Seventy-seven CrossFitters at CrossFit Threshold in Miami, Fla., were recently participants in the box's first-ever challenge that not only changed members' eating habits, but also united its community.
Many people give the paleo diet a shot with the aim of bettering their health. Trading your pasta for spaghetti squash or your potatoes for cauliflower mash are common among paleo followers.
Seventy-seven CrossFitters at CrossFit Threshold in Miami, Fla., were recently participants in the box’s first-ever challenge that not only changed members’ eating habits, but also united its community.
Eating challenges are common, often set up to rally members to commit to 30-, 60- and 90-day eating and lifestyle changes. Many participants experience results from body fat and weight loss, to strength gains, faster workout times and all-around improved health.
But CrossFit Threshold’s six-week challenge took things to a new level — Harry Potter style.
“I am a huge nerd and love Harry Potter and anything science fiction. So, I created The Paleo Games,” Threshold owner, Chris Holt, says.
Holt modeled the challenge after the infamous books and movies. He created seven houses: Gryffindor, Durmstrang, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Beauxbatons and D.A.D.A. (Defense Against the Dark Arts).
To kick-off the challenge, all the participating athletes came together for a commencement ceremony where every individual was called up to sit on a high box and wear the “sorting hat” while Holt presented each of them their assigned house.
Each house was assigned a leader, and all its members signed an honor code pledge. Additionally, each house had a private Facebook page where they convened about strategies, swapped recipes and kept each other motivated for their workouts and nutrition.
The goal of the challenge was to collect the most points in six weeks. Points were awarded for things such as, before-and-after photos, class attendance and submitting a weekly food log to the house leader.
“Each week, I also released a couple challenges — one that was very simple and the other more difficult,” Holt says. “Both challenges had to be validated by posting pictures or videos of proof for completing the challenges to their perspective Facebook house page.”
Week 1:
Challenge A: Go to Whole Foods and drink a Kalicious smoothie (entire house must complete this in seven days with photo validation).
Challenge B: Any housemate completes 10 burpees next to a business establishment (15 points if you do them inside the business establishment). Validation is video posted to the house page. Cannot be your place of work or the gym.
Holt also awarded points to a House of the Week, as well, and wrote riddles each house had to solve together.
Holt posted this in the house Facebook pages:
“To all the Houses, riddle me this,
These were all written by Chris,
One submission by a house is allowed,
So be sure not to say it out loud.
Time to answer expires Sunday night,
So be sure your House decides on an answer that you all think is right.
Riddle No. 1:
"It's one of the most important parts of CrossFit.
Too often, affiliates overlook it.
I'm super important when your blood cells have been grooving,
Which in turn gets you safely and continually moving!"
He then wrote:
"Just to keep it interesting and fun,
Correctly answering the riddle you've begun,
Will not only gain your house points of wealth,
But another riddle for your mental health.
Heed this warning: Tread softly my friends.
For a wrong answer is where your weekly riddle ends."
To say the least, Holt enjoyed using his creativity to bring his box together and in the spirit of CrossFit — keep things constantly varied and challenging.
“I have never seen the type of morale and camaraderie that I saw displayed in the houses. People met people they never would have normally run into … I had 77 total athletes committed … and they were all literally doing challenges like burpees all over town. It was freaking amazing. I think it has made our community stronger than I have ever seen. From team outfits, to banners in the gym, it definitely created a buzz,” Holt says.
Challenge participants agree.
“On days where normally I would have rationalized my way out of going into CrossFit, I made myself go so that I would not let my team down,” Frank Izquierdo says. “Gone were the days of looking at the WOD ahead of time and quickly deciding not to go ... I did not even look at the WOD. I would come in, along with the other participants, knowing that whatever was in store, I would work through it. In six weeks, I bonded more with my fellow CrossFitters than in the nine months prior. The most amazing thing is that not only did my teammates cheer me on when I needed an extra push, but other teams’ members did so, as well.”
Only having started CrossFit a week prior, Vibha Gupta took the plunge with the challenge.
“It was nothing short of the time of my life,” she says. “My teammates made me laugh and helped me believe in myself because they were willing to wake up at (the) ungodly hour of 5:30 a.m. and be there when I rowed 500 meters, did 150 burpees or hung like a monkey. Over the past six weeks, I also learned to cook, gave up taking ibuprofen for every little ache, lost 18 pounds and a whole dress size while gaining strength, learned to eat my most hated food (salmon) and actually loved it, got to know some truly inspiring fellow athletes, and most importantly, formed a strong belief that I can be healthy, strong and a fit role model for my children.”
Mike Guerra says he lost two pants sizes thanks to the challenge.
“I can honestly say that I am in the best shape I have ever been since my 20s,” he says. “I am certainly not going to be a top CrossFit Games athlete nor am I training for the Olympics, however my long-term goal is to continue to stay fit, eat as healthy as possible and from time to time beat some PRs at the box.”
On the final Monday night of the six-week challenge, all 77 participants came together for the revealing of the winning team — House Ravenclaw. The team was awarded a cash prize of $75 each and $100 for the house leader. They also earned a team photo framed at the gym, a free month of CrossFit, a banquet held in the winning house's honor and a replica of The Triwizard Cup.
Reflecting back on the first challenge, Holt says it was much deeper than coconut oil and almond meal bringing a community together.
“The Paleo Games was about connecting on a level where we all live and truly relate to, having fun, living life with passion and learning something about yourself through the continual support of the people around you. No matter your ethnic background, religious views or even political views, everyone can connect to each other forming bonds and friendships that never once existed between two strangers,” Holt says.
“Affiliates nowadays can be so separated from morning athletes to evening athletes or firebreathers to novices. The Paleo Games brought all walks of life together and the results were movie-esque … Magic created through one idea. I love my community and this is my gift to them,” Holt says.
Editor's Note: Following the results that 77 of his gym's members saw after participating in a challenge that promoted healthy eating, CrossFit Threshold owner Chris Holt decided to name it, "The Caveman Cup" and share the details with other affiliates.
