The Athlete Games 2015:
This year is off to an amazing start with three of our athletes representing Crossfit Colchester at the Athlete Games. Held this year in the Phones 4 You Arena in Manchester, this competition featured some of the most formidable CrossFit talent this side of the Atlantic, including our own Darren Hotten, Melanie Saiz and Andrew Kearton.
Held over 2 days, 300 athletes were put through their paces with WODs that included a time 12 minute time capped CrossFit Total (1RM Back Squat, Strict Press and Deadlift), a beastly combination of thrusters and muscle ups and one WOD with a handstand followed by GTOH, rowing and pull ups. Melanie did us all proud with an amazing 295.4 kg on her Total and Andrew did a whopping 422.5kg, while Darren placed 22nd among the Rx’d men with a huge Total of 507.6kg.
Those who were able to make the trip up to support our athletes had a great time cheering on Andrew, Melanie and Darren and we’ve all been inspired by the standard of ability seen at TAG. I would go so far as to credit their amazing performances and the atmosphere of the competition generally for a renewed dedication in us a group. The classes are full and everyone is pushing themselves. Other qualifiers that are underway or looming on the horizon, like Battle of the Boxes and Pound for Pound, are being tackled with real fire. Enthusiasm seems thick in the air at the box. Get inspired everyone! 2015 has just begun.
The best part of the CrossFit calendar is quickly approaching. The time when your hard work can be put to the test. It’s the Open and a real opportunity to experience the spirit of the CrossFit community. In early 2015, Open qualifiers will be released and everybody from the best to the least are invited to take part. Top athletes from 17 regions will move on to regionals, and from there the top three regional winners (male and female) will take their place at the CrossFit Games. This year’s Games saw a 4th first place win for Rich Froning and first time win for everyone’s favourite CrossFit hottie, Camile Leblanc-Bazinet. And for everyone else, there is the excitement and energy that comes from having taken their part in the fight for the title of ‘World’s Fittest’.
Why take part?
I get excited about the Open, but I realize that when I do, there is a good slice of the box regulars that say, ‘But I’m not that fit, I’m not doing the Open.’. But the Open isn’t about being as fit as the winners of the Games, or even as fit as the others in the Open. It’s actually just you against you. Your fitness journey might lead you to a podium somewhere, but even if it doesn’t, your journey is about progress. And in the CrossFit community, there is no better way than the Open to measure and celebrate your progress.
Even if you imagine that you won’t be able to complete all the movements to Rx’d standards, you can still give the WODs your best go. Not only does that give you something to measure your progress against next year, but as you know, doing the WODs to the best your ability, whatever that it, is what makes us a worldwide fitness family.
There will be those primed for a place at regionals, those doing the Open for the first time and everybody in between sweating it out together across the globe.
When is it?
Open qualifiers begin in early spring 2015 and include five WODs – one per week over the following 5 weeks. To submit scores, you will need to register online, be judged and provide a film of the workout to confirm the movements have been completed to the standards. Coaches and individuals who have completed the online CrossFit judges certificate course can judge your WODs. Booking sheets will be available at the box to arrange a judging time. Stay tuned to the CFC members page for more leading up to the Open.
How to prepare?
Following this year’s Games, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in male and female categories were asked how much they train. It was interesting to hear their answers. It seems there is no one right way. Some trained several times day, others had day jobs and only an hour to get it done every day. But each one spoke about being focused, ready to train their weaknesses and willing to work hard. To be the best, and to get the best out of you, the process is the same. It might be modified in intensity but you succeed with the same things that brought these people to the podium – hard work and commitment, as much as you can manage within your lifestyle.
Maybe you’ve been working towards the Open all year. If not, it’s not too late to decide to do the Open this year. Start looking at movements you feel less comfortable with. Have a WOD or two a week where you give it your 110%. And fuel yourself well – eating in a way to support your efforts, not sabotage them.
And finally, what to expect?
If it’s your first time in the Open, you’ll probably be nervous, excited and when it’s all said and done – very proud of yourself. It will be a great atmosphere in the box and throughout the worldwide CrossFit community as we all put ourselves to the test.
December is here and you are about to be bombarded with a ton of hints and tips for keeping New Year’s fitness resolutions. Your success depends on solid goal setting skills. It’s not a natural ability and that means that we have to work at it. But it also means that if you aren’t feeling top dog about your accomplishments this year, have no fear. Brushing up on your goal setting skills is a good way to reach your targets and make the end of 2015 feel loads better.
Being specific, realistic and making a plan for when and how you’ll work on your goal will all form the basics of an athlete’s essential goal setting tool kit. Many of you are already excelling at these skills. If you’re into CrossFit for any period of time, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to get those goal setting skills tuned, so I’d like to focus instead on preparing for the inevitable roadblocks along the way. Here’s some tips to not just set a goal, but smash it!
Tell someone about your goal – Saying it makes it more real and having other people on board is a great antidote to the low motivation days ahead. But the person you select is important. Choose someone who’s not a close friend or family member. Love you as they do, friends and family are not the best to keep you on track. You need someone who is supportive, but not shy about asking you what you’ve done this week and confronting any excuses that might rear up. Your coach is a good option. Not only can they serve as a reminder to stay on target, but they can also be an invaluable source of information and support in developing the strengths and skills relevant to your aims.
Quality practice – When you go to the box, remind yourself that you are working on your goal. The best athletes don’t always have more training time, but they do engage in more quality training. That means they are clear on how their training is relevant to their goals and they aim to stay focused and efficient with training time. The social bit of CrossFit is fun and it can keep you engaged, but plan your time wisely. I love a bit of box banter. But time waits for no one and while I’m mobilisng/socialising my goal might be slipping.
Mind your language – Not something you’d expect me to say, but I’m not referring to my frequent effing and jeffing, here. It’s the way we think about our goals that can affect if we achieve them. You’re most successful goals will be things you want. So if you find yourself thinking about your goal in terms of ‘I need….’ , ‘I should….’ , ‘Everyone else says I should….’ you’re less likely to fight through the tough times. Also, try phrasing your goal with ‘I want to work towards…..’. Useful goals can’t just be things you want. They have to be things you’re willing to work on right now. If that isn’t what your goal feels like, go back to the drawing board and find something that you want work towards now. Continually phrasing your goal as ‘something I want to work towards’ will remind you that the everyday, sometimes uninspiring grind gets to that moment of satisfaction and achievement.
Move beyond motivation – When the going gets tough, we often search for some feeling of motivation – like we felt at the start – to keep us going. But on the rocky road to any goal are a variety of feelings, good and bad, and we have to negotiate through them somehow. Waiting for a feeling of energy, a surge of motivation will leave you stuck. Thankfully, you can move forward without motivation. And feelings of motivation can return if you cling consistently to the basics of what you would be doing if you had motivation. Expect days where you don’t feel like it or are even positively down about training, then give it a go anyways. While I’m not suggesting you workout injured or ill, but overcoming the ‘blah’ days is vital in getting motivation back. Not only does working through the lulls help motivation to increase, it also allows you the opportunity to learn that good achievements can happen on low motivation days.
2014 has seen some massive achievements for CrossFit Colchester. Let’s bring on 2015!
Registration is now open for Battle of the Boxes 2015 and the battle is on for the title of ‘Europe’s Fittest CrossFit Box’. Boxes all over the continent are gearing up for the January qualifiers and preparing to fight for a place at the finals in May 2015.
Battle of the Boxes has grown from its humble roots in 2013 to one of the biggest team events on the UK CrossFit calendar. The first Battle of the Boxes saw a mere 4 teams compete from the East Anglia region, but by 2014 it had expanded to include 12 teams hosted in a 500 seat arena. 2015 is shaping up to be bigger than ever, drawing attention from boxes all over Europe as well as bringing back some of the UK’s most formidable teams. This coming year’s Battle of the Boxes will see 32 teams invited to bring their battle cries to the arena at Charter Hall, Essex.
What else has got bigger? The prize pot! 2015 will see a massive prize pot of £3000 up for grabs – 1st Place will win £1250, 2nd Place £750, 3rd Place £250.
In 2014, teams took on beastly WODs including a team Clean Complex where lifts had to be in complete unison, a massive chipper sweetened with EMOM double-unders and a relay-style final. The top teams, especially 2014 champions CrossFit Bury St Edmunds, demonstrated more than sheer athletic ability. A solid team style with good communication, a common work ethic and clever strategy are essential to excel in a team competition like Battle of the Boxes.
CrossFit Bury St Edmunds took first place in 2014, but at CrossFit Colchester, Competition Coach Chris Quinney is looking forward to assembling a team to claim back the title of Europe’s Fittest Box. CrossFit Colchester athletes are keen to prove themselves in this event which is as close to hearts as it is close to home. CrossFit Colchester’s team won first place in 2013 – the first year for Battle of the Boxes – and Chris was a competitor on the winning team.
Chris has an extensive background in the fitness industry, but truly found his passion in CrossFit. Not only has his own fitness taken off, but he finds coaching at CrossFit ultra rewarding. The kinds of driven people CrossFit attracts are exciting to coach and Chris is inspired seeing the athletes he coaches achieve big things. Chris is coordinating team training and selection for several events that are big on the CrossFit Colchester calendar for 2015, but none carries such personal importance as Battle of the Boxes. We all take pride in how far it has grown, and now bring on the Battle of 2015!
Battle of the Boxes essential details:
Team Breakdown: 5 athletes total, 2 must be male, 2 must be female.
Qualifiers Details: 3 online qualifiers during January. Dates: Open 7th close 12th, 14th-19th & 21st -26th.
Finals Details – The top 32 teams will qualify for the finals which will be held here at the Charter Hall arena, Colchester, Essex.
Entry fee is £10pp (£50 per team).
For more information and to register, please visit http://www.colchestereventsltd.com/
As the popularity of CrossFit continues to grow, competition for a place at the CrossFit Games becomes stiffer. Tough news for all of us as we look forward to the Open kicking off again in a few months. But the amazing standard of athlete made for exciting watching at this year’s Games.
In July this year, the top 43 male and female athletes from 17 regions worldwide converged on the beach for the first of 13 WODs that would determine who would take home the title of ‘World’s Fittest’. The beach WOD provided an epic visual start for the Games as athletes sprinted off towards the breaking waves, fighting their way through 3 swimming segments, burpees on the sand and kettlebell thrusters. It was an opener that gave a little hint that the competition ahead was going to demand everything these athletes had to give. To give an idea of how gruelling the Beach was, the first place male athlete in the WOD, Jordan Toyan, finished in 29 minutes, while the female’s first place was taken by Anna Tunnicliffe in 31 minutes. Day one finished off with 3 attempts at a 1RM Overhead Squat.
Day two saw athletes on an epic endurance WOD called: Triple 3, this consisted of 3000m row, 300 double unders and a 3 mile run. 2 sled push challenges and a nasty little 21-15-9 complex of deadlifts, cleans and snatches mixed up with pull ups, chest to bar pull ups and bar muscle ups finished off the day. Rich Froning and Camile Leblanc-Bazinet, who both eventually took first place in the Games overall, both placed 1st in the 21-15-9 complex.
Day three kicked off with a Muscle Up Biathalon – 400m sprints and muscle ups in decreasing reps of 18, 15 and 12 – with an extra kicker. Every time an athlete broke a set of muscle ups, they were required to run another 200m. Some of the most exciting watching of the Games was the Clean Speed Ladder on day three. Athletes were given 2, 3 & 4 minutes in 3 sections to work their way through increasing weights of Squat Clean’s. Speed and strength got Elisabeth Ainkwale and Neal Maddox 1st place spots in this WOD.
The final day saw a test for the midline in a combo that included GHD sit ups, handstand walking and overhead walking lunges, as well as another 1st place score for Rich Froning. In fact, Froning took 1st place in all three WODs of the final day securing himself the title of ‘Fittest Man on Earth’ for the 4th year running. Camile Leblanc-Bazinet finished the day on the podium, too, crowned ‘Fittest Woman on Earth’.
Our homegrown heroine and ‘Fittest Woman’ in 2013, Sam Briggs, didn’t make it past Regionals this year but we know she will be back to fight for her title in 2015. While Annie Thorisdottir, winner in previous years and 2nd place winner in 2014, said that competition at the Games is getting more intense. There are more hard working athletes every year nipping at the heels of these greats. With this track record, the 2015 Games is bound to be the best yet so make sure your ready!!!
More than Just a Free T-shirt for qualifying athletes, by: Jessica Johns-Green
When CrossFit Colchester was a newly opened box, new members got blue t-shirts. But red t-shirts were given out to members who competed in an event. Everyone loves a free t-shirt. But even better are the t-shirts we’ve earned! Those red shirts didn’t mean anything special to outsiders – just a different colour of the same shirt. But they were special to us. That status as a red shirt wearer was accepted with pride and it marked a point on a journey where we rose to a challenge and competitors were born.
Lots has changed since then, with tshirts and competitive gear generally getting more serious. But the well-earned t-shirt still has its attraction. I can track my CrossFit career in a timeline of t-shirts all the way from the now faded red one to present day. Good times, tough times, first times all charted in the shirts filling the drawer in my dresser, so that getting ready for a WOD is revisiting memories of past challenges in fabric form.
This is what has us particularly excited about the upcoming Battle of the Beasts. Other than the fantastic prize money for the best scores in each qualifier and cash prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd at the finals too, all qualifying athletes will get a free competition t-shirt, personalized with their name and qualifying number. The accomplishment of these athletes – being in the top 50 men or top 50 women – will be immortalized in t-shirt form. It will represent their status as some of the top CrossFit talent in the UK, beasting through three tough online qualifiers and rising to the challenge.
The customized athlete t-shirts are made from light-weight, breathable tri-blend fabric and constructed specifically for male or female fit. These cannot be bought for any amount of gold – these are earned!
Battle of the Beasts registration ends 31 July 2014, with online qualifiers beginning 6th August. The final will be held 12th October 2014 at Charter Hall, Colchester, Essex.
Take your place among hundreds of athletes from all over the UK and Europe who have already registered for a chance to compete for the glory, and of course, that well-earned t-shirt.
‘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.
