Six-time Fittest Woman on Earth® Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr did not reach the later stages of the 2023 CrossFit season (Semifinals and Games) due to her pregnancy. Upon return to competition, Toomey-Orr secured a second-place finish at the 2023 Rogue Invitational behind reigning Fittest Woman on Earth® Laura Horvath.
Looking forward to the 2024 CrossFit season, Toomey-Orr began training on Feb. 16, 2024, documenting her workout at the CrossFit box PRVN Fitness in Nashville, TN. Watch the session below, courtesy of Toomey-Orr’s YouTube channel:
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Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr’s First 2024 Workout
Before her workout, Toomey-Orr mentioned refining her diet to consistently consume daily calorie targets and vitamin requirements.
Back Squat
Toomey-Orr began her workout with barbell back squats. She inhaled and braced before the eccentrics and exhaled on the concentrics while controlling the weight. After her warm-up sets, Toomey-Orr shifted to the following circuit:
Circuit
Toomey-Orr completed three rounds for time with one minute rest between each round of the following exercises:
Overhead squats, double-unders, burpees, and box jumps are all cornerstone movements in CrossFit. Overhead squats can improve shoulder and core stability. Since the barbell overhead places the center of gravity higher, the core engages more significantly to stabilize the load.
Double-unders require the rope to rotate under the feet twice per jump. While it can be difficult from a technical standpoint for those less experienced, once mastered, double-unders can function as an excellent conditioning exercise.
As the name suggests, burpee box jumps combine a burpee with a box jump to comprise a single rep. Combining these two cardio movements helps improve Toomey-Orr’s endurance and aerobic capacity. This movement combination is routinely seen in some variation during chipper events in elite CrossFit competitions.
Bench Press
During the bench press, Toomey-Orr used eccentric loading — slowly lowering the weight — and pushed the load up at a regular tempo while exhaling. She paused briefly at the top and bottom of each rep.
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that augmented eccentric loading improves one’s one-rep max on the bench press. Participants who trained eccentric loading with 105 to 125 percent of their one-rep max for four weeks saw significant increases in their one-rep max lifts. (1)
Rowing & Cycling
Toomey-Orr completed four rounds of 300 meters on a rowing machine and stationary bike. She rested for two minutes after each round. Her goal was to maintain a challenging pace to eventually improve her base pace.
Toomey-Orr focused on her breathing during her conditioning training, a major goal of her 2024 training:
I felt really in control, really strong, really powerful throughout that pace, focusing on my breathing.
[Related: Mallory O’Brien Will Not Compete in the 2024 CrossFit Season]
Dumbbell Shoulder Press & Unilateral Dumbbell Upright Row
Toomey-Orr performed the dumbbell shoulder press from the floor with a neutral grip. Her concentrics aligned her arms with her ears at lockout.
The loaded heavier for upright rows, which led to partial reps to prevent joint strain while still engaging her delts and traps.
Toomey-Orr first step toward her potential seventh Fittest Women on Earth® title at the 2024 CrossFit Games is the 2024 CrossFit Open, which kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, with workout 24.1.
Reference
- Montalvo S, Gruber LD, Gonzalez MP, Dietze-Hermosa MS, Dorgo S. Effects of Augmented Eccentric Load Bench Press Training on One Repetition Maximum Performance and Electromyographic Activity in Trained Powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res. 2021 Jun 1;35(6):1512-1519. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004030. PMID: 34027918.
Featured image: @tiaclair1 on Instagram
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