Ready Or Not: My First CrossFit Competition

Call me crazy, but 6 months into my CrossFit journey I decided to bite the self doubt bullet and compete in my very first CrossFit competition on Sunday 8th June, 2018. Despite my competitive nature, my partner and I, team Chalk Dirty To Me, didn’t enter the competition to win but rather to test our strengths and weaknesses and more importantly, to have a little fun with the other athlete’s competing from our box.

With 22 teams, 32 degree heat, 4 intense WOD’s and an 8 hour day, everything was set at CrossFit Romsey. Thanks to CFR, we knew exactly what to expect from the day as each WOD was released throughout the week. WOD 1? Not nice. WOD 2? No thanks. WOD 3? Let me be sick. WOD 4? Pass me a new set of shoulders.

WOD 1 – 9.20am

1RM back squat

1RM bench press

1RM deadlift

We had an hour to compete all three major lifts with 20 minutes at each station. This is the WOD I dreaded the most. My bench was non existent. My back squat was questionable after months of completing a squat programme and my deadlift was unpredictable.

First up was the back squat. We had 10 minutes to warm up and then 10 minutes to get to our 1RM (1 rep max). In teams of 3 we started with the bar and slowly increased by 20kg and then dropped the increase to 10kg, 5kg and 2.5kg. As soon as I hit 60kg, the 1RM kicked in until I failed. Before starting my squat programme my 1RM was 65kg so having a little self doubt, I had this in mind and kept a spotter behind me once I knew I was in 1RM territory. 60kg – easy. 65kg – smooth. 70kg – push Hannah, push. 75kg – knees Hannah, knees. 80kg – GET THAT BAR UP. I tried for 82.5kg in the last 20 seconds but once I knew I hit a 15kg PB increase, the mind games of how much was on the bar hit me like a ton of bricks. Shit. Overall though, I’m pretty damn happy with my back squat. No, it’s not a massive weight compared to other girls, but for me, someone who’s struggled terribly with back squats (my front squat is 65kg – go figure), I can’t complain with a 15kg PB increase in 6 weeks.

Once the back squat was done, it was time to move on to my worst nightmare – bench. A lift I have done only once or twice in my life. Opps. We had more people on the station this time with no warm up. Instead, we went straight into it and started with the 15kg bar. We increased quite quickly considering the amount of people and limited time we had. Next thing I know we’re at 30kg – 5kg under my PB. I know, I know, I have some weak chesticles. I won’t lie, as soon as we hit 30kg, the struggle bus kicked in and I felt my shoulders and arms trying to take control of the lift – not my chest. This is something I actually really struggle with when it comes to bench. Anyway, I hit 35kg, failed the rest of the increases and before I knew it, the time was up. 35kg for a bench PB. Damn, hello weakness number 1. 

Straight after bench we set up for our deadlift. Luckily, I ordered a new lifting belt from Urban Gymwear (4inch Schiek training belt) a few days before and I’m so bloody glad I did. The support was much better, I wasn’t sporting a Quasimodo look (well, until things got super heavy) and thankfully, it gave me the confidence to lift heavier without worrying about my back. Just like the back squat we had 10 minutes to warm up and 10 minutes to hit our 1RM. A week before the comp I hit 105kg but it was very, very ugly. Quasimodo indeed. And I wasn’t quite sure if I’d hit it again. Once we hit 80kg, I told the other girls on my bar not to tell me what the weight was. “Just chuck it on”. It’s safe to say that I’m definitely one of those lifters who’ll let my mind take over as soon as I know if the weight on the bar is past my max. So, with that said, every time it was my turn, I picked up the bar and let my little mind wonder if I’m anywhere near my PB. For the last life, my 1RM, I was convinced we were sitting at 105kg – my previous PB. I picked up the bar and nothing. Nothing would move. But I was stubborn.There was absolutely no way in hell I was taking my hands off that bar until I got it up. So with Quasimodo form, I gave it my everything and alas, the bugger starting to rise from the floor. Let me tell you now, it wasn’t pretty. There was a lot of thigh shimmering, there was a lot of no breathing and there was a lot of face redness. Thanks Mr Camera Man for getting my best shot. But after what felt like an eternity of thigh shimmering, I got the bar up. It wasn’t until after, when I finally asked for the weight of the bar (time was running out), that I was told I hit 107.5kg. Not bad for a girl who only started going heavy about 4 months ago. Despite my bench result, I was very happy with the outcome for WOD 1 and suddenly, all my self doubt went out the window. Bring on the other 3 WOD’s. 

WOD 2 – 11.50am

42-30-18

Ground to overhead @30kg

Burpee bar hops

8 min time cap

Out of all the 3 WOD’s, this probably was my least favourite. Burpees are 100% not my best friend. Before the WOD we talked tactics. Lofty was to do most of the ground to overhead lifting (he went for muscle ups, I went for clean and jerks) and I’d do as much of the burpee bar hops. However, all is well planning out your tactics until you hit the actual WOD and realise that actually, it’s a lot fucking harder than it looks. Hands down to Lofty though for smashing 10 GTOH whilst I hit 5 and as for the burpees, well, there was absolutely no way I was hitting 42 burpees. As soon as 10 came around, my legs started to tire and my burpee form was poor – no straight legs meant for incredibly fatigued quads.

I’ll be honest when I say that this was probably our worst WOD – score wise. We only managed to hit round two and finished on the last set of 30 burpees but by the time the clock hit 8 minutes, I was just glad to see WOD 2 over and done with. Nope, didn’t like you mate.

WOD 3 – 1.40pm

75 calorie bike

75 calorie row

600 metre run

Max wall balls in remaining time

13 min time cap

If I thought WOD 2 was disgusting, then I was about to be hit by a ton of bricks with WOD 3. I hands down owe this workout to my partner, Lofty. Without him beasting the bike and rower, we wouldn’t have got such a good score (perhaps a little help from me with the run also). The workout was scored in three sections: how quickly you completed the bike, what time you got back from the run and how many wall balls you completed. Although the 13 minute time cap doesn’t sound like much, after returning from the monstrous run in 32 degree heat and with broken legs, the remaining time goes on for what feels like forever. I felt pretty broken after the run and my wall balls were questionable at first but once Lofty was by my side, we took turns to complete 5 wall balls each – you go, I go style. As a pair, we worked really well with this workout. We both knew our strengths and we both knew each other’s weaknesses so we worked around them. Was this the most disgusting WOD of the day? Absolutely.

WOD 4 – 15.20pm

50 pistol squats

40 synchro dumbbell shoulder to overhead

30 toes to bar

20 dumbbell overhead squats

10 muscle ups

10 min time cap

After fuelling up for the last time of the day, it was time to tackle the last WOD of the day – one that Lofty and I were both questioning throughout the day. Should we RX it or should we take the scaled option? Scaled option:

50 synchro air squats

40 synchro push ups

30 synchro sit ups

20 synchro dumbbell lunges

10 burpee box jumps

Although I had a few pistol squats in me, I wasn’t sure if my poor lil quads could take a beating of 50 all on their own as Lofty had absolutely none in him. This isn’t a move we often practice. So after a whole day of debating, we went for the scaled option. Two reasons why: firstly, we both agreed that we weren’t there for the competition and really, the only reason you wouldn’t scale a workout (that you can barely do) is because you’re afraid of your score going down (when you scale a WOD your score is drastically less than those who RX it). Secondly, we wanted to finish the day with a decent workout rather than getting in a few pistol squats just to say that we RX’ed it. So there we go. Ego left at the door. 

The workout wasn’t that bad actually and as a team, we worked great together. I shouted at Lofty. Lofty kept up. All was well. Ha, I’m only joking Lofty! In all seriousness, due to the synchro aspect of the WOD, it really enabled us to push each other to keep going. I started to tire a little during the press ups, but with Lofty right by my side, it kept me going.  We finished around the 7 minute mark and with that, the day was over. Done. Dusted. Sweat ridden. Muscle maxed. My body was sore, but my energy was high. My first ever CrossFit Competition and it was everything and more that I’d hoped it would be. I 100% couldn’t have done it without my partner in crime, nor without my CrossFit Fareham team. Bloody love those guys. 

Now for the bits and bobs…

Food

The day before the competition I was reading Tia-Clair Toomey’s book and she briefly mentioned her eating habits during a competition. Typically, she likes to focus on fats and carbohydrates during a competition – not too much, but just enough to keep herself full. She also makes sure she gets a good amount of protein in but she doesn’t snack on it throughout the day as your body requires energy to breakdown the protein – energy that could be used for the competition instead. Baring this in mind, I kept my food pretty simple. I didn’t really rely on energy drinks or too many protein shakes.

8.30am – 60 grams oats with a cup of blueberries

Straight after WOD 1 – Vivo Life PERFORM protein shake (code HANNAH10) with a banana and creatine monohydrate.

1pm – Brown rice, chicken breast, red pepper and sweetcorn. Plus, a bite of Coolio’s homemade brownies… for that sugar burst, you know? AND a bottle of water with Vivo Life BCAA’s coconut water with blueberry and baobab.

Half an hour before WOD 4 – Eat Natural nut bar.

Throughout the day, I pretty much drowned myself with as much water as possible and because of the heat, I wasn’t hungry at all. However, because of the intensity of the day, I knew my body relied on all the food possible so I made sure that I ate correctly and kept myself fuelled. As a guess, I think I consumed at least 12 bottles worth of water – perhaps why I felt so damn bloated throughout the day.

Gear

I always get asked about my workout gear on Instagram so I thought I’d share it here too. I had three outfit changes throughout the day thanks to being a human waterfall of sweat. Charming. The clothes I did wear we’re pretty much a saint haven. I hate wearing anything that makes me feel the slightest bit uncomfortable so something comfortable, sweat proof and light was a must. 

Clothes

Urban Gym Wear Black vest – Better Bodies Performance Halter

I wore a size XS in this and dang, it’s one of my new favourite vest tops. I go crazy for anything halter styled because it’s so flattering towards the shoulders but the material of the vest was super comfortable too.

Urban Gym Wear sports bra – Better Bodies Sports Bra Black 

This was a little too large for me (I went for a medium) so perhaps size down if you decide to go for this. But overall, the quality of the bra is excellent compared to some bra’s out there. I also loved the material – definitely a sweat proof one.

KITBOX CO booty shorts – 2XU Printed Kinetic Short Black Alpine Print

I only own a few shorts (trust me a CrossFit girl can never have enough shorts) and I have to say that these are by far my favourite. They’re super comfortable, just about the right length (don’t worry ladies I’ve done all the squat tests imaginable to test these babies out) and make it past the wedgie free zone. I’m still not super comfortable when it comes to wearing shorts but I don’t bat an eye lid when it comes to wearing these. I wear a size S in these and they fit perfectly.

KITBOX CO sports bra – Beach Body Intent Compression Bra Black

I know I sound like a broken record but boy, another favourite bra of mine. I really struggle trying to find bras that fit my chesticales nicely and don’t squeeze my lats and give me back fat (ladies, you know), so I’m happy to say that this bra fits the bill nicely. It’s also extremely supportive which I like. I will say that it’s a little thick but if comfort is your number one priority (yes please) then I’d 100% recommend this bra. I also wear a size M in this.

Stance socks – Uncommon Classic Lowrider

I received my first bundle of Stance socks a couple of months ago and I’ve been obsessed ever since. On the day of the competition I decided to pair my white uncommon classic lowrider socks with my Reebok Nano’s 8. Although I looked like a tennis player, I was bloody well comfortable and my feet remained sweat free. Amen. 

Bjorn Borg – Cody Racerback Tank Black

If you don’t know how much of a Bjorn Borg fan I am, then do you even follow me? Ha. I’m obsessed with their gear and I practically live in it – gym or no gym – so it should come as no surprise to say that I ended up bringing a spare vest top with me to sling on. Again, this one is another one of my favourites. It’s quite tight but I like it. It’s also super sweat proof.

Accessories 

Picsil Sport – Azor Grips Woman Edition 

Although I technically didn’t need my grips for the competition, I still decided to take them on a whim and I’m so glad I did. My hands are super sensitive at the moment and they came in particularly handy for my deadlifts. With it being 32 degrees, these grips saved my very sweaty hands and I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t have got my PB deadlift without these babies (see image above).

Urban Gym Wear – Schiek Training Belt 2004 / 4 inch 

I touched upon the belt up above so I’ll keep this short. I’m 5’4 with a waist of 36″ and this belt fitted perfectly. Although it’s my first belt, I would 100% recommend. It’s sturdy, supportive and comfortable. What more could you want? (see picture above).

So that’s that. My first CrossFit competition 6 months into my CF journey. Do I regret entering so early on? Nope. Did I think I would? Oh absolutely. I really doubted myself before the competition – wondering why I had put myself up against some amazing athletes but the truth is, no matter how competitive you are, it’s not always about the win. It’s about putting yourself out there, stepping outside of your comfort zone, testing your strengths, finding your weaknesses and learning from your fellow athletes. The atmosphere on the day was absolutely amazing and whilst everyone is up against everyone, that’s not the feeling at all. The CrossFit community is one of the most supportive communities I’ve ever been a part of and in the short space of 6 months, they’ve managed to push me to my limits like no other.

Lastly, a big thanks to CrossFit Romsey for organising such a great competition. It was smooth, well organised and a blast. Also, another thanks to their photographer, Ian, who caught some pretty special photos – ugly lifting faces included.

Photo credit: Ian Whordley – Instagram: @indiawhiskey1969 Website/Contact: www.india-whiskey-photographic.com

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