The upcoming 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games will see Dikhoff perform as the oldest athlete in the entire field and the oldest in the contest’s history. She will be amongst the Age Group CrossFit competitors in the Women’s 65+ division on August 3-7 in Madison, WI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Joke Dikhoff (@jokiejook)

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Dikhoff at a Glance 

While many eyes will be on five-time reigning Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey, and defending Fittest Man on Earth®, Justin Medeiros, in the coming weeks — Dikhoff’s presence is noteworthy.

This edition of the CrossFit Games will be Dikhoff’s third appearance in the staple competition (2014-2015). In 2014, during her Games debut, Dikhoff took home an eighth-place result. The following year, she finished in 13th place. (Dikhoff competed in the Masters Women 60+ division in both years.)

Thanks to a season where Dikhoff finished in 23rd place during the 2022 CrossFit Open, 14th place during the virtual Quarterfinals, and sixth place during the Age Group SemiFinal, Dikhoff returns to the Games after a seven-year absence. Notably, Dikhoff never attained anything less than a 12th-place result during the six Semifinal workouts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Joke Dikhoff (@jokiejook)

[Related: Strongman Rob Kearney and CrossFitters Mat Fraser and Mal O’Brien Get After It in Overhead Workout]

Executing a Plan

In the caption of her Instagram post, Dikhoff expresses gratitude for her qualification. She issues words of thanks to her son, Marc. Then she follows that with an appreciation for her CrossFit NewStyle contingent — a CrossFit gym in Utrecht, Netherlands. 

Per the CrossFit athlete, her son and her CrossFit peers at home played instrumental roles in training and preparing her for these Games. 

“Special thanks to my son, Marc Dikhoff, the brains behind this master plan,” Dikhoff writes. “I would also like to thank my CrossFit NewStyle community, as they have always been there to support and cheer me on. I’m proud to be a CF NewStyle athlete.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Joke Dikhoff (@jokiejook)

[Related: 20-Minute Workouts for Muscle, Fat Loss, Strength, and More]

The Age Group segment of the 2022 CrossFit Games will begin on Thursday, August 4. The Fittest on Earth® title will be awarded on Sunday, August 7. Unlike the Individual and Team portions of the contest, there will be no rest day for the Age Group competitors. At the time of this writing, the CrossFit organization has not announced the events for any of the divisions.

Dikhoff could be a contender for her first-ever podium result if she can maintain her recent consistency. 

Featured image: @jokiejook on Instagram

The post Check Out 72-Year-Old CrossFit Athlete Joke Dikhoff Cruise Through A Legless Rope Climb appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Picture a solitary rope, hanging from the ceiling and terminating inches from the floor. Is this image enough to create angst and anxiety in your mind? Climbing to the top of a rope was a benchmark of a bygone era of physical education. Today, it’s an almost inconceivable feat for kids and adults alike.

The Rope Climb is a Wonderful Test of Strength

I’d argue that we’ve given up something precious. While safety should be a concern when designing any fitness program, the fact remains that the rope climb is a wonderful test of strength, and an achievement worth striving towards.

Beyond the physical challenge, it can teach courage and tenacity, and create a sense of achievement that can’t be duplicated by the “safer” methods used in PE classes today.

At the turn of the 20th century, Georges Hebert created a system of physical training that he called the Natural Method. At its core, the system embraced the value of “being fit to be useful.”

He firmly believed that physical training should have its roots in natural human movement, and should promote the moral and physical qualities of heroism.

Few exercises better encompass these values than the rope climb. The ability to pull yourself up has been an essential human skill throughout human history. Just grabbing a rope and pulling inspires a primal focus that few other movements replicate.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Progress slowly. Don’t go all the way up at first. Build confidence by going up a quarter of the way, and back down. Then halfway up and down, etc.
• Come down slowly, and without sliding. The rope will burn you badly if you slide.
• Practice with shoes on, particularly at first, to help protect your feet and help them grip the rope.
• Not sure if you have the upper body strength? Rope climbs can be scaled by predominantly pushing from the legs, and only using the upper body to grip and stabilize.

The post Learning the Ropes appeared first on Breaking Muscle.