1st Annual Competition, #OutsideTheBox, September 7th and 8th, 2013

#OutsideTheBox

Alright, I have been thinking about this and planning it out in my head for a very long time. Like many others, I have always enjoyed competing in fitness competitions. I try to do at least 3-5 competitions per year. Some are good, some are not as good. Regardless of that, I believe the only way to achieve your ultimate potential in fitness is to test yourself. Further, I believe the only way for fitness competitions to evolve is for them to occur; without having them, we can't improve them.

The date for the competition will be September 7th and 8th, 2013. The event will include multiple events per day, but with an added feature. Throughout the day there will be mini-education sessions to allow competitors to understand what goes into the event design, why it was designed as such, what limitations existed, what they can take away from their performance and how to fuel/recover appropriately throughout the year and during competition. The fuelling/recovery portion will be done by Mike Kesthely of Dynamic Nutrition.

What should be noted is that this is NOT a beginners competition. Here are some basic strength qualifications to have:

- able to do strict chin-ups (female - 3 reps, male - 6 reps)
- able to perform the snatch and clean and jerk movements
- able to power snatch (female - 85lbs, male - 135lbs)
- able to power clean (female - 125lbs, male - 185lbs)
- able to front squat (female - 135lbs, male - 205lbs)

If you are interested in competing, please e-mail us. More details on the events and movements will be posted later, this is an announcement. Cost for participating will also be established shortly. The total number of participants will not be large. Initially I am thinking there will be a maximum of 30-40 competitors. There will not be any age categories or teams events. Although, if you are travelling from the U.S.A you may receive bonus points for your dedication!

(The picture has nothing to do the the competition. I just love it. My niece took the picture near my hometown in Wabush, NL, Canada. The tracks in the snow are from numerous snowmobiles travelling to and from. I am sure I traced this route multiple times in my teens. There is a certain beauty in this winter landscape.)

Athlete Results for 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games

Here is an updated score sheet of how my Coaching client's did this year during the CrossFit Regional's:

Joey Warren - 4th in Northern California - Games Qualified Athlete
DJ Wickham - 5th in Canada West
Me - 7th in Canada West
Alex Netty - 7th in North Central
Fraser O'Neil - 8th in Canada West
Jessica Tillapaugh - 10th in Canada West
Lauren Pryor - 16th in Canada West
David Mullback - 16th in Canada West
Michael McElroy - 16th in South Central
Aaron Chetek - 18th in Canada West
Jake Naumcheff - 22nd in South East
Ken Crowder - 23rd in Mid Atlantic
Clayton Shultz - 34th in Australia
Kevin O'Malley - 43rd in North East

Michelle Savard - 17th in Female Masters (45-49) - Games Qualified Athlete
Del Lafoutain - 22nd in Male Masters (50-54) - so close!

CrossFit Faith (Derek Robinson) - 5th in Central East
CrossFit Dublin (Michael Price) - 20th in Europe
CrossFit OTG (Mark Saber) - 28th in North East

This is my first year to have an individual client of mine make it to the Reebok CrossFit Games. And, there are 2 of them! Hopefully we can keep this trend up. My goal is to have 10 individual athletes competing in 5 years time. Full Effort!

This is a picture of Michelle Savard from back in late 2011, getting her "engine" up to speed with what was to come in the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games: The Open. Lactate Endurance training = pain, but tolerance and efficiency builds quickly when progressed properly and things are in place, and only adds to the energy system that CrossFit will test in the Open on a regular basis - Aerobic Power. She will most likely punch me in the arm quite hard once she sees that I posted this picture. But, it represents the determination, struggle, and sacrifice one must go through to get to the top of the mountain (so to speak). Michelle has done that, and now she gets to compete at the Games, which has been a dream come true for her!