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Crossfit Reading are very excited to announce the date for the next CrossFit Reading Strength and Power Invitational, in Association with FK.UK.
Get this date in your family diaries - Saturday 5th June, 2010.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the format, it's based around the traditional Strongman event - you can expect pulling vehicles, lifting heavy things, picking up and carrying odd objects, putting things overhead, flipping tyres…and much more!
If all of that sounds a little crazy…it is! But it is also a lot of fun and particularly empowering. The competitor pool is split into male and female, and each gender is split into weight categories.
A very important factor when planning it all is making sure that everyone is able to have a good go at all events. In this way, the events are carefully considered so that they are scaled in a fair manner for each weight class. Also we look to make the events as even as possible throughout the day, so that the bigger competitor does not automatically have a huge advantage.
For those of you that were at the last one, you can expect more of the same in terms of the fun, the friendliness and no doubt the fight of the competitors.
In November, every single category was ridiculously close, right down to the final event, with the following people emerging victorious:
Men's Sub 75kg: Tom Sherwin
Men's 75kg-90kg: Thong van Cao
Men's 90kg and over: Phil Nourse
Women's Overall: Sally Moss
Can you knock them from the top? Can the rivals of last event turn the tables this time around? Only one way to find out!
You can also expect quite literally MORE of the same - this event is being planned to be bigger and better. The Winter event lent itself to getting stuck in and gritting it out under any conditions - and to their absolute credit this applied to the spectators too!
The fact that this next one is in June, and that we have use of more space at the venue, and more interest in the event as a whole means that we can make it more of a spectator event too, so bring friends and family - the more the merrier and there will be lots to do and see for all!
On that note, We are also extremely happy to announce the involvement of two sponsors who are with us from the outset. They have both been very generous in their sponsorship and support, and are really helping to make this event everything it can be.
In alphabetical order, they are:
So…get Saturday 5th June in your diaries and let friends, family, fellow trainees, and anyone else that might be interested know! This event promises to be one of the highlights of the CrossFit Reading Calendar - be there or miss out!
Further details, including registration details and further sponsors to be announced in the forthcoming weeks.
Watch this website for details!
Strength - Started with Strict Press. 4 sets of 10 reps
Dear diary, today was one of, if not, the most amazing days for Crossfit Reading, its members and me. We lifted heavy shit today!
The Event
Saturday 21st of November 2009 was the finishing line of months of planning, organising, re planning and re organising. Chet of www.funckey.co.uk and I went to watch a strongman contest in August and as soon as it started we looked at each other and said "lets do one". To say it has snowballed would be a criminal understatement! Over the last few weeks the atmosphere and anticipation for this event had gone through the roof and we unfortunately but sensibly had to turn people away from competing. We have made some amazing new contacts, even more amazing friends and learnt some extremely valuable lessons in preparation for this event, all of which will make the next one and even bigger success.
Before anything else I want to thank some special people.
Tadley rugby club for making us extremely welcome and allowing us to hold the day at their rugby club. Chet for helping organise the event and keep our feet on the ground. Definitely will be working with him again on the next event! Stephen of www.spqrfit.com for arranging the tipper, transporting equipment to the event and helping on the day! Neil for helping with scoring and equipment on the day! Julie and Nicky for being our little raffle ticket and tee shirt sales girls. Don't think anyone got away from purchasing tickets. Danny for giving up his time to iron out any aches or pains for the contestants, Emmie of www.spiritpictures.co.uk for taking some fantastic pictures of the day, Ang, for working on her day off (and her birthday) to provide food for everyone throughout the day and last but not least my wife for putting up with me for the last month, looking after our 18 month old Macey on the day and allowing me to act like a big kid and do what we did. The Day
The day started with a weigh in at 10 a.m. This would determine who would sit in each weight class <75kg, 75-89kg and 90+kg. With some spanners being thrown in the works and some peeps getting naked to try and make weight we were set to go. A quick announcement of the events followed with the order of the day being set out.
The day's events ran like this
Event 1 - 5kg shot overhead throw for distance. 1 attempt!
Event 2 - Press event. 70% of bodyweight. Below chin to overhead anyhow - max reps in 1 minute
Event 3 - Deadlift hold. <75kg 120kg, 75-89kg 150kg and 90+kg 180kg
Event 4 - Medley. 65kg anvil carry 15m, farmers walks 15m 65, 75 and 85kg per side in respect to each weight class and 5 tyre flips for time
Event 5 - Tipper truck pull 30m for time
Event 6 - Loading event. 60m slosh keg carry and load, 40m 2 x 30kg sandbag carry and load and 20m 2 x 25kg plates per side farmers walk and load for time.
Our aim from the outset was to allow anyone to be able to participate in the day's event while still holding on to some of the more renowned strongman type disciplines. We wanted it to reflect Crossfit to some extent by not just benefiting the heavier contestants. We did that and from all the feedback we have been receiving the format was fantastic.
After watching the weather forecasts we were braced for some shocking weather. As by fate and as if someone was watching over us the weather held out till after lunch and only at around 2.30 p.m. did the heavens open. We carried on regardless and contestants and supporters rallied through as if nothing had changed.
Event 1
This took place on the field. The grass was damp but nothing bad enough to hinder performance. With only one attempt it was all or bust. Technique played a big part in this discipline along side some great explosive power. This was apparent in the standings after the first event.
Standing after event 1 - The throw

|
Name |
Weight Class |
BW on Day (kg) |
Throw |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
71.6 |
10.53 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
74.8 |
9.87 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
64.1 |
8.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
85.7 |
9.44 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
85.3 |
9.54 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
82.6 |
10.24 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
75.3 |
9.86 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
84 |
10.71 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
87.5 |
6.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
110.7 |
14.44 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
94.2 |
12.61 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
96.9 |
10.49 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
124.1 |
16 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
119.5 |
13.66 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
90.4 |
15.57 |
Event 2
Right from its conception we wanted to allow anyone and everyone that trains to be able to come and participate in our event (s). Although using strongman type events we didn't want it to be about just being big. Big and slow is not good as is thin and weak. This discipline really cemented our ideas. Press! 70% of bodyweight. Below chin to overhead, fully locked out anyway how! As many reps in 1 minute!
Some amazing demonstrations of strength endurance! Technique again played a big part with the guys that were familiar with the Olympic lifts really being able to knock out some outstanding numbers.



Standings after event 2
|
Name |
Weight Class |
Order for Press |
Reps for Press |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
1 |
21 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
2 |
20 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
3 |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
5 |
18 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
4 |
14 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
2 |
16 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
3 |
26 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
1 |
9 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
6 |
17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
3 |
15 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
5 |
9 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
6 |
24 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
1 |
13 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
4 |
8 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
2 |
25 |
Event 3
We moved inside for this discipline and unknown to the contestants they would be going head to head. The new club house at Tadley RFC was nice and compact. Competitors and supporters were up close which added to the intensity of what was about to unfold. Deadlift hold for time. Under 75kg lifted 120kg, 75-89kg 150kg and 180kg had to lift 180kg. Some great highlights from this event alone. There is nothing better than picking up heavy stuff and that was what these guys had to do. Sally the only girl competitor got a huge cheer and rightly so when she got the 120kg up as did Daryn of Spartanfit. Having never deadlifting EVER he lifted 180kg and held it. A few attempts with overhand grip didn't work so after some advice from others he switched to mixed grip - NO PROBLEM. Mark Tunstall lifted and Paul McCabe set PB's to get the 150kg up. Due to odd numbers and to allow Koing who had come first in the last event a fair attempt with a fellow competitor co host Andy Craig stepped up. It was a tough job but someone had to do it. That and the fact that I just wanted to join in all day allowed me to also lift heavy shit.
Standings after event 3

|
Name |
Weight Class |
Deadlift Hold Time (secs) |
Position/Points for Deadlift |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
74 |
2 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
81 |
1 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
50 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
38 |
6 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
69 |
1 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
61 |
4 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
46 |
5 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
66 |
2 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
62 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
49 |
3 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
35 |
5 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
60 |
2 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
43 |
4 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
30 |
6 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
62 |
1 |
Standings after 3 events
|
Name |
Weight Class |
Current Standing |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
1 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
2 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
6 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
3 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
3 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
1 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
1 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
2 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
5 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
4 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
2 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
6 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
1 |
Lunch was served after this event with the contestants having roughly 30 minutes to load up on fuel. This gave us time to make the contestants and the crowd aware of why they had been buying raffle tickets. Prizes were announced and a big thanks given to the companies that had offered them to us so generously. York Fitness had given us 90kg of ISO plated along with a 20kg Olympic lifting bar. No questions or haggling from these guys. I simply rang them, explained what we were doing and what charity any profits were going to and they offered this prize straight up.
Wolversons Fitness kindly provided us with an 8kg and 10kg clubbell. Amazing pieces of equipment and again Jason was quite happy to support the day and our cause. Wolversons have been good to the Crossfit community and we build on the relationship constantly.
Jordans quite kindly provided us with a 25kg Powerbag. Powerbags have been used by many professional sports teams and conditioning coaches to improve power, strength and agility. Jordans have also really embraced Crossfit across the U.K. Working with us to provide good equipment at a reasonable price!
We thank all of these companies for their support none more so than the people that won the prizes. Cheers guys.
Event 4
A few of the contestants were a little worried about this event. Could it have been the ominous anvil sitting, weighting with its odd shaped body and 65kg weight? Or the farmers walks loaded up ready for battle. My guess is it was the tyre! Five flips after carry odd objects 30m! Some of the contestants had never flipped a tyre never mind after what they had already been through. To add extra elements to the challenge the anvil had to be placed on a stand in its rightful place. The farmers handles had to be placed inside a box with 25cm either side to play with. This didn't seem to phase the contestants and the event itself was a site to behold. Watching people carrying heavy stuff, at pace, is sublime!



Standings after event 4
|
Name |
Weight Class |
Time for Medley (Secs) |
Position/Points for Medley |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
55 |
2 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
46 |
1 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
116 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
65 |
4 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
68 |
5 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
57 |
2 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
55 |
1 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
62 |
3 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
133 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
46 |
5 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
53 |
6 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
34 |
1 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
39 |
2 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
40 |
3 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
44 |
4 |
Event 5
Probably the most anticipated discipline of the day. The truck pull for 30m. Well it was actually a tipper truck but it still weighed a lot and none of the competitors had pulled one before. Paul McCabe had been having dreams of this and didn't disappoint on the day. Sally was first up for this and got through it with relative ease by the looks of things. There were a number of tied places for this event and it was the one event where we had kept the weight the same for all weight classes. Again just being big wouldn't be what got you through this event. You had to be big, powerful and quick on your feet. Luckily all the big guys were just that and there were some great battles in all weight classes.



Standings after event 5
|
Name |
Weight Class |
Time for Pull |
Position/Points for Pull |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
33 |
1 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
36 |
2 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
66 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
32 |
2 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
36 |
4 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
36 |
4 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
36 |
4 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
33 |
3 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
31 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
22 |
2 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
28 |
6 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
26 |
4 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
19 |
1 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
22 |
2 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
26 |
4 |
Event 6
The final event! With each weight class being neck and neck and being decided on this event alone, it was nothing less than insatiable to watch. The heavens had now truly opened and what was a hard event to start with was now getting gradually more difficult. A 60m slosh keg carry and load greeted each contestant first. 45kg for the lighter guys and 55kg for the mids and heavies! Next up 40m with two 30kg sandbags on their shoulders! To finish they had 20m with two 25kg plates in each hand. All objects had to be loaded on to the back of the tipper.
The light was fading and we actually finished this event in the dark. There is something quite surreal about watching contestants in the pouring rain battle to get disgustingly heavy, wet and awkward objects 60 metres on to a truck.
Endurance was the name of the game for this event. Speed between the load and next object was crucial and the ability to get those damn sandbags on the shoulder quickly was paramount. Some came unstuck with the fatigue, some with the wet but all battled through to finish strongly.



Final standings after event 6
|
Name |
Weight Class |
Time |
Position/Points for Carry |
Final Cumulative Points |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
100 |
2 |
7 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
89 |
1 |
8 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
|
3 |
15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
107 |
4 |
23 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
144 |
5 |
24 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
78 |
1 |
17 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
102 |
3 |
17 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
179 |
6 |
21 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
93 |
2 |
21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
81 |
6 |
22 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
78 |
5 |
32 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
61 |
1 |
16 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
71 |
2 |
14 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
75 |
3 |
24 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
76 |
4 |
16 |
Final Standings
|
Name |
Weight Class |
Final Cumulative Points |
Final Position |
|
Chris Chapman |
Sub 75kg |
7 |
2 |
|
Tom Sherwin |
Sub 75kg |
8 |
1 |
|
Sally Moss |
Sub 75kg |
15 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Mccabe |
75-90kg |
23 |
5 |
|
Mark Tunstall |
75-90kg |
24 |
6 |
|
Chris Barclay |
75-90kg |
17 |
2 |
|
Thong van Cao |
75-90kg |
17 |
1 |
|
Jimmy Saunders |
75-90kg |
21 |
3 |
|
Martin Phoenix |
75-90kg |
21 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Hawes |
90+kg |
22 |
4 |
|
Daryn Clarke |
90+kg |
32 |
6 |
|
Will Dollar |
90+kg |
16 |
2 |
|
Phil Nourse |
90+kg |
14 |
1 |
|
Matt Nourse |
90+kg |
24 |
5 |
|
Koing Chea |
90+kg |
16 |
2 |
We finished the day with the raffle, prizes for the winners, a huge round of applause and a pat on the back for everyone and a well deserved beer.
This is the first of our events. More will follow and Tadley RFC are happy to have us. We are thinking of May next year for the next one.
Some great photos were taken and can been seen on facebook.


