Here’s something you might not have heard:
– Register for the 2022 CrossFit Games Open– it costs $20
– Complete the 2022 Online Judges Course– it costs $10. You’ll become a better athlete because of this, and you’ll be a recognized Judge!
– Input an official score for all three weeks of The Open
If all three of these requirements are met then you’ll receive $20 off of your April 2022 membership!
[Catch up all everything 2022 Intramural Open here]
As we’re moving towards HEAT TIMES on the Saturday Event during the 2022 Intramural Open you’re going to be responsible for your own warmups and preparation before your heat.
It’s helps to do the 8am Prep Class, but if you cannot make it then here’s a general warmup to be as prepared as possible:
5-10 minutes of aerobic work (Echo bike, rower, ski erg, jump rope, sleds, etc) followed by joint prep, dynamic range of motion, or movement patterns.
then 2-3 rounds of about 10 reps each of:
– a squat exercise like air squats, goblet, front, back, overhead, lunges, Cossack squats
– a push/press exercise like the press, push press, jerk, pushup, dip
– a pull/row exercise like pullups, ring rows, hang muscle cleans, bent over rows, one-arm rows
– a flexion exercise like the situp, t2b, slam ball, hollow, GHDSU
– an extension or jumping exercise like hip extensions, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, arches, broad jumps, target jumps, double unders, box jumps
then 5 minutes or so targeting your tight/trouble areas through stretching or foam rolling
then practice your specific skills for that week’s workout.
When ready (and if it’s an AMRAP) try one round for technique followed by two to three rounds at “game pace” so you understand how you might feel and make some adjustments. You get to practice transitions and get a taste what’s to come. This is also the chance to make sure your equipment floor plan is safe and effective.
It’s important to get your heart rate PEAKED before your workout so nothing feels new. It also helps take the edge off of your nervousness which generally leads to you going out of the gate too hard. Those who’ve taken CompEx classes know that the first workout is never your best, but the second or third? You’ve already settled down after a peak so your body is ready for more. Use this concept for best success during the Open!
[Catch up on the 2022 Intramural Open here]
Beginning this coming Saturday we’ll have a temporary schedule change to our Saturday calendars for the duration of the 2022 Open.
Since we turn the CrossFit Games Open into the FOUNDATION GYM Intramural Open our goal will be to bring our community together to throw down and celebrate fitness while testing ourselves and having fun.
If you cannot make the Saturday classes you can perform your workout during classes on Friday. If you cannot do your workout on Fridays or Saturdays our schedule will be littered with ‘Open Workout Makeup’ options on the PushPress calendar. You’ll need to record yourself or provide your own judge for the workout to count for points.
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For more info on the 2022 FOUNDATION GYM Intramural Open:
– The 2022 Intramural Open – Foundation Gym
– Earning Points in the 2022 Intramural Open – Foundation Gym
– Preparing For the CrossFit Open – CrossFit Games YouTube
– The CrossFit Open for Newbies: Your Guide to Strategy and Beyond – Morning Chalk Up
We’ve been saying “SIGN UP FOR THE OPEN” for some time now, but maybe we haven’t done a good job giving you a reason why. Read our explainers and then see if it’s right for you and your goals:
– Foundation Gym’s 2022 Intramural Open
– Why I Do The Open, Pt 1
– Why I Do The Open, Pt 2
– Earning Points in the 2022 Intramural Open
Ask your coach questions if you have any!
WORKOUT for Friday 2/18/2022
back squat 10 sets of 3 reps, then
#12point2ish
AMRAP 10:00
30 snatches
– 20/35kg
– 35/60kg
– 45/75kg
– 55/90kg
Post score to whiteboard!
WATCH THE STANDARDS:
The CrossFit Open is a worldwide online CrossFit competition where a workout (“event”) is released weekly for three weeks. One week will most likely feature a two-part workout.
This not only brings our smaller FOUNDATION GYM community together, but the entire CrossFit culture and more around the world. We have friends nationally and internationally to motivate and compete with. For some of us it’ll be our twelfth year in a row participating in The Open. We highly recommend doing it as what you get out of it depends on what you put in.
We’ll try our best to explain how we’re approaching it. We make it a fun “Intramural Open” competition and have been enjoying it for a while.
It’s a yearly test and benchmark for us at FOUNDATION, to educate and to inspire. It’s fun and gets us into gear if we don’t already have specific fitness goals. Competition helps with the ‘inspire’ part: the pressure to perform pushes you to train harder; the social boost of dozens of your best friends cheering for you will help you reach a higher plane. Heck, watching your teammates GO is inspiring!
We’ve done it every year as a gym since its inception in 2011. Literally anyone on the planet can play, regardless of experience.
This is essentially what we play when it comes to our workouts at the gym. When you checkout the blog or whiteboard you might see something like
power clean, 30/50/70kg
That means a Scaled-level athlete identifying as a gentleman should be shooting for 50kg power cleans and an Rx athlete should be shooting for 70kg. Move a level for those identifying as ladies: 30kg for scaled and 50kg for Rx. Foundations-level athletes would use loading below the suggested levels they can lift comfortably.
Can we bring that worldwide thrill home to FOUNDATION? Can we deliver all the fun of competition without causing any anxiety attacks? We think so.
Those who officially register via http://games.crossfit.com/ will be drafted by a captain of one of the three different teams we will have.
If not officially registered YOU CAN STILL PLAY. Sign up on the physical sheet at the gym and you’ll be auto-drafted onto a team. Check out how we tally points to see how you’re affected.
Here’s how the training week looks:
We want as many people in on Saturday as possible– it’s also where you and your team can maximize scoring points.
You’ll go through the Open and on the final week we will be ready for our intergym throwdown VERSUS XII. Which team will claim the Golden Hammer?
“REGISTERED” VS NOT
Registration for the Open can be done until 5pm on Monday 3/1 at games.crossfit.com, Choose ‘Foundation CrossFit‘ as your Affiliate AND ‘Foundation CrossFit‘ as your team. It costs $20. This puts you on the worldwide leaderboard and you’ll have an opportunity each week to input your score and see where you stack up. It’s also nice to be able to look back on what you’ve done and how far along you’ve come.
JUDGEMENT
If you want to be a better, more conscious athlete I highly recommend taking CrossFit’s Online Judges Course for 2022. Here you’ll learn what to look for and how to judge in a competition setting.
If you proceed with the Judges Course, officially register for the 2022 CrossFit Games Open, and complete all of the workouts then we’ll reimburse you the cost of the Open registration come April 2022.
DRAFT
Coaches and the rest of the registered FOUNDATION GYM fam will be drafted onto of three Intramural teams before the official start of the 2022 CrossFit Games Open. Any later entries and those who want to play without officially registering with the CGO will be auto-drafted.
WORKOUTS
Athletes officially competing in the Open will have only four days to complete each workout: Thursday (when the workout is announced) through Monday evening (when the scores are due). The Open occurs over three weeks with the third and final week concluding with our Intergym Throwdown Competition VERSUS, where your team points entering the event may sway the standings and winners. If the Open is a sport season then VERSUS is the playoffs/championships (and it’s all over within a month!)
As usual, you can be tested at any class on Friday when it’s programmed as the workout of the day for those who show up for fitness.
To earn your team even more points, show up to Competitions Saturdays from 10am to 12pm. This is the day to prepare for. Train well through the week so you can show up with your team and push it to the limit on those Saturdays.
Make-ups can be done during our open hours, but you’ll have to provide your own certified judge and ask the coach-on-duty where you can go. It’s better to come in on Fridays or Saturdays, but we get that life happens.
SOCIAL
If you’re posting anything to the socials make sure you tag the gym @foundationgym or the hashtag #HYFRsquad!
IN SUMMARY
Our focus is on celebrating our fitness. We want participation because it will keep you accountable and drive you to new goals. It might push you to a higher-level of training as well!
Register online at the CrossFit Games site (or don’t) and let’s start this party!
ALL ABOUT THE 2022 FOUNDATION GYM INTRAMURAL OPEN:
– Saturdays During the 2022 Intramural Open – Foundation Gym
– Earning Points in the 2022 Intramural Open – Foundation Gym
– Preparing For the CrossFit Open – CrossFit Games YouTube
– The CrossFit Open for Newbies: Your Guide to Strategy and Beyond – Morning Chalk Up
(More on the 2022 FOUNDATION GYM Intramural Open here)
This is a competition so of course we’re scoring.
Points will be awarded by FOUNDATION HQ after every event. Those officially registered to the CrossFit Games Open simply earn more points because they’re putting themselves out there.
Score Entry = 1 point
Entering your score into the CrossFit Games site/app
Pride = 1 point
Wear any FOUNDATION apparel during the Saturday Event
Social = 1 point
Posting a relevant picture/video and tag @foundationgym or #HYFRsquad. Earn your team a maximum of 1 point per week.
Podium = 1 point
Top three FOUNDATION athletes in each division/gender earns one extra point for their teams. This applies to every leaderboard FOUNDATION HQ can access on the CrossFit Games website.
Attendance = 2 points
Non-registered members that competes at the Saturday Eventearn their teams two points.
Judging = 2/3 points
Validate and confirm performances! Those who judge someone else on Saturday events will earn either 2 or 3 points (dependent on the Online Judges Course. See below for more info)
Personal Records = 3 points
Perform your first-ever skill or do better in a retest? Be awarded three extra points!
Most Spirited = 10 points
Who represents the spirit of FOUNDATION GYM? The team with the most encouragement, noise, pride, and PRESENCE each week will receive 10 points per standout action. Multiple teams can win.
Judges Course = 10 points
Pass the 2022 Online Judges Course and email the PDF to info@foundationcrossfit.com. Screenshots don’t count. If you forward me a link, it doesn’t count. Get me that PDF and then it’s 10 points to Gryffindor your team!
Official Judgement will have their certificates displayed on the office.
MORE INFORMATIVE ARTICLES:
– The 2022 Intramural Open – Foundation Gym
– Preparing For the CrossFit Open – CrossFit Games YouTube
– The CrossFit Open for Newbies: Your Guide to Strategy and Beyond – Morning Chalk Up
SKILLS for Thursday 2/10/2022 is the CLEAN
FOAM ROLLER SESSION for Thursday 2/10/2022
Join us for YOGA at 10am on Zoom after you RSVP via PushPress for meeting room info!
CONDITIONING for Sunday 1/16/22
MORE STUFF! If you missed out on Pt 1 click here to catch up.
Tons more to talk about here. I should also mention I’ve either a.) had first-hand experience with all of these items, or b.) currently have them in my training bags.
RECOVERY TOOLS, MOBILITY
When training frequently enough you may need some extra help in your recovery and mobility as stretching doesn’t target very acute, specific spots. Using some particular tools may help
Good: Lacrosse ball. Ah, the good ol lacrosse ball. This works great since it’s so dense. If the foam roller represents the masseuse’s forearm, the lax ball would be the thumb. Put it on soft tissue only, and apply enough pressure to make it very uncomfortable, but not painful. You can make tight spots learn how to release with frequent practice.
Other Good: Theracane. The original and the strongest of the bunch- I’d avoid any of the knockoff styles as they aren’t as robust in the materials department. A little more control with the point of contact, and no need to lay down for proper pressure. I keep one in my car for longer rides.
Better: Massage Gun. Here’s something that’s nice, but definitely not necessary. HyperVolts (try the gym’s if you haven’t!), Theraguns, and more are great but they’re not all created equal. Depth, power, and features separate the quality products from the run-of-the-mill knockoffs.
Other Better: Accupressure mat. If you’ve done personal training with me I may have talked about how great an acupressure mat can help. Reflexology is a huge thing in different parts of the world and with most people wearing the same shoes all the time in sedentary lifestyles the foot (our connection to the planet) get all sorts of messed up. This simple mat can help reset muscles and generate blood flow to areas that don’t get a lot, jump starting the healing process we so desperately need. If you suffer from any foot, ankle, calf, or knee issues this doesn’t hurt to try.
Best: a foam roller. Didn’t think you’d see this, huh? You probably already have one sitting in the corner collecting dust. You can use this for general recovery making sure tissues in your legs, glutes, back, and arms never get stiff. The issue for most people is the lack of consistent use. I get on one daily for less than a duration of a song, but I get on it. The slower you can move on it, the better!
There are tons of different brands out there with different firmness levels. If you have questions let us know and we can direct you to the right one. This one is my favorite, but the brand went out of business years ago.
HAND CARE
Specific to how to maintain your hands with all the use they get day in and day out.
Good: WODrod. This is nice because it’s shaped like the objects that gave you the calluses in the first place. Not my personal pick for reasons you’ll read below, but it’s better than nothing.
Better: Stainless Steel rasp. Professional manicurist use these for a reason- people got nasty hands and feet. These take care of those thickened blotches of skin real fast. I say it all the time in the gym, but working hands are the small sacrifice to a stronger body and spirit. That said you have to keep that overuse in check and keep those calluses from getting to big and too thick. Before you know it you’ll rip which sucks because then you’ll hurt, blood might be everywhere, and you’ll have to adjust your training to accommodate your mini-injury.
Best: The Sand Bar. I’ve listed a ton of different items I actually have and use, and adding to the toolbox isn’t necessary. What’s even more unnecessary is having accessories for your accessories- I don’t like the callus removers with 5+ parts and refills and all that. Positive or negative this bar is simple: it’s a bar and it’s got a traction tape-like surface. All the complaints I ever hear about these tools come from people who only use it when the calluses are bad. The idea here is maintaining a formed callus in check. I use/keep this in the shower as the water gets the skin to show and rise better, the water cuts down on the friction, and keeps things clean. Skin dust is gross. Pair callus maintenece with a good hand moisturizer and you’re ready to go.
TAPE
On the topic of hand care we should try to prevent the calluses and tears as best as possible. Adding an extra layer between the equipment and your hands is a good idea.
Good: GoatTape athletic tape. Although this is a “premium” brand of athletic tape it’s harder to rip and almost too sticky comparatively to my Better pick below. If you’re a really sweaty athlete this might be a better choice.
Better: J&J Coach athletic tape. I remember being in High School Sports Medicine and my teacher Mr. Peck would give the each of us in the class about a 1″x1.5″ piece of this athletic tape. The challenge was ripping up this piece into as many pieces as possible. This was because Athletic Training is really just taping ankles and wrists in high school sports. We won a state championship due to our ability to tape ankles well and quickly. This history with the product is why we offer rolls of this in the gym. We can make temporary pullup grips from this too. Great to reinforce wrists and tape thumbs.
Best: Average Broz 1″ stretch thumb tape. This is my absolutely favorite tape I’ve ever used (specifically for weightlifting use). Most rolls come in at 1.5″ wide which works, but isn’t as articulate/comfortable as preferred. Their fix is simply going with 1″ instead and it’s PERFECT. The amount of stretch on this tape, as well as it’s stickiness make me go back to this over and over and over again.
TRAINING SHOES
Since these are so subjective I won’t be rating them, rather I’ll list what I would consider best on the market and explain what would fit best for use. Just like the workout methodology says, “constantly varied” also applies to footwear. Makes your foot stronger, which makes your connect to the ground stronger.
Lifestyle Shoes You Might Already Have: Converse Chuck Taylor, Onitsuka Tiger (Ultimate 81), Adidas Samba, any skate shoe, most boat shoes, Toms. Flat, flat, flat! Your shoes have too much technology and your foot is getting soft like a marshmallow because of it. Imagine trying to workout in snow mittens. That’s what most “training” (see: running) shoes are to our training needs. Get activity-appropriate equipment and feel the difference.
Willing to Spend Money, but I Don’t Want to Scream “CROSSFIT” Wearing Them In Public: Strike Movement Chill Pill, Haze, or Interval. The Chill Pills are some of my favorite shoes ever. I have multiple pairs. Any barefoot brand (including FiveFingers, but my favorite is VIVOBAREFOOT)
I Want the Best: Nike MetCon, Reebok Nano, or NoBull Trainer. In that order. Most of the shoes you’ll see at the highest-level of the competitive side of CrossFit will be one of the three silhouettes listed and for good reason: they’re designed to be the jack of all trades. Flat bottoms for stability, flexible but durable front end of the shoe for running, jumping, burpees, etc, plastic heel clips for HSPU, extra-durability around the arch of the foot for rope climbs, etc. There have been so many revisions in each of these lines (minus NoBull) but really all of them are great.
Okay, that’s it for now. One more post coming soon!
New noontime classes on the schedule: BODYBUILDING and ENGINE on Mon/Wed/Fri
ENGINE (12pm) is where you increase you cardiovascular endurance and muscular stamina so you’re not huffing and puffing all the time. Even though our ongoing S&C classes provide you constantly varied functional movement at a relatively high intensity, sometimes low intensity over a long period of time is necessary for your heart health.
BODYBUILDING (12:30pm) is where you take your training to the next level for muscle and joint development to avoid weak spots, and to continue pushing your other main fitness training forward. Hypertrophy if your nutrition includes tons of good materials! These are also nice ways to get rid of some soreness if the loading and intensity is correct!
Check out the schedule on PushPress and RSVP to try them out next week!
