Welcome to Mayhem!
It's October, but more importantly for our box, it's the beginning of a new programming experience! Welcome to Mayhem.
CrossFit Mayhem is one of the world's most renowned gyms in the world, is home to the likes of current Games champions Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey, and is owned by one of the greatest athletes in the history of our sport, Rich Froning. We will be following the exact programming that occurs at their gym in Tennessee, programmed by Darren Hunsucker, the winningest coach in CrossFit history, and the Mayhem Athlete Team.
How will this be any different from the past few years that we've been following CompTrain? (you might ask)
The programming that we were following was individual "competitor" programming which involved a number of pieces per day that would not necessarily fit into our 1-hour class times. The Mayhem Affiliate programming is meant specifically for classes and is, therefore, structured accordingly.
And that's pretty much it! There will still be cycles focusing on specific skill and strength-building activities and, ultimately, the programming will continue to comprehensively address our proficiency and capacity in the 10 general physical skills, and develop our overall GPP (general physical preparedness).
If you have any questions, feel free to ask a coach!
Stage 1 of the CrossFit Games
That's right, stage 1 of the CrossFit Games has already come and gone, with an online competition over 2 days that involved the top 20 men and women from the CrossFit Open, and winners of the first 10 sanctional events of the 2020 season (before everything got canceled due to COVID-19).
If you missed it, or just want to relive the weekend, here are some of the highlights:
Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey continued their incredible dominance, each winning 4 of the 7 programmed workouts, with Mat not finishing lower than eighth in any event, and Tia with one outlying event finish of 16th in the handstand hold. Be sure to watch Mat crush "Friendly Fran" in an insane time of 3:08, and Tia destroy "Damn Diane" in an absurd 2:28!
Other than "Team Unbeatable" (Fraser and Toomey), stage 2 will see some other familiar faces in the likes of Brooke Wells, Haley Adams, Katrin Davidsdottir, and Kari Pearce on the women's side, and Noah Ohlsen and Samuel Kwant on the men's side. Check out this absolutely bananas 2:54 freestanding handstand hold that gave Katrin the win in that event.
Stage 2 will also see some fresh faces in Justin Medeiros (rookie) and Jeffrey Adler (33rd at 2019 games, cut after 4 events) who put in some consistent performances over the weekend to edge out more household names like Chandler Smith, Patrick Vellner, and Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson.
A special shout out has to go to Griffin Roelle who front squatted an immense 490 lbs to win the 1-rep max event that occurred in block 1.
Now the focus turns towards stage 2 of the Games, set to be held at the CrossFit Ranch in Aromas, California. The top 5 from stage 1 will advance to what Dave Castro, Director of Sport, has termed "the most challenging games to date". You can tune into the live broadcast through the games.crossfit.com from October 19-25, or watch the broadcast on CBS sports. We can't wait!
Potatoes
In lieu of a recipe this month, let's talk potatoes, specifically sweet potatoes vs white potatoes.
A few years back, some nutrition enthusiasts decided to figure out whether white or sweet potatoes were “healthier”.
One group compared the glycemic index and load of sweet potatoes vs. potatoes. They suggested that since white potatoes tend to be higher, they should be avoided.
Another group suggested that sweet potatoes are a vitamin A ‘superfood’, putting them way ahead of their white potato competitors.
And, of course, the carbophobes had their own take: All potatoes should be avoided because they’re too high in carbs and all those carbs will mess with your insulin regulation and cause fat gain.
Nonsense, all of it. Both white and sweet potatoes, when eaten as part of a balanced and intentional diet, provide a fantastic array of nutrients while contributing to the satiety and deliciousness of any meal.
Check out this infographic to learn more about why you should consider all potatoes for a balanced diet.
Split Jerks
This video does a great job of concisely describing how to figure out which leg to put forward when you split jerk. Check it out!
News, Events, and fun things to click on!
Here you'll find current events on the local, regional, and international scale, articles that have piqued our interest, and other cool stuff!
Stage 2 of the CrossFit Games will take place October 19-25. Find out more here
Ever wondered if your shoe is wide enough?
A national study has confirmed it's safe to work out at the gym
Want better sleep? Check out this guide
And if you want to catch up on all of the WODs from Stage 1, here is the CrossFit Games Youtube Channel
We want to hear from you!
We hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter! If you have feedback with regards to anything we've missed, anything you'd like to see more of, or anything else - let us know!