19point1
19.1 was wallballs and rowing – it was painful and long, but if you paced it accordingly, the pain didn’t set in until the half-way point. With a large number of first-timers, everyone pulled themselves out of their comfort zone, pushed hard, PR’d, and supported each other. A huge shoutout to your 4 team captains who helped judge and cheer all night, and also stuck around until the very end to smash their workout. Thank you as well to all of our members who helped judge throughout the night – you all rock! 19.1 definitely set the tone for the rest of the Open – our athletes were determined to give each workout their best effort!

For this one, we saw athletes tackle both the RX and the scaled options, and all performances were so exciting to watch! We witnessed so many first toes-to-bar reps (and then many more afterwards!), and numerous athletes who motored through those knee raises. The squat cleans were just as exciting to watch: athletes challenged themselves with weights near their 1RM & with each round getting heavier (and under more fatigued), everyone rose to the challenge! We even witnessed some athletes who finished the whole workout, or were very close to the end!

Keeping with the theme of firsts, most athletes had never performed a single-arm DB overhead walking lunge before, so that was a first for most! Even those athletes who had never done the exercise before tackled the RX version of the workout to try it & to challenge themselves – amazing! The scaled version was equally as impressive – athletes had to manage and stabilize the same weight as RX while lunging 200 ft. If athletes made it through the lunge, there were 50 box step ups awaiting them. All of our athletes were extremely impressive & kept moving steadily on the box. While this is not a new movement to our members, the challenge itself was & it was clear that all of the accessory work we have been doing is paying off! For those athletes that completed the box step ups in time, 50 strict HSPU awaited them. Some athletes kicked up against the wall for the first time, some achieved their first ever sHSPU and some showcased their ninja skills. However, most impressive were those athletes who spent many minutes trying to get their first handstand or HSPU – the resilience we saw was admirable & it’s that determination that is going to lead to success!

This workout was exciting to watch, even with the programmed rest, because athletes again pushed themselves to do weights they previously hadn’t done. As well, this workout was particularly exciting because we witnessed athletes get their first pull-ups and bar muscle ups! Gymnastics tend to be at the forefront of athletes minds – and for alot of people are their main goals – so seeing people achieve something they have been working towards for so long is inspiring. 

And not to mention the volume in this workout! 20 minutes of thrusters and pull-ups is not only mentally daunting, but physically exhausting too! Regardless of the difficulty, every single athlete set personal goals and gave their FULL effort for the entire duration of the workout. So, GREAT JOB EVERYONE!

As coaches we are beyond proud to see our members achieve their goals and do things they never thought they could. The Open/BBL was full of surprises, challenges & PRs, but most of all, it was full of community. The support, encouragement, positive attitudes & inclusiveness that were demonstrated throughout the entire 5 weeks are qualities that everyone should be very proud of. 

Thank you to everyone who participated this year, especially to the 4 team captains who went above and beyond to bring their team together & to encourage and support one another. We LOVED & APPRECIATED the team spirit – from funky shorts, to flags and tattoos, to new shirts – the swag was only a small part of the camaraderie and teamwork you all demonstrated. And for that, you should all be very proud!

Let’s all use the energy and confidence from the Open to keep chasing after current goals and/or set new ones!