Hereford colleague Dave Saunders, who recently competed at the prestigious French Throwdown, talks us through his experience and the intensive training regime required to get there.
Fittest on Earth
The French Throwdown is the biggest CrossFit competition in Europe and is an official semi-final for the annual CrossFit Games, where the winners of each age category are crowned the ‘Fittest on Earth’! Only 20 people out of the 14,000 in my age category (50-54) make it through the qualifying rounds to the Games themselves, so it’s intensely competitive. I hope to get there myself one day, but my primary target for the last few years has been to reach the French Throwdown. I was one of only 10 athletes in my age category to qualify, so it’s an achievement I’m very proud of. The top two go onto the CrossFit Games and overall, I was happy with my seventh-place finish.
Qualifying round
To qualify, I had to complete three video workouts, overseen by a judge to ensure I was using the stipulated weights, following the right format and meeting the correct standards. Once the workouts are released you have a seven-day window to complete the first two and then another week to complete the final one. It’s a pretty challenging process involving everything from bench presses and squat cleans to shuttle runs, burpees and bar bell thrusters. Your scores are then submitted for review, and it was a thrill to learn I’d made it to France.
Daunting experience
Stepping out in front of a 5,000-capacity crowd at the Grand Arena Paris was a daunting experience but having worked so hard to get there I was determined not to let the moment pass me by. Once you get started, you’re able to block out the noise and I really enjoyed it. CrossFit is constantly varied, involving high repetition, and at events over the years I’ve covered a whole range of disciplines including 10k runs, weightlifting, cardio and gymnastics. In Paris, my arms were just about falling off after handstand walking for 110m! Using a heavier-handled skipping rope to the type I’d trained with was also a challenge and perhaps a learning to take on board for next time.
Cycling to CrossFit
I found my way into CrossFit by chance. I used to a be a competitive cyclist, and about 12 years ago I decided to try some CrossFit classes at the end of the cycling season and found them very fulfilling. I was achieving as much in an hour as I was during six or seven hours of cycling and things just carried on from there. It takes a lot of time to learn and develop the full range of skills, and working as a Process Technician on the canning line at Hereford means I have to juggle my training around shift patterns. However, I’ve developed a five-day-a-week online training programme, eat lots of carbs and protein and have turned my garage into a gym.
Faith in me
I couldn’t do this without my partner Faith. She’s a competitive sportswoman herself so she understands the demands. She came with me to France, having made all the travel and accommodation arrangements so that I could focus on competing and recovering. The fact she’s also a qualified sports masseur was a big help after I hurt my calf on the second day of the event. There’s a 70+ age group division in CrossFit and Faith joked on the way home that I still had 20 years of this ahead of me! I don’t know about that, but I certainly aim to keep going as long as I’m capable.