Corpus Animus Podcast #97 - Max El-Hag | Coaching Sara Sigmundsdottir, Noah Ohlsen & Travis Mayer for the 2022 CrossFit Season
Brannen Dorman sits with Max El-Hag to reflect on the 2022 CrossFit Games season for his athletes Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer, and Sara Sigmunsdottir. In this episode, they talk about what each athlete's approach looked like leading up to the season, the events at the CrossFit games, the pressures of coaching, and a quick discussion on the opportunities for improvements in the sport. We want to know if you'd enjoy a podcast on Max's critiques and recommendations for improving the sport of CrossFit. Leave a comment below. 0:00 - Intro 5:01 - Did the Games feel different this year? 9:07 - Max's definition of success while at the Games 20:50 - SPOILER ALERT; Max is writing a book! 23:40 - Has minor "fame" impacted Max's coaching? 27:50 - What does setting up the season for our high-level athletes look like? 35:38 - Switching from competitive to health-focused coaching 40:30 - When Noah really kicked things into gear for the season 45:40 - Why Sara went to Wodapalooza and moved to TTT 50:44 - How Max handled Sara's 6th place finish at Lowlands Semifinal 56:13 - How important athlete self-belief is 60:17 - How does Max determine what the athletes need to work on from Semi's to the Games 61:34 - Travis's change from Semi's to the Games 63:44 - Noah put the reins more in Max's hands this year 75:09 - Is Tia Toomey the greatest CrossFitter of all time? 76:02 - Travis' disappointment after this year's Games performance 80:30 - Brian Friend's prediction of a 20th place finish for Travis being used as fuel 82:30 - How dealing with disappointment is something every coach needs to be good at 83:55 - ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT; Travis is competing in Madrid! 85:36 - Max's favorite and least favorite event from the CF Games 87:08 - Criticism for the Games season 96:11 - The better story to be told 99:24 - A little sus activity 101:00 - Kill "the unknown and unknowable" 101:51 - Should we do a podcast solely on our critiques and recommendations?