14.5 Results

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Sorry for the time it took to construct this post. We wanted to try and bring in 2013 data and have some overall comparisons between the two Opens. However, after some debate, it was decided we are still too new to really have anything of interest from 2013 to 2014. So, with that being said, in this post we will stick to how 14.5 shaped up only.

In our opinion 14.5 was one of the most taxing workouts HQ has programmed for the CrossFit Open. It’s safe to say not many movements can sky rocket an athlete’s heart rate more than thrusters or burpees. In this workout we got to perform both in a grueling format. For the first time in the CrossFit Open, Dave Castro programmed a workout for completion stating, “The clock won’t save you.” Good stuff. Let’s see what happened.

On average, the majority of gyms in the PDX area were below the Northwest Regional average, 19:46, for time completion. As mentioned in previous articles, Portland is stocked with awesome athletes. CrossFit Reflexion athletes in particular really showed their motor strength on this workout. On average it took 17:05 for a CRX athlete to complete 14.5. That’s over 2:30 seconds below the Northwest Regional average! As coaches, we honestly couldn’t be more proud of our athlete base. We witnessed so many athletes truly gutting out this last workout. Often it’s easier to phone in the 5th WOD after placings are all but set. Some members even tried 14.5 more than once!

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In the women vs men breakdown we are super pleased to see a fairly even performance from both sides. We believe this further proves previous claims that our athlete base needs work on high-skilled gymnastic movements. If you remember in 14.3 the men and women were of equal performance in regards to strength coupled with low skill. Here we are seeing a similar performance equality on a workout that tests your engine with, again, low skill. We need to improve our athletes’ ability to move through difficult gymnastic movements to be better prepared for next year’s CrossFit Open. We of course will be concentrating on these needs in our programming.

In summary, we want to congratulate ALL of our athletes and any other athletes that followed these posts. The Open is fun, but it’s also tough. Don’t sell any of your accomplishments short. So many folks grow up playing sports and being active only to hit their late 20s and essentially stop moving. Everyday we are truly inspired by athletes who come in at any age or fitness level and want to be better. Not just better at CrossFit, but better at life. Seeing people workout to be healthy, become more flexible, combat the sedentary desk job, or get moving to play with their kids are the reasons we come in and sweat. Folks who CrossFit are not looking for shortcuts. No one comes in and complains about the difficult workout programmed. It may seem strange to you, but this often isn’t the case in other fitness realms. That nervous pit of your stomach feeling you get right before an Open workout is actually good for you. It builds character and means you care about the work you put into anything you do. That’s what makes the CrossFit Open so great. Anyone can participate and go through the same pain as the athletes at the top.

Lastly, to the CrossFit Reflexion athletes, we want to thank you for being apart of our community. We are truly blessed to have you on our team and can’t wait to continue training and PR’ing with you.