Breaking Down the 'BRO Session'

April 25, 2013

Jeremy Ridgeo

"You get the urge to turn up the music and flex a little, then hit a (workout) as hard as possible."


Photo by: Jonathan Adams


Photo by: Jonathan Adams

Landscape photo by: Julian Serna

 

The term “bro session” is nothing new, but throughout the Open, it was brought up by some of the South East’s top competitors, along with a few high-ranked athletes from other regions.

Part of CrossFit’s allure is the group dynamic and mutual benefits that stem from working out with like-minded individuals. Walk into any CrossFit box during the course of a day, and you will find people willingly pushing themselves to new heights, partly because there are other people standing next to them willing to do the same, and partly because they want to look at their neighbor with satisfaction while snarling, “Better luck next time.”

The bro session brings the group training dynamic to the next level. A level that Jared Stevens, 18th in the North Central, and Jason Ingham, 11th in the South East, both like to describe as “nuclear.”

Ingham says for it to be a legitimate outing, one will need a minimum of three bros, who may or may not regularly workout together. The difference between the session and an ordinary training day can happen instantaneously, he says.

“You get the urge to turn up the music and flex a little, then hit a WOD as hard as possible,” the CrossFit Ragnarok owner says.

For his part, Stevens agrees that a bro session can happen at a moment’s notice, but the pinnacle is going toe-to-toe with your “best bros” and winning. 

“In the end, everything ends up being either ‘brotastic’ or ‘bromantic,’ and you end that with some ‘bro Knucks’ or ‘brotein shakes,’” Stevens says of the aftermath of a highly competitive session. 

CrossFitters are curious by nature, so they tend to search the blogs seeking the next best workout or, perhaps in their mind, their next conquest. A bro session will often stem from the discovery of a friend’s major PR on an Olympic lift or “hot news of an awesome WOD,” according to Ingham. 

There is seemingly no limit to the possible carnage that can be brought about by an epic bro session, as many competitors agree it can last anywhere from five minutes to the next day. 

Ingham and Stevens fondly recall meeting each other in what they both describe as a “nuclear bro session.” Ingham, his brother Josh, Paul Vilerareal, Zachariah Townsend and “Nasty” Nick Johnson were gathering for a training day. Johnson brought his friend to Ingham’s gym in Jacksonville, Fla., and before cordialities were ever expressed, it was clear what was about to happen.

“We flexed, pumped our chest a little and instantly a bro session broke out,” Ingham says of the encounter.

The session started with a max-rep clean and jerk, which resulted in at least five-lb. PRs across the board. 

“Once the testosterone faded, we learned that Jared (Stevens) had only been CrossFitting a short time so we knew he was going to be great,” Ingham says. 

Once all was said and done, and the numbers were on the board, they shared a few beers and have been “mega bros” ever since.    

Ingham and Stevens are not the only top tier athletes who have an affinity for the bro session. Several other members of the South East Region’s elite competitors frequently get together to test each other’s abilities.

Julian Serna, Noah Ohlsen and Jonathan Adams, among a host of others — Dominic Maurici and Guido Trinidad — often find themselves in the middle of intense CrossFit showdowns. It should be noted each of those athletes finished in the top 15 in the South East Region this year.  

Serna insists the first step is throwing out a number of workout ideas.

“Once we have between three or six workouts, we write one down and get to work,” he says.

The goal is to eliminate as much of the downtime as possible when the group gets together and “lift heavy stuff.” 

“I’m not sure other people understand what we are doing, but that makes it unique and for us, it helps each of us improve,” Serna says.

For his part, Ohlsen thinks the connection between the group stems from the common goal each of them shares — to take it to the next level. 

“More importantly, we all thoroughly enjoy the process of striving toward a goal together,” Ohlsen says of the camaraderie that exists during their sessions.

Ohlsen says a bro session is not necessarily restricted to gentlemen only. Jamie Gold, fourth in the South East Region after the Open, and Lauren Brooks, 11th in the South East, occasionally drop in to push the limits. 

“The time and location is set the night before. Then we get together and start throwing out potential WODS, and once it is decided, the trash-talking starts,” Ohlsen says. 

The collection of friends congregate around the whiteboard, each with a marker, and different combinations of exercises, time domains and workouts start to flow. 

“It is typically an all-day affair,” Adams jokes of the process.  

One benefit is that each member of the group has a different skill set and various strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, if a workout is a couplet of a heavy barbell movement and a gymnastics skill such as muscle-ups, the lead may change hands several times before all is said and done. 

Both Serna and Ohlsen are quick to point out that if Atlas stones are involved, it is undoubtedly Adams’ choice. 

“The bouncing back and forth and the chase is what makes each of us better,” Ohlsen says.

All of them agree, however, that it does not have to be too serious. Much of the time in between work is spent mocking each other and solidifying the bond.

“When all is said and done, we’re left dazed on the floor with a cloud of chalk, maybe baby powder, and BROgenex floating overhead,” Ohlsen says in respect to the aftermath of what, at least according to Jason Ingham, could have been a “nuclear” session.

Maurici believes that a bro session makes everyone better. 

“You have to enjoy going heavy and feeling like you are conquered after the WOD,” he says. “If you are with these guys, and the day ends with a burger and a shake, then you know you have had a successful workout.”

Adams adds: “The (workouts) we do will occasionally take over an hour, and we frequently look at each other in disbelief.”

However, Adams says the payoff comes with knowing everyone has improved. 

While they may not always agree on which workout to do or what lift to hit, each of them acknowledges that these sessions are necessary to build the requisite mental toughness to have success not only in the Open, but more importantly at Regionals.   The ups-and-downs of each workout help the athletes deal with success and failure, which, as Ohlsen points out, “helps prepare you for the adversity you may face at Regionals.”