The Sport of Fitness Podcast

“What makes (the Open) worth it is all the things we’ve been talking about so far — the camaraderie, the fact that anybody can do it. What a confidence boost to take anybody who’s not athletic, isn’t particularly health-conscious, and over the course of time they can enter into something like this and see success, whatever that looks like to them. Maybe it’s just the fact that they did it … and that’s worth far more than any combination of movements that’s gonna come out of the Hopper.” — Adrian Bozman
CrossFit CEO Don Faul and Competition Director Adrian Bozman join host Chase Ingraham on the podcast to share their favorite and worst memories from the Open, their personal reasons for competing, and why they encourage the global community to participate in 2023.
The 13th annual 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open is quickly approaching, and registration for the three-week worldwide competition, beginning Feb. 16, is now open.
After reminiscing on their first Open experiences, the trio explains the importance of the affiliate’s role in the competition, highlighting the benefits of a built-in support system with members of the gym and expert coaching from trainers who can support and encourage members to get out of their comfort zones.
Bozman also reflects on past live Open announcements, including 21.3 at CrossFit Hendersonville, and discusses plans for next year’s workout announcements. He also shares what people can expect from the programming and explains challenges that come with planning for such a large, inclusive competition.
Faul and Bozman also explain how the competition’s registration fee helps support the CrossFit ecosystem and why it is important to CrossFit’s future success.
For anyone feeling apprehensive about signing up for the Open, Bozman offers his insight, saying, “It’s really what you do every day. … There’s nothing new there.”
Throughout the podcast, the group reminds listeners why the Open is such a special and unique competition, and closes out the show sharing their most challenging Open workout experiences.
Whether it’s to support the CrossFit ecosystem, get out of your comfort zone, or to see if your hard work all year has been paying off, sign up for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open today at games.crossfit.com.
Presented by Wilde Chips. Get 20% off your first order on wildebrands.com with code: WILDEFIT20.

“From an athlete perspective, it can get very, very frustrating trying to plan your season, trying to plan your training, not knowing what’s going on, so the real goal here was to support the athletes as best as possible in a world where it’s unknown and unknowable most of the time.” — Becky Harsh
Athlete Communications Manager Becky Harsh joins host Chase Ingraham on the podcast to review new changes to the 2023 CrossFit Competition Rulebook and discuss her role as a liaison between CrossFit and athletes.
Transparency and early communication between CrossFit and the community has become a priority, and as Athlete Communications Manager, Harsh has been working closely with athlete committees to ensure their voices are heard.
One step forward has been the earlier-than-ever release of the 2023 Competition Rulebook to allow athletes a chance to plan appropriately for the upcoming season.
Harsh and Ingraham discuss region selection (Section 1.08), including the division of North America into East and West, and how athletes can petition for citizenship exemption (Section 1.09), noting a firm due date to file.
The pair also dive into team eligibility and team rosters (Sections 1.14 and 2.04) for Quarterfinals, Open score submission and validation (Sections 1.20 and 1.21), and the truncated Quarterfinals schedule (Section 2.06).
The Rulebook also includes a new “Appeals” section for individual and team athletes competing at Semifinals (Section 4.10) with an explanation of a two-appeal rule provision, and explains the backfill process for the CrossFit Games (Section 6.02).
Finally, CrossFit is awarding a complimentary Level 1 or Level 2 course to the top five finishers in all adaptive divisions and to all individual, team (excluding alternates), and age-group athletes who qualify, register, and complete the on-site Athlete Registration at the CrossFit Games (Appendix C).
For full season details, refer to the official 2023 Competition Rulebook at games.crossfit.com/rules.
Questions or concerns? Email [email protected].

“What we are ready to talk about is how many minimum qualifiers we’re looking at out of Semifinals, how many leftover spots there are gonna be, and broadly, how we’re gonna divide those up worldwide.” — Adrian Bozman
In this episode, Director of Sport Adrian Bozman and Senior Manager of the Competition Team Dave Eubanks chat with host Chase Ingraham about Games-qualifying spots for the 2023 season and the new worldwide ranking system.
Recent details about the upcoming CrossFit Games season discussed the removal of the Last-Chance Qualifier competition, changes to the amount of Semifinal competitions in North America and Europe, and the guaranteed minimum number of designated Games-qualifying spots for each Semifinal.
Bozman and Eubanks review the Games-qualifying spots for each Semifinal and also describe the new worldwide ranking system — a model that uses data from the previous two years of CrossFit stages of competition to rank athletes — that will determine how many additional Games spots will be allocated from Semifinals.
The pair dig into the intention and process behind creating the ranking system and the basic framework for determining the strength of field and share what they’re most excited to see this season as a result of the new model.
Presented by goodr Sunglasses.

“(If) we want to be (at the Games) in 2024, it’s gonna take this year to do that. And even though it may look like there’s less (of) an opportunity, there’s a more significant opportunity, and it’s gonna have a larger level of impact on what we do moving forward simply by just showing up and signing up for the (2023) Open.” — Tom Miazga
Accessibility and Adaptive Sport Specialist Alec Zirkenbach, 2022 Men’s Seated With Hip Function champion Tom Miazga, and Competition Director Adrian Bozman join host Chase Ingraham on the latest episode to discuss updates to the 2023 Adaptive CrossFit Games season as well as the growth of and goals for the adaptive division in 2024 and beyond.
Some of the changes to the new adaptive season include a new scaled leaderboard for the CrossFit Open, the ability to verify eligibility for adaptive divisions prior to registering for the Open, and the removal of the Semifinal stage of competition.
Zirkenbach explains how the collection of data over the 2022 season, including feedback from specific adaptive committees and the community, helped inform some of the decisions for the upcoming season.
Miazga, an adaptive athlete and CrossFit Games commentator, provides his perspective on the new season structure and the representation of all adaptive divisions at the 2024 Games.
“I can understand why people would be frustrated,” Miazga says about athletes in five adaptive divisions being crowned the fittest at the end of the 2023 Open.
“I think this is necessary in order to get to where we want to be,” Miazga continues, “and the idea of (all adaptive divisions being at the Games) in 2024 is something I’m motivated by.”
Bozman reviews adjustments to the season, which will be detailed in the official Rulebook, and also offers his insight on the season structure.
“That was a hard decision to make,” Bozman says about eliminating Semifinals.
“Nobody wants less, however, we expect that this is gonna be a really positive step if people have the patience to see it through and see what we can get going in 2024 with full visibility and full representation,” he says.
The group also chats about Rinse ‘N’ Repeat from the 2022 Games — an event that was identical across all divisions — the possible addition of adaptive divisions in the future, and how CrossFit can benefit athletes of all sports and people of all ability levels.
Sponsored by O2.

“The influence I’m going to bring to it, my history with CrossFit, who I am — it’ll be unavoidable to have some of that in there, but at the end of the day it’s not about me as the programmer. … It’s important to get the programming right. It’s important to have a test that makes sense from early stages through the most advanced stages, it’s important that you can see that progression not just through the season but through the history of the sport, but I don’t think it’s important at all that it has anything to do with me.” — Adrian Bozman on programming the 2023 season.
Competition Director Adrian Bozman joins the podcast to provide more details and clarity on the updates made to the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games season.
Notable changes to the upcoming CrossFit Games season have been announced and Bozman touches on many of them, including the number of Semifinal competitions, eligibility requirements for teams, standardized programming at Semifinals, and Games-qualifying spots relative to the strength of field.
Bozman describes how and why the division of North America into two regions came to be, gives insight into why country of citizenship will continue to be used to determine where an athlete will compete in Semifinals, and briefly explains a petition of exemption process for athletes who haven’t lived in their country of citizenship as it relates to Semifinals. More details to follow.
Bozman also explains why programming at Semifinals will be standardized and digs into the power-ranking system as it relates to Games-qualifying spots, noting there will be a minimum number of Games-qualifying spots guaranteed at each Semifinal.
The competition director also reviews the truncated Quarterfinal schedule, how many age-group athletes will advance to the Games from the Semifinals, and Open requirements for teams to meet eligibility for competition.
Stay updated on details for the 2023 CrossFit Games season here → https://games.crossfit.com/article/2023-crossfit-games-season-updates

“What you should start expecting from CrossFit is that we are going to share CrossFit with more people with the goal of more people doing CrossFit with a coach in an affiliate. … I’m excited that we’re doing it with athletes and really honoring that experience.” — Justin Bergh
General Manager of Sport Justin Bergh joins host Chase Ingraham on the podcast to give further insight on some of the changes to the 2023 CrossFit Games season and CrossFit’s goals for the years ahead.
Season details have been released earlier than ever. After a recap of the 2022 season, Bergh discusses the motivation behind the early announcement and the importance of creating a more positive, enjoyable experience for athletes and the CrossFit community.
The structure and number of Semifinals have also changed. Bergh explains why the number of events was reduced and how CrossFit will take ownership of the programming at each competition. He also gives more details about the minimum number of Games-qualifying spots and the strength of field.
Bergh’s recent experience competing at a local CrossFit competition for the first time not only made him excited for the upcoming Open, but he also gained perspective from an athlete’s point of view.
“I have way greater appreciation with (what) the athletes go through. I have better empathy for the athlete experience that has really opened my eyes to how much we can offer and how much progress we need to make there in order for (CrossFit) to really grow,” Bergh says.
Additional details for the 2023 CrossFit Games season will be announced. Stay up to date by visiting Games.CrossFit.com and signing up for the monthly Hopper newsletter.

“I was losing it. I truly was actin’ a fool down on the floor. … I was wanting to yell, and scream, and say things like ‘you got this,’ and I felt like a kid in a candy store, that’s how excited I was.” — Adrian Conway
Games athletes Dan Bailey and Adrian Conway join host Evelyn Curry for a recap of Day 4 at the 2022 NOBULL Crossfit Games.
The group runs down the day’s events, diving deeper into the swim, the individual dumbbell squat snatch, and the 1-rep-max sandbag events.
The trio also highlights notable performances from the athletes, including Dani Speegle’s and the individual men’s performances in Sandbag Ladder, and the excitement from the unique Coliseum event.
Curry, Bailey, and Conway close out the podcast detailing what to expect on the final day of competition.

"I think today is one of the most fun days I've ever had at the CrossFit Games." — Evelyn Curry
Multiyear CrossFit Games athletes Adrian Conway and Dan Bailey join host Evelyn Curry on the podcast to recap the best moments of Day 3 at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
The trio shares their favorite moments from the day, including the memorable event at the capitol building and the announcement of the block handstand push-up.
The group also highlights impressive athlete performances from the day and what's coming up in Day 4.

"If after Friday evening, you all are very, very upset at the programming … you need to go read the Level 1 manual. There’s a site called CrossFit.com. You can download the PDF, and you will have a better understanding, or a more complete understanding, of what we’re trying to do here, why things are the way they are, and why the tests that are coming are great, awesome tests for these athletes." — Dan Bailey
Multiyear Games athletes Dan Bailey and Adrian Conway join host Evelyn Curry on the podcast to recap Days 1 and 2 of the individual competition at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
The trio discuss the design and innovation of this year’s tests and programming, surprising performances from rookies and Games veterans, including Ricky Garard and Emma Lawson, and what to expect on Day 3 of the competition.

“This is the most important relationship that we have. We’re CrossFitters, we are fans of the sport, we are members of affiliates, we’ve been through the last five, eight years just like everyone else has, and we’re more excited for the future than we have been.” — Todd Meleney, Chief Marketing Officer of NOBULL
Chief Marketing Officer of NOBULL Todd Meleney joins host Chase Ingraham on the podcast to discuss NOBULL’s partnership with CrossFit and the future of the company in the sport.
Meleney opens up about NOBULL’s beginnings in the CrossFit space, becoming the title sponsor of the CrossFit Games, and working closely with CrossFit to ensure a positive experience and thriving future for both parties, including the CrossFit community and athletes.
Recently, NOBULL announced replica jerseys for purchase that will don the names of Games athletes. Meleney explains the creation and production of the new athlete jerseys and how they are supporting the athletes, the influence from fans in making the jerseys, and the goal for the product in the future.
Looking ahead to the CrossFit Games next week, there are plenty of NOBULL-sponsored activities to get involved with in Madison, according to Meleney.
NOBULL will host community workouts at Olin Park, affiliate-only events to connect with affiliate owners, and a BBQ for members of NOBULL’s loyalty program The Chipper. NOBULL and CrossFit athletes Sydney Wells and Alec Smith will also host community workouts, as well as former NFL athlete Curt Maggitt. Fans can also expect to see new products on the field.
In London, CrossFit enthusiasts can head to Rosslyn Park for the CrossFit Games London Fanzone Experience.
Throughout the podcast, Meleney opens up about how NOBULL and its products have grown over the years, the importance of CrossFit in its continued evolution, and NOBULL’s vision to continue working with CrossFit to support the professionalization of the sport.
Presented by NOBULL.