First things first: CrossFit Fort Vancouver, winner of the 2010 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup, isn’t in Canada. After receiving congratulations for a Canadian win, owner Adam Neiffer has had to tell people his gym is in Vancouver, Wash., just across the river from Portland, Ore. Named after the historic fort down the road from the box, CrossFit Fort Vancouver has definitely made a name for itself in the community.

In this video, meet winning team members Neiffer, Marie Rochat, Jessica Core, Riss Rodriguez, Ryan Smith and Nathan Loren and find out what magic was in the mix. Neiffer provides the story behind their success, the competitions that inspired them and the road to the 2010 CrossFit Games.

According to Neiffer, team members “came out of the woodwork” and “started being a little bit more competitive with themselves and taking their own training to another level, working on the things that they needed to work on to become a more well-rounded athlete.” The intensity, competitive edge and top-level performance of each athlete fit together like puzzle pieces to create a winning team.

From 26th place in the 2009 Games, CrossFit Fort Vancouver has come a long way to take home the top prize in this year’s Games.

22min 8sec

Additional reading: CrossFit Fort Vancouver: Our Warm-up Is Your Workout.

Have you ever seen kids scooting around in a CrossFit Kids class at your local affiliate? Those children could very well be the next face of USA’s national weightlifting team—or so is the hope of Coach Mike Burgener and the rest of Team CrossFit, a newly organized group of people interested in testing themselves in weightlifting competitions.

Coach B has been around weightlifting and athletics for a long time and has coached many to great success, including his son Casey, an accomplished lifter who narrowly missed competing in the Beijing Olympics after the U.S. was only given two spots in the competition.

In this video, Coach Burgener gives a short history of weightlifting in the United States, including the fortuitous intersection of Oly lifting and CrossFit. Burg goes on to talk about Team CrossFit, which allows CrossFitters to compete in USAW events, and the potential for young CrossFitters to make an impact on weightlifting in the next decade.

CrossFitters will compete head to head with Oly lifters at this year’s CrossFit/USAW Open, which takes place in Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 1-3.

5min 49sec

Additional reading: More Pop at the Top by Bill Starr, published Sept. 5, 2009.

In May 2010, the U.S. Army published a 69-page study evaluating the CrossFit program and its effects on combat fitness. This document summarizes the findings of a comprehensive evaluation of 14 military athletes over an eight-week period.

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of the CrossFit fitness program and methodology to increase the physical fitness of U.S. Army soldiers. Over the past several years, the CrossFit fitness program has gained popularity among U.S. Army soldiers and leaders. In units across the U.S. Army, CrossFit is replacing or augmenting traditional physical-training methods. CrossFit’s growing popularity in the U.S. Army begs the question, “Is CrossFit an effective program and does it match the U.S. Army’s physical-training requirements?”

Currently there exists a host of anecdotal evidence claiming that the CrossFit program is effective. However, to date, only one formal study within the U.S. Army has attempted to add empirical evidence to these claims. Our study seeks to contribute to the discussion by adding further analytical research on the CrossFit program in hopes of helping U.S. Army leaders make well-informed decisions regarding the future of U.S. Army physical-fitness training.

On Episode 135 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed Laurie Carver, who won the Masters Division at the 2010 CrossFit Games. Justin also interviewed CrossFit strongman Rob Orlando. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010.

9:45 CrossFit Games Masters champion Laurie Carver came on the show to share her thoughts on the weekend at the Home Depot Center. She talked about how she prepared for the Games this year and described her athletic background and her daily schedule as she trains people at Northwest CrossFit. Not content to rest on her laurels, Carver is preparing to compete at sectionals in the 2011 Games season.

30:10 Rob Orlando is a busy man these days, but he found time to come on the show to talk about all his projects. Not only does he own the successful affiliate Hybrid Athletics, but he’s also going to start presenting Strongman Seminars around the country. Rob explained why CrossFitters should use strongman exercises and how they’re beneficial, and he went on to detail the ups and downs he’s experienced as an affiliate owner. Rob is also preparing for the CrossFit-USAW Open coming up in October in Colorado Springs. He gave his thoughts and impressions on the hybrid competition that will see CrossFitters competing in a judged Oly-lifting event and a triplet.

1hr 1min 29sec

Pat Sherwood’s investigation continues: what’s the best thing to eat following a workout?

As he travels about the country, Sherwood works with many of CrossFit’s elite Level 1 trainers and takes the opportunity to pump these athletes and coaches for some info on their diet. In Part 3, Sherwood treats us to a conversation with Stephane Rochet, head strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State University and a man CrossFit HQ’s Rory McKernan says “can eat more food than anyone I’ve ever met. No joke.”

The Tupperware man himself, Greg Amundson makes an appearance, along with former Miami Dolphin Andy Hendel, father of 2010 Games competitor Spencer.

8min 17sec

Additional reading: Diet Secrets of the Tupperware Man by Greg Amundson, published Dec. 29, 2008.

Here are the individual PDF articles published in August 2010, collected together in a single download.

The video and audio articles are not contained in the PDF.

The articles included here are:

Joulwan - CrossFit Lessons Outside the Box
Daigle - Fear and Loathing in L.A.
Joseph - Working out for Two
MacDonald - Truly Special Populations
Lopez - APFT A-OK
Needham - No Excuses
Barnett - Why’d You Miss?
Saliba - An Affiliation Journey—So Far
Ames - Great Intro. Now What?
Takano - Coaching Correct Technique in the Split Jerk

Competing at the upcoming CrossFit/USAW Open in Colorado Springs? You could really use a guy like Mike Burgener in your corner. Luckily, Coach B is here to tell you all about what to expect when you walk through the doors at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort for the first hybrid competition of its kind.

Take notes, CrossFitter.

In this two-part interview with Coach B at his home gym in California, he goes through the ins and outs of what the CrossFit-USAW event will look like from the warm-up area to the weightlifting platform itself. How will you know when your clean and jerk is complete? What can you wear while lifting? How much time do you have to successfully make a lift?

All answers to follow.

Part 1: 11min 29sec
Part 2: 8min 48sec

Additional reading: Road Trip: Colorado Springs for the CF/USAW Open.

You just cleaned a huge weight—but can you get it overhead? Hall-of-fame Oly coach Bob Takano explains how to correct errors in your jerk.

In the CrossFit community (and in the weightlifting nation at large), most of the effort is being put into learning proper technique in the pull—and justifiably so. Correct pulling technique is absolutely necessary for the performance of the snatch and clean.

Within an Oly Cert, we focus first on the snatch, and then the clean. The split jerk is the last movement taught, and although many athletes learn it easily, others are especially frustrated trying to jerk a weight that is easily cleaned. This is especially unfortunate because weightlifting meets are won with successful jerks.

There are several problems that plague many athletes who find it difficult to master the split jerk. Some athletes have only one of these problems, whereas the unfortunate ones may have difficulty with two or more. In this article I intend to explore these problems and their causes, as well as their remedies.

Behind every good athlete is a long list of supporters and coaches who’ve helped along the way. Ask anyone who has ever stood atop a podium if he or she got there alone, and you’ll find the answer is likely, “No.”

CrossFit Games athletes are no different.

At this year’s event, Again Faster turned the lens on the men and women behind those competing for the title of World’s Fittest to get their take on the event and what it’s like watching the athlete they’ve invested so much time in.

Featured coaches include:

Ben Bergeron (CrossFit New England)
Athlete: Heather Bergeron

Justin Emmons (CrossFit Bartlett)
Athlete: Michelle Kinney

C.J. Martin (CrossFit Invictus)
Athlete: Shana Alverson

Melody Feldman (CrossFit MPH)
Athlete: Christy Phillips

11min 47sec

Additional reading: 12 Tips for Coaching O-Lifts in the CrossFit Box by Bob Takano, published July 26, 2010.

After the 2010 CrossFit Games, Mikko Salo took a day off—but only one.

Shortly afterward, the 2009 champion stopped by to train at CrossFit Santa Cruz with Hollis Molloy. In between power cleans, Salo talks a little about his vices (he has none), his dog, his CrossFit certifications, and his thoughts while he struggled with the rope climb in the final event at the Home Depot Center.

Finally, Salo the athlete talks about being a coach and teaching other people about CrossFit.

4min 53sec

Additional reading: Sights of the Games by Mike Warkentin, published July 30, 2010.