2017 CrossFit Open: The Seven Year Itch

2017 CrossFit Open: The Seven Year Itch

Seven years have passed since CrossFit Amplify opened its doors to the public. We celebrate our anniversary the first week of April each year.

This is also the seventh CrossFit Open. Year one of the Open occurred at Amp's one-year celebration.

I remember marking our first year as a success and vividly recall the first anniversary day, just as I remember each and every CrossFit Open workout since then. From 11.1 to 17.5, Mike and I have welcomed the worldwide competition as a test of fitness. But we also use this chance to watch our members come together and celebrate each other. It is more than just five torturous weeks of physical tests and mental challenges. It is a reminder to us of the community that exists within the Amplify abode.

Amplify had another 100+ members register for the 2017 CrossFit Open. That makes four years in a row at that number, which is always a mark of pride to see among the 300+ participating gyms in the 11-state North Central Region.

100 athletes got the itch to complete the Open workouts and see how they rank on the worldwide leaderboard. That's now seven years of witnessing this competitive itch, which has helped Amplify members push their mental and physical limits to do things they never thought possible. Each season we have Amp athletes complete a skilled movement for the first time or PR a lift during an Open workout. This is something you won't see in the digits on a computer screen. A submitted score will never show the emotional struggle or the small accomplishments or the uproar of a spontaneous cheering section at our gym's Friday Night Lights.

I write this every year: Mike, myself, and all of CrossFit Amplify could have only accomplished this with the immense help and involvement of many past contributors, our fellow trainers, and of course the AmpFam itself.

Community Veteran members can attest that our Amplify community remains steady as an entity of acceptance in and outside of our facility. It's a second family.

We have seen lots of changes in our community in seven years-- we've witnessed career moves, relationship changes, marriages, babies... even loss and heartbreak. Through it all, our gym stands as a place to come together in support. The Amp community rallies behind each other with energy and passion-- not just to complete the Open workout or the daily WOD, but to bond in something larger than physical fitness.

We struggle, we laugh, we scream... we even cry together. If that's not the definition of family, then what is?

Results The Amplify team finished 60th in the North Central Region. Another good showing among very strong gyms in the midwest.

This year's Central Regional Events will be held in Nashville and combines the North Central and the Central East in a "super regional" for the weekend. It will be live-streamed from May 26-28.

Also, in a change of venue, the CrossFit Games is held in Madison this year from August 1-6. The best athletes and teams at Regionals will compete at the Games, the world’s premier test to find the “Fittest on Earth.”

Resiliency The best part about CrossFit and the Open is that it exposes our weaknesses, our goats, to work on.

But at the same time, use this opportunity to look back on what has been achieved. Life is a whirlwind, but we continue to make our health a priority. We all have a life outside of the gym, and we need to be okay with the ups and downs of setbacks and progress.

Stay consistent. You and CrossFit have been through a lot, whether you just started with Amplify or you've been with us so long you can remember a place without turf. Our fitness journey is always a work in progress.

The only seven year itch here is the one to continue. Deflect adversity and stay resilient. Scratch that itch to constantly push to become better than yesterday.

Congratulations So we put closure on another Open and welcome in the start of year eight as CrossFit Amplify.

Congrats to those of you who took on the 2017 Open, and we welcome those who will join in the carnage of 2018.

Cheers to five weeks, to seven years, and a future of fitness, family, and fun.

- Scott, 4.1.17

2016 CrossFit Open: Another Year Already?

#AmpFam

2016 CrossFit Open: Another Year Already?

Well, that was quick.

Yet another CrossFit Open comes to a close after five torturous weeks of physical tests and mental challenges. Once again, thrusters and more thrusters combined with burpees and more burpees to end the Open, helping everyone realize how humbling this thing called CrossFit can be. As if we needed the reminder?

Amplify had nearly 100 members register for the 2016 CrossFit Open to test their fitness through the five workouts of worldwide competition. That makes three years in a row at this number, which is always a mark of pride to see among the 300+ participating gyms in the 11-state North Central Region.

With the end of the 2016 Open, CrossFit Amplify also celebrates its 6-year anniversary.

I write this every year: Mike, myself, and all of CrossFit Amplify could have only accomplished this with the immense help and involvement of many past contributors, our fellow trainers, and of course the AmpFam itself.

Community. Veteran members can attest that our Amplify community continues to remain steady as an entity of acceptance in and outside of our facility. It's a second family.

Quite a few of you have been with us for years now, celebrating each CrossFit birthday/anniversary of your own. That dedication and love and support for what we do is immeasurable. And the friendships gained cannot be seen in our Wodify results.

This community is perhaps best witnessed during Friday nights of the CrossFit Open; the feel of our second home has a palpable sense of community as everyone rallies behind each other with energy and passion-- not just to complete the workout of the week, but to bond in something larger than physical fitness.

We struggle, we laugh, we scream... we even cry together. If that's not the definition of family, then what is?

We also had success midway through this year's Open as we came together for 16.3 to fundraise and support Nate and Jackie Adams. When a cause comes up, the AmpFam is ready and willing to contribute.

The workouts themselves? Maybe you'll agree, these seemed like some of the best programmed Open workouts to date. Some tough skills were thrown our way, and our lungs and mental will were certainly put to the test. 

The results? Well, if you are anything like me, you were less than impressed with yourself after these 5 weeks. That's always the best part of CrossFit and the Open, though, isn't it? If you've been with us through a few of these already, you know it's true-- the Open exposes our weaknesses, our goats, to work on.

But at the same time, we should all be proud. Life is a whirlwind, but we continue to make our health a priority. We are a juggling, high-wire balancing act, with life's events in midair above our hands. We all have many, many things going on, and we need to be okay with the ups and downs of setbacks and progress.

Whether you just started with Amplify or you've been with us so long you can remember a place without turf, our fitness journey is always a work in progress. Use this as a time to look back on what has been achieved. With constant push to become better than yesterday, don't forget to look in the mirror each day at how awesome you already are. Support. Each season we have Amp athletes complete a skilled movement for the first time or PR a lift during an Open workout. This is something you won't see in the digits on a computer screen. A submitted score will never show the emotional struggle or the small accomplishments or the uproar of a spontaneous cheering section at our gym's Friday Night Lights.

And this support isn't really something that can be coached.

The Future. As far as regional qualification goes, Amplify has been fortunate enough to have representation for four years in a row now with individual female qualifier, and resident badass, Kristin Miller. Kristin had her best Open yet, finishing 5th in the North Central Open this year as the top woman in Illinois. We all watched her cement that spot during 16.5 and put closure on another impressive five weeks.

The Amplify team finished 33rd in the North Central Region. Another good showing among very strong gyms in the midwest.

This year's Central Regional Events will be held in Columbus and combines the North Central and the Central East in a "super regional" for the weekend. It will be live-streamed if you can't make it there to cheer on Kristin from May 27-29.

In the end, we have the 33rd fittest team in the region, the 172nd fittest team in the world, and by far more importantly, six years of growth, memories, and community.

So we put closure on another Open and welcome in the start of year seven as CrossFit Amplify.

Congrats to those of you who took on the 2016 Open, and welcome to those who will join in the carnage of 2017. Can we please wish for something different than 16.5/14.5?

Cheers to five weeks, to six years, and a future of fitness, family, and fun.

- Scott, 4.1.16

2015 CrossFit Open: Five Weeks & Five Years

2015 CrossFit Open: Five Weeks & Five Years

Another CrossFit Open comes to a close after five torturous weeks of physical tests and mental challenges. Naturally, thrusters and more thrusters ended the Open, coupled with rowing this time around to make the final week absolutely quadtastic.

With the end of the 2015 Open, CrossFit Amplify also celebrates its 5-year anniversary.

We opened in April of 2010 on the shoulders of big dreams. Well, modest aspirations. The goal? Stay open a year. And to make two things happen in the meantime: 1) each month's rent, and 2) a difference in each member's life.

Humble origins allowed us to focus on people and individual improvement, and the gym grew organically... mostly by word of mouth. One year came and went. Then two. Then three.

Here we are five years later, well-settled in a new facility with enough space and equipment to do workouts and hold competitions we would have only dreamed about in 2010.

Amplify had over 100 members register for the 2015 CrossFit Open to test their fitness through the five workouts of worldwide competition. That makes two years in a row surpassing this number, which ranks us among the highest participating gyms in the North Central Region.

Steady fitness development, growth in the community, and a consistently fun social atmosphere are all a mark of pride for us, achieved only by the class of individuals who enter the Amplify doors.

By no means do we have it perfectly figured out as a strength and conditioning facility, what amidst the giant masses of the fitness industry. But perhaps that's why this works, here at Amplify. We're in this together, mistakes and all, learning and striving to be fit, to grow as human beings, and to be better than yesterday.

Five years.

Mike, myself, and all of CrossFit Amplify could have only accomplished this with the immense help and involvement of many past contributors, our fellow trainers, and of course the Amp community itself.

Now lovingly titled the AmpFam, it has grown into an entity all its own-- one that can be felt immediately upon setting foot in our facility.

Particularly during Friday nights of the CrossFit Open, the feel of our second home is something that can't always be put into words; that sense of family is present in seeing everyone rally behind each other with energy and passion, not just to complete the workout of the week, but to bond in something larger than physical fitness.

As owners, the two of us have seen CrossFit grow from that where you knew almost every CrossFitter in the area by name to the current scenario of over 10,000 affiliates worldwide, with nearly 200 in the state of Illinois. Through a decade of peaking interest and through a recent surge of internet hatred, CrossFit is thriving.

Amplify has completed each year of the CrossFit Open since its addition to the competition season; we've seen "the sport of fitness" swell from its inception to the current live-streamed and televised event.

Each year, the new Open workouts are announced with much excitement, surprise, and even dismay. Nonetheless, we struggle through the same weekly workout that everyone in the world is completing and share in the growth of the CrossFit community at large.

This year was no different; the excitement of CrossFit Christmas comes on five Thursday nights in succession, one of which was nearby in downtown Chicago this year, with a solid AmpFam crew representing along the railings on the live feed.

And the workouts themselves?

The addition of a scaled division for 2015 gave hope that all movements would be manageable by everyone who registered. For the most part that became true, although there will always be our weaknesses, our goats, to work on.

To redo or not to redo. That is the question.

Unless you're on the cusp of qualifying for the regional, or you know, you just know that you can contribute to the team score as a competitive athlete, the rule of thumb for a CrossFit Open workout is "one and done."

In general, it's very difficult to replicate interest and intensity in the exact same WOD just days apart and still continue in a smart training regimen. Pull-up callus tears, anyone?

That said, repeating an Open workout can allow for improvement-- some benchmarks can take place with reps or time, and that first experience can give important feedback for the second attempt. This totally depends on the workout, of course. That cave can be a dark, dark place, full of grunt and sweat and drool.

Need a reminder? Just take a look at pictures of your pain face mid-workout. Striving for extra reps, or being stabbed with a sword? You make the call.

Either way, each season we have Amp athletes complete a skilled movement for the first time or PR a lift during an Open workout. This is something you won't see in the digits on a computer screen.

A submitted score will never show the emotional struggle or the small accomplishments or the uproar of a spontaneous cheering section at our gym's Friday Night Lights.

As far as regional qualification goes, Amplify has been fortunate enough to have representation for three years in a row now with individual female qualifier, and resident badass, Kristin Miller. Kristin finished 11th in the North Central Open this year. We all watched her cement that spot during 15.5 and put closure on another impressive five weeks.

In 2013, the Amplify team initially missed advancing to the North Central regional in the CrossFit Games by one spot.  At that time, top 30 teams moved on from the CrossFit Open. We were 31st.  That is, before all the declarations took place with the North Central individuals and teams. After all was said and done we did in fact qualify a team for the 2013 regional in addition to Kristin.

In 2014, the Amplify team missed the top 30 by just a few spots.

And now, in 2015, qualification has changed. Only the top 15 teams will go to the regional, this year meeting in Minneapolis and combining the North Central and the Central East in a "super regional," of sorts. Our team placement of 20th in the North Central a great feat, but no longer an automatic qualifier.

So the waiting game begins, and we soon see how our top rankings file in place as individuals across the region declare their desire to go team or not.

In the end, we have the 20th fittest team in the region, the 140th fittest team in the world, and by far more importantly, five years of growth, memories, and community.

So we put closure on another Open and welcome in the start of year six as CrossFit Amplify.

This has surpassed anything either Mike or myself could have imagined, while at the same time fits right in line with what we dreamed all along. And there are big things ahead too-- it's just a matter of what the future will bring.

Congrats to those of you who took on the 2015 Open, and welcome to those who will join in the carnage of 2016. Hey... we made it through all five weeks without burpees this year! Who would've thought?

Cheers to five weeks, to five years, and to the five alarm fire in our lungs from every CrossFit Open workout past, present, and future.

- Scott, 3.31.15

Amplify's 2015 CrossFit Open Leaderboard

Garage Games: Amplify Open

April 12-13, 2014

We are proud to announce the Second Annual Amplify Open!  After the CrossFit Open, come show the Midwest what you can do.

Individuals will be on Saturday. Masters and Teams will be on Sunday.

Cost: $80 per Individual, $185 per Team. Check in time: 7:30am. Start time: 9:30am.

Teams will consist of 3 Athletes: 2 Males and 1 Female Divisions: Men's Rx, Men's Scaled, Women's Rx, Women's Scaled, Team Rx, Team Scaled and Men/Women's Masters. Division Limits: 30 Individuals per division, 35 Teams.

Registration Deadline is March 25: http://www.thegaragegames.com/events/2nd-annual-amplify-open/ Facebook Event page will post updates: http://www.facebook.com/events/287607211389657/

Check the above links for information regarding workout movements and other information.

Several Sponsors have committed to the event: Reebok Quest RockTape Progenex FitAid Fight Through Atlas Wraps SoRock Lululemon of Naperville

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEKEND: - Doors will open at 8am on Saturday and Sunday. - First event will begin at roughly 9-9:15am on Saturday and Sunday. - There will be no spectator fee for this event. - Look for event parking across the street from Amplify. - If you haven't filled out a waiver from the Garage Games site, they will be provided at the event. - Saturday division order: Men's Scaled, Men's RX, Women's Scaled, Women's RX. - Sunday division order: Team Scaled, Team RX. - Team WOD changes: Team WOD #1 will have a time cap of 16 minutes.  On Team events involving pistols or DB Snatches, alternating is not required but you must do 10 each side.

2014 RESULTS

2014 Amplify Open RESULTS

2014 WORKOUTS

Individual WOD #1 6 minute time cap. Add a second to the 6 minute cap for every rep not completed.

RX Division 30-20-10 Wall Ball Shots (#30/20) Toes to Bar

Scaled Division 30-20-10 Wall Ball Shots (#20/10) V-Up (hands and toes touch at the top of the V-Up)

Individual WOD #2 6 minute AMRAP Score = total reps.

RX Division Squat Clean to Thruster Ladder

Athlete must complete 4 reps of the indicated weight before increasing to the next level. A pause after the Squat Clean is NOT allowed. If the athlete has time remaining, AMRAP the final weight. Athlete responsible for changing their own weights as indicated.

Men Rx: #135/#155/#185/#205 Women Rx: #85/#105/#135/#145

Scaled Division Power Clean to Shoulder to Overhead ladder. Athlete must complete 4 reps of the indicated weight before increasing to the next level.

A pause after the Power Clean IS allowed. If the athlete has time remaining, AMRAP the final weight. Athlete responsible for changing their own weights as indicated.

Men Scaled: # 115/#135/#145/#155 Women Scaled: #55/#65/#75/#85

Individual WOD #3 8 minute time cap. Score = total time. Add a second to the 8 minute cap for every rep not completed.

RX Division 35 Pull-ups 75 Double Unders 30 Handstand Push-ups 75 Double Unders 35 Pull-ups

Scaled Division 30 Jumping Chest to Bar Pull-ups (CrossFit Open Standard) 150 Single Jump Rope 10 Wall Climbs (chest to touch wall) 150 Single Jump Rope 30 Jumping Chest to Bar Pull-ups

Individual WOD #4 12 minute time cap. Score = total time. Add a second to the 12 minute cap for every rep not completed. 15 Pistols per leg. Do not need to be alternating.

RX Division Row 75 Calories 30 Pistols 15 Hang Snatch, Power or Squat catch (#145/#100)Scaled Division Row 75 Calories 30 Goblet Squats (#55/#35) 15 Hang Snatch, Power or Squat catch (#95/#65)

Team WOD #1 16 minute time cap. Add a second to the 16 minute cap for every rep not completed.

25 Double Under buy-in per athlete before the start of each movement. Each athlete must complete 20 reps in a row per movement until the team reaches 60 reps. Remaining 50 reps of movement can be split anyhow.

RX Division 110 Wall Ball Shots (#30/#20) 110 Toes to Bar 110 Dumbbell Snatch (#70/#45)

Scaled Division (*30 single jump rope buy-in per athlete) 110 Wall Ball Shots (#20/#14) 110 V-Ups 110 Dumbbell Snatch (#50/#25)

Team WOD #2 16 minute time cap. Score = total time. Add a second to the 16 minute cap for every rep not completed. Waterfall rules. One athlete must complete the entire complex before the next athlete starts.

RX Division Row 500 meters 20 Pistols 10 Hang Power Cleans (#185/#125)

Scaled Division Row 500 meters 30 Kettlebell Swings (#55/35) 10 Hang Power Cleans (#135/#85)

Team WOD #3 16 minute time cap. Score = total time. Add a second to the 16 minute cap for every rep not completed. Only one athlete can be working at a time. Each athlete is responsible for a set of 40/30/20. Team is responsible for changing out their own weights.

RX Division 40 Back Squats (#135/#95) 30 Pull-ups 20 Shoulder to Overhead (#135/#95) ------------------------------- 40 Front Squats (#95/#65) 30 Pull-ups 20 Shoulder to Overhead (#95/#65) ------------------------------- 40 Over Head Squat (#65/#45) 30 Pull-ups 20 Shoulder to Overhead (#65/#45)

Scaled Division 40 Back Squats (#115/#75) 30 Jumping Chest to Bar Pull-ups (CrossFit Open Standard) 20 Shoulder to Overhead (#115/#75) -------------------------------- 40 Front Squats (#95/#55) 30 Jumping Chest to Bar Pull-ups (CrossFit Open Standard) 20 Shoulder to Overhead (#95/#55) -------------------------------- 40 Overhead Squats (#65/#35) 30 Jumping Chest to Bar Pull-ups (CrossFit Open Standard) 20 Shoulder to Overhead (#65/#35)

Final WODs announced as the week progresses!  Stay up to date on the Facebook Event page here: http://www.facebook.com/events/287607211389657/

LAST YEAR: 2013 WORKOUTS

Individual WOD Tally Sheet

MASTERS WOD Tally Sheet

TEAM WOD Tally Sheet

LAST YEAR: 2013 RESULTS

MENS RX - RESULTS

WOMENS RX - RESULTS

MENS SCALED - RESULTS

WOMENS SCALED - RESULTS

MASTERS - RESULTS

TEAM RX - RESULTS

TEAM SCALED - RESULTS