Powders have also agreed to give ALL our members 10% off ANY orders you make through the link below and by entering the discount code underneath:
Please contact our nutritional specialist Luke Cantrill (Paleo Expert) for any questions regarding supplements you are considering taking or if you are unsure what will benefit you best!
On 28th September 2013 CrossFit 1664 held their first ‘Box Rocks’ competition which saw 20 teams (8 people per team, minimum 2 females) going head to head, CrossFit Colchester had two teams taking part and little did we know this would be one to remember…..
It was an early start for most athletes including our Colchester squads who had to travel to Aldershot where the competition was being held. The day started with 4 qualifying WOD’s that were done in a round robin format- therefore no one knew how they compared to other teams. It was a case of give it all you have and hope that was enough to make the first cut!
The WOD’s were extremely varied covering every element within fitness, one was an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) with a 10 min time cap, the score was the total reps completed as a team of the following exercises: Over the wall Burpees, GHD Sit Ups, Weighed step ups, Axel GTOH and the dreaded Double Wall Balls! WOD 2 was a Clean ladder starting from 30kg increasing by 10kg each lift up to 140kg where your score was the total weight lifted by all team members added together (Congratulations to Jan Westrik for getting a massive 130kg PB!); Another workout was a straight relay 2 laps per person doing Zig Zag sprints around kettle bells and then a beastly Prowler back to tag your team mate, your score was your whole teams time; And finally a stretcher carry, two team members had to be on the 2 stretchers at all times while the rest of your team carried them around the 1k course, this was a real team test as the last stretcher back was your time.
After four tiring workouts, we were only half way through the day and we had some good scores but no idea if they were good enough to make the cut of 8 teams into the quarter finals. There was a break for lunch for around an hour while the scores were collated, in that morning we had some tears of frustration, some PB’s and an injury to one of our athletes, anticipation and emotions ran high…….
Just after 2pm we found out that one of our teams had made the cut of 8 teams into the quarter finals in 3rd with our other team finishing a respectable 11th. It was a fantastic performance throughout the day for the second team as most athletes were competing for the first time and making it this far was already a personal accomplishment!
So we had one team left representing CrossFit Colchester and boy did they represent!! From here things only got harder, faster and more challenging. The next WOD would cut the teams down to four; it was held inside so all spectators could gather round and see the action up close. Now things got technical, showing who had the skills to make it to the end, comprising of double under’s, rope climbs, snatches, muscle up’s and much more all in a 30min time cap. But this was no challenge for our talented competitors who smashed this WOD in just 18 minutes, and over 3mins ahead of the second fastest team!!!
This gave them the confidence they needed going into the semi-finals, there were 4 stations; ring dips, overhead squats, snatches and box jumps. Each station had two team members where they got two minutes each to complete either as many reps as possible on the boxes and rings or their 3rep max on overhead squat and 1RM on Snatches. Astoundingly they also managed to destroy this WOD and sailed through to the final again in 1st!!!
The pressure was on now; this was it- their last chance. As the final work out was read out no one could believe the massive volume of work that was about to be expected from them. This was definitely a WOD worthy for a final, 120 pull up’s, 120 toe’s to bar, 120 pistol squats, 120 dead lifts, 120 thrusters, 120 kettle bell swings. Once each set of one exercise was completed they also had to perform overhead axel bar walking lunges and hand stand walks to the next exercise and over the finish line! As the athletes started the colossal task ahead of them the supporters screamed and shouted encouragement and with a huge army of supports there was only 1 team you could hear CFC CFC CFC, so desperate to help their team and see them all succeed. As much as they wanted to give up at times each and every member never would, delivering fast reps throughout and rotating quickly for maximum output they would never let their team mates down. It was neck and neck for so long, just as one team took the advantage the other team would swipe it back within minutes, it went on like this for what felt like forever as the suspense grew and grew but eventually it did come to an almighty end. The victory came down to this- the first team to hand stand walk over the finish line about 20m away would win and we did it!! We crossed that line only a few meters ahead of the home team of 1664, we were all overwhelmed and could not believe what had just happened. Every one ran to our triumphant athletes who were bursting with pride and could not contain themselves.
CrossFit Colchester won this year’s box rocks down to their dedication in training and a mammoth amount of team spirit on the day, roll on next year where we will endeavor to defend out title. Until then we will continue to train hard and help each other every day to become the best that we can be.
On the 12th May 2013 CrossFit Colchester hosted their first “Battle of the Boxes” CrossFit competition to find out who was officially the “Fittest Box in East Anglia”
The competition started in true CrossFit style with none of the teams knowing what they would be doing until the morning of the event upon arrival…….
Our box had the pleasure of competing alongside some very highly skilled and experienced teams: CrossFit CM2, CrossFit Norwich and Cambridge Stags & Does. Each team comprised of five talented people, three men and two women, none of which could have been prepared for what they were about to go through!
The first WOD certainly didn’t ease them into the competition, having to complete 50 Deadlifts, 50 pull ups and 50 hand stand push up’s whilst on the minute every minute completing a 15ft rope climb! This disgustingly testing WOD set the pace for the day; all the athletes stepped up and gave it everything they had. With only a hand full of people making it to the end of the first WOD inside the 12minute time cap, it made it a close start between all four boxes.
WOD 2 was no easier, although only 6minutes long the teams had to think smart. The athletes could choose their own weight to perform max power output of GTOH in the first three minutes, then bar jumping burpees for the remaining 3mins. Did they go light to complete more reps or did they go heavy in hope this would give them a better overall score?? Each individual took a different tactic and you could clearly see the ones to watch, with some outstanding performances being delivered again from all sides.
This brought us up to lunch time, giving the athletes a well deserved rest and a chance to refuel. The spectators were left in suspense while the scores were being collected and calculated to see where the teams were at the midpoint of the competition. The support from everyone was incredible, people travelling from all over to come and cheer on all the teams involved, the support stayed loud and proud throughout the whole day!
Only 2 workouts remained to see who takes the title of “Fittest box in East Anglia” along with the fittest male and female athletes too.
The athletes gathered round and the spectators fell silent to hear what the next workout would be. One of fitness’s most technical movements….. the snatch had finally made an appearance along with the dreaded toes to bar! This workout was performed as a 21-15-9 with a 400m run after completing each set. There was mixed feelings in the air as some athletes knew they would struggle while others quietly confident! No matter who was there to support which team everyone wanted each athlete to succeed and make it to the end in one piece, the crowd got behind the final few and willed them to make that final toe to bar, we even saw a diving finish by Norwich’s David Smith as athletes had to touch their bar to finish!
This then brought us to the grand Finale! A true team workout like none before done today, working well together and supporting each other would make all the difference in this WOD for the chance to score them last points for your team and to stand a chance of taking first place. In a relay format of 200m row, 50m sled push and 20 kettle bell swings- two rounds per person per team. As everyone made their way outside the teams talked of tactics and strategies, at this point in the day everyone was simply exhausted and had to gather up their last strands of energy and determination to face the next challenge, it was a simple case of who wanted it most. Two teams went at a time and it was a close call as to who would become champions this day…
After such an exciting day no one could wait to hear the results and see how their team had done, but as the scores were read out there was an unexpected turn of events….. There was a tie between the top two males and so a last minute deciding WOD was comprised for the two athletes to go head to head in their last attempt to gain victory and represent their box on their own….. this saw our very own CrossFit Colchester athlete Darren Hotten go up against CrossFit CM2 legend Scott Jenkins.
This WOD was extremely close but saw Darren take victory in this final hurdle, much to the delight of the home crowd, this also meant the main prize/title of “Fittest Box in East Anglia” went to the home team “CrossFit Colchester” who also women the fittest female with a trojan effort all day from Lucy Fryer giving them a clean sweep of the trophies!
For some people who competed it was their first ever competition while for others they had done so many they had lost count but some things were consistent for all taking part, they gave it EVERYTHING they had , they had fun going head to head and fort right to the end making sure every rep counted in true CrossFit style, EVERYONE had done their box proud!!!
Another great example of just how incredible our CrossFit community really is, bring on 2014!!!
On the 5th April 2013 Coach Darren Hotten takes on CrossFit Benchmark “GRACE”
For anyone who doesn’t know what this crazy workout is yet or is waiting to give it a try, then now is your chance my friend…… It’s a straight forward 30 reps FOR TIME of a 135lb (61kg) Clean & Jerk, athletes can use any technique to achieve this full body ground to overhead movement.
Darren managed to tear through this WOD in a WORLD ELITE and extremely impressive time of just 1:50 aka BEAST!!!
