2017 CrossFit Games – Invictus Masters Recap
We are very proud of our Invictus Masters athletes (40+) who competed at the 2017 CrossFit Games! We had a phenomenal week with 13 Invictus Masters athletes competing, and 3 Masters who finished on the podium!
Invictus Masters long-time veteran, Cheryl Brost competed for the second year in a row as a 45-49 age group, and had back to back 1st Place finishes!
Cheryl had a stellar performance all weekend long. She is no stranger to competition as she competed as an individual up until 2012 and has been competing as a Masters ever since. This year, she never placed outside of the top 5 (minus the run/swim/run event), and she had an impressive SIX 1st place finishes in the 12 events! Her composure throughout the weekend was evident as she approached each workout and executed the way she envisioned in her mind. Her competitive nature coupled with the hard work and dedication she put into training was a perfect formula for a second straight win as the 45-49 champion.
Karen McAdam took 2nd place in the 40-44 Womens Division, and crushed Quatrain :50s ahead of second place.
Brent Mair took 2nd place in the 45-49 Mens Division.
Bob Caslin was a true champion when he saved Will Powell in the run/swim/run event.
We just want to say a huge congratulations to all the Invictus Masters athletes who competed at the CrossFit Games. These are the best of the best in the Sport of Fitness and their drive, focus and determination to reach their full potential never cease to amaze all who draw inspiration from these incredible individuals.
New Cycle Starts Now!
If you are interested in trying out Invictus Masters, we just started our next cycle, focusing on relative max strength and aerobic endurance, with additional energy systems incorporated so by the end of the cycle, athletes will feel well-rounded. There will be direct focus on strength and mobility in the upper body as well as positional work for Olympic Weightlifting. A high priority will be placed on corrective work for structural balance in all athletes. Gymnastics skills and drills will be also be included so athletes can improve movement efficiency and strength in the full range of motion for common gymnastics movements found in CrossFit. As always, the program places year round emphasis on mobility, activation and stabilization.
What are people saying about Invictus Masters:
Cheryl Brost – Hawaii, USA
Rebekah T – Belfast, Ireland
I’ve only been following invictus masters programme for a couple of months now but the improvements I’ve made have been enormous! The tips from Nichole and Travis are spot on and have improved my technique in so many things. The programme is challenging but enjoyable and I look forward to seeing more progress.
Marco P:
I started your Masters off-season from the beginning, so last week was test week, and I’d like to give you some feedback. Finally broke my old clean PR! It was 95kg for some time, and I went for 96kg (PR) and was feeling good and went for 100 kg and PR again…. Then 100 cal on the flywheel bike: I had 5:57’ and lowered :24 to 5:33… I’m super happy with the results!
Liina V:
The training has been good. In my upcoming comp there will be swimming and odd object stuff so the program has been just perfect…. Ordering the masters games prep was one of the best decision when it comes to following training programs that support my competition schedule.
Alvaro L:
This is the skill in CrossFit that was the hardest for me to learn and by far the one I’m most proud of now. As a 6’1″ 220 lbs Costa Rican bear, walking on my hands was a surreal task and rough on the wrists, elbows and back…that’s until now. All the mobility work and accessories have allowed me to feel more confident, pain free and comfortable while handstand walking. Thank you CrossFit Invictus!
Rob Walker – Oswestry, Wales – First Place – Team at the Wild West Fitness Competition
‘Leave you ego at the door.’ We all know it as one of the crossFit slogans. However, this is also applicable to Coaches too. Whilst I am a CrossFit and Weightlifting Trainer and Coach, there are many others out there better than me.
Starting the Invictus Masters program was a no brainer:
1. The coaches are better and more expereinced than me. I can learn…
2. Invictus have sent so many Masters Athletes to the Games.
3. I can take motivation from great Masters Athletes such as Pete Mongeau, Cheryl Brost and more…
I’ve actually followed the Invictus Competition program in the past and made huge improvements. In fact, I increased my Snatch (+30kg) and C&J (+25kg) so much in one yearthat I was able to win the British National Masters Olympic Weightlifting (M35 85kg) Championship in 2014 and compete in the European Championships two years running. During this time, I also greatly improved my CrossFit. Despite stopping the Competition Programming for 12 months and self programming to target specific weaknesses, I continued to compete in the Invictus Annual Online Competition each December. I love the way this competition runs. It’s a huge challenge that tests pacing and recovery like nothing else I have experienced. It’s also a good test to see where you are at pre-open. This years Masters division planted the seed to rejoin Invictus, but on the Masters program.
Joining the program is much more than receiving daily programming. The programming is progressive and runs in cycles/phases relevant to the Open season. We all have the ability to post videos for critique and feedback from the awesome Masters program Coach Nichole, but also the entire Invictus coaching staff. This includes gymnastics and Olympic Weightlifting specialists Coaches. In addition, we get to see how top level Invictus athletes perform in the same workouts as us. This helps push us harder and motivates us to try harder! During event season, athletes have access to strategy documentation for each event. From how to warm-up and what to eat, to how to pace and execute a workout. On top of that, each days’ programming includes links to the Invictus Video library, demonstrating and explaining each movement.
In summary, The Invictus Masters Program is as close as it gets to being part of a specific Masters Competitive CrossFit face to face Coached community. It’s unbelievably great value, since we actually receive Coaching and not just a program.
Corey Perry
Thanks to Nichole, CJ, and the entire Invictus crew involved in the Masters programming. I haven’t PRd my Back squat since Feb 2013. Since then, I’ve done Hatch several times, a Smolov Jr cycle (which ended up causing tendonitis in my groin, hip bursitis, and ultimately ended up tearing my quad) with not a single pounded added to any of my squats. This last Off-Season Cycle hit the mark. I’ve never felt stronger and fresher going into training and the incorporation of the Van Dyke protocols, Box squats, wide stance tempo squats, and just over all programming resulting in a the first Back squat PR in 4 years. In a short 12 weeks I’ve added 20lbs to my back squat.