To Redo or Not to Redo? What Did We Learn in the 2024 Open?

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Athena Perez on a new phase in her journey to 300 and why coaches need coaches

• More and more gym owners are subscribing to programming services; we dig in to learn why

• Each year we discuss the pros and cons of redoing CrossFit Open workouts. What did we learn in 2024?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’ve watched too many people start the Open workouts without a real strategy only because they already know they’re going to redo,” — Ross Twanmoh, co-owner of CrossFit Union Square on CrossFit Open redos

COMMUNITY

“The Journey to 300,” Part 6: Coaches Need Coaches

Upon receiving the news from my previous coach that he would be unable to coach me any longer, I immediately began making phone calls within the first half-hour. However, I must confess the initial days were steeped in a cocktail of shock and confusion. 

The details of those first few days may be somewhat hazy now, yet I am certain that quitting was never considered. I was going to proceed with or without a coach. 

During this time, my inbox also began to fill with direct messages and emails from various coaches across the space, each offering to step in.

Numerous scenarios materialized out of the ether. 

• For instance, one coach suggested that they would take charge of my movement training, but someone else on their team would handle my nutritional needs. 

Another coach offered to manage my nutrition but expressed reservations about addressing my scaling needs. There were also immediate and future concerns about time and availability with a few others. 

In essence, the landscape was overflowing with potential and promising opportunities, yet the perfect arrangement remained elusive.

On the Friday night of that initial week, I was immersed in the mundane task of doing dishes when Coldplay's "Army of One" began to play softly from my playlist. As I listened to the lyrics, it conveyed a powerful message of unwavering dedication, resilience, and the determination to fight for and protect this journey no matter what.

The thought of navigating the rest of the year solo without a coach became a compelling consideration. Nutrition had seemingly been on autopilot since the second day, and being a coach myself; I could modify movements like nobody's business. 

However, my concern was that I tend to be overly cautious and don't push myself the same way a coach would.

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SPEED READS

💪✍️ Cigar City CrossFit is Hiring: Are you a full-time fitness professional in the Tampa area? Veteran-owned and run, Cigar City CrossFit is searching for a full-time, in-person coach for CrossFit classes and individual training. Learn more.

Reps Ahead Pro 2 Showcase: In case you missed it over the weekend, watch the full live stream of Reps Ahead Pro Showcase 2 here, on the B.Friendly Fitness YouTube Channel. And, check out our recap above.

✍️ Now Hiring: PRVN Fitness is growing and wants to hire a new coach with a background in online programming and community building. The hours and location are flexible. Want to be part of the PRVN Team? Send your application now.

🎥🥇 Chasing the Podium: Check out Finnish CrossFit Games veteran and endurance master, Jonne Koski’s new YouTube series, “Chasing the Podium.” The episodes will follow Koski as he attempts to qualify for his 10th Games.

👨‍🎓💪 CrossFit x Educators: CrossFit HQ made two recent announcements that will come as welcome news for teachers at all levels:

• CrossFit will offer 50 $10,000 grants to schools in the first half of 2024. The funds will help teachers and administrators outfit school affiliates with equipment and introduce students to the concept of fitness for health and longevity. Apply here.

• CrossFit Educators Course - Released this week, the CrossFit Educators Course will help educators create and implement CrossFit-based P.E. curricula that are effective and scalable for kids of all abilities, ages 3-11.

🚨🚨 Affiliate Owner Quarterfinals Database: With a tip of the hat to Morning Chalk Up contributor Mike Halpin at Known and Knowable, here’s a super useful tool for affiliate owners heading into the Quarterfinals.

• Simply search your affiliate name in the drop-down menu to access a full list of all your athletes who qualified for the next stage of competition.

ICYMI: What can history teach us about Quarterfinals programming?

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Why More and More Gym Owners Are Outsourcing Their Programming

In the early days of CrossFit, programming for one’s community was a source of pride for a gym owner. 

The thought of giving up the task, as time-consuming as it may have been, was unthinkable.

Fast-forward to 2024, and it seems like close to 50 percent of gym owners no longer program for their gyms. Some have handed it off to an in-house coach. The large majority are following either CrossFit Affiliate Programming (CAP) or turning to companies like CrossFit Mayhem Affiliate, NCFIT, PRVN Fitness, CompTrain, Training Think Tank, Level Method, Linchpin, Park City Fit, Deka Comp, the list goes on, to program for their gyms.

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CROSSFIT OPEN

To Redo or Not to Redo? The Annual Debate

The 2024 CrossFit Open has come and gone, but I’m sure some of us are still having flashbacks (good and bad). 

What is unique about the Open format is it gives athletes the time to redo a workout if they see fit and can submit by the deadline. 

This ‘redo’ mentality is a hot-button topic that comes around almost every Open. 

Some coaches find that the redo option doesn’t align with the CrossFit mentality, while others say it gives the greener athletes a chance to try again if they didn’t perform well in their first competition-like setting. We spoke to some coaches to give their perspective on the matter. 

Remind me: The CrossFit Open is the start of the CrossFit Games season and runs for three weeks. Athletes are given one workout a week that they must complete in a certain time frame, but there is no limit to how many times an athlete can perform the workout. 

Ross Twanmoh, co-owner of CrossFit Union Square and a strength coach in Manhattan, New York, is a firm believer in a “one-and-done” approach to the Open, and while he understands the redo for personal reasons, “in real competitions, you only have one chance to put it all together.” 

• “I’ve watched too many people start Open workouts without a real strategy only because they already know they’re going to redo,” Twanmoh tells Morning Chalk Up. 

Twanmoh adds, he understands why athletes want to redo for personal reasons, such as achieving a goal or proving something to themselves. However, the issue he has is when athletes aren’t redoing workouts for placement, instead “for most it’s ego.” 

HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.

• 🎂Happy birthday to Erin Weber and Rebecka Vitesson.

• Nice work to Games athlete Bronislaw Olenkowicz on the 150 kilo/330 pound clean and jerk.

• Nice job to CrossFit L1 coach Kirra on her 80-kilo/176-pound weightlifting progress.

• Congratulations to Jose from Lightning CrossFit in Florida on the 305-pound/138-kilo clean and jerk PR.

• 💪Congratulations to Charlotte of CrossFit Conation in Happaugue, NY, on the 155-pound/70-kilo power snatch PR.