Noah Ohlsen is a seven-time CrossFit Games athlete. The American Native stacks six top-ten finishes on the highest competitive stage, with a personal best of 2nd at the 2019 CrossFit Games.
He is known for his charisma, good humour and his “happy, but hungry” attitude.
The 29-year-old qualified for the 2020 CrossFit Games with a 6th place finish in the worldwide Open and finished Stage 1 of the Games ranked second. Alongside four other male athletes – Mat Fraser, Samuel Kwant, Justin Medeiros and Jeffrey Adler – Ohlsen qualified to compete in Aromas, California, in the 2020 CrossFit Games Finals.
After 12 events – which included “the most difficult event, to date” – Ohlsen would finish the 2020 season as the fourth Fittest Man on Earth, missing out on a second CrossFit Games podium by one position in any given event during the finals.
In a series of Instagram posts, Ohlsen shared his reflections before, during and after every event. His honest, personal account of the weekend is well worth a read.
Text by Noah Ohlsen.
Event 1
Sheesh. I did NOT expect to start the @crossfitgames off with a fifth place finish! When this workout was first announced, I was excited by the prospect of high volume gymnastics. When the weight was announced to be 235# however, my excitement was dampened a bit because I knew it’d be all about that.
Simply put, it just got real heavy for me! I was holding my own until round three when I missed a rep that seemed to be the beginning of the end. Push jerks are not one of my stronger movements and the pressing fatigue from the 50 bar muscle ups made them even tougher to lock out. I had a backup plan of resorting to split jerks on the last few reps of each set if I needed to, but the turf strip we were required to complete the reps on was too narrow for that to be possible.
On the final round it occurred to me that “I’m about to start my Games off in last place”, but I tried to push that thought aside because I needed to finish it either way. Once that’d become a reality, I took a second to hang my head but quickly forced myself to let it go and move on to the next one. It was going to be a long weekend that’d only just begun.
Event 2
Ouch.
Didn’t hurt so much during. My legs were kind of numb about half way up, but as soon as I got to the top of that steep hill, crossed the finish line and dropped the corn sack, my hamstrings were in PAIN. I’m not talking a little bit of muscle burn. It was a full on this feels like something is wrong, will my legs ever be the same again, searing burn!
In contrast, it felt good to have made it through an intimidating event like that. The only “hill” we have in Miami is the Key Biscayne bridge and I’d done plenty of sprints up that thing to prepare for this moment.
A 3rd place finish was better than the 5th that I’d started with, so things were trending in the right direction.
Event 3
This event went just about as well as it possibly could’ve. I ended up squatting and pressing about 10lbs under my best lifts ever and managed to PR my deadlift by the same amount!
What made this one special, was that our coaches were allowed to take the floor with us and we had time between lifts to consult with them. When we made it to the deadlift, it was a numbers game and I felt so fortunate to have @maxelhag in my lane doing the calculations for me. I hit 532lbs (a 2lb PR) on my second lift and when the third and final attempt rolled around, he said I’d need to pull 540# to put the pressure on two of the other guys to pull big to beat me. It ended up being just enough to edge them out!
I don’t think I could’ve really squeezed any more weight out of myself there and I was proud of the effort I had to dig into to fight for that last lift!
Historically, deadlifts were a glaring weakness of mine, that actually kept me from qualifying for the @crossfitgames for the first time in 2013. It feels very rewarding to have worked hard enough to turn them into a bit of a strength!
Event 4
This event seems like a microcosm of the entire weekend. What felt like a first place execution ended up being a third place finish. Handstand walking is my jam! I was excited to try to knock this one out of the park and earn some much needed points.
I got outclassed by one dude and outsmarted by another. I managed to go about 200’ unbroken at what felt like a fast pace and took a couple quick breaks as I chipped away at the final 100.
When I crossed the finish line and saw Mat and Justin already sitting there, I was disheartened. Another frustration that I needed to swallow, as we moved on to the ranch for the final event of day one.
Event 5
This was certainly the event that I was most proud of all weekend. That was one of the gnarliest, grittiest, grind through it runs that I’ve ever done. Y’all, I don’t know if you could get a proper feel for it on the live feed, but some of them hills was STEEP. Like crawl on your hands and knees steep and others were just do everything you can to put one foot in front of the other and walk your way to the top steep.
Luckily, I learned my lesson after exploding on the trail run here in 2016, that starting it in the lead doesn’t mean you’ll finish in the lead. I felt like I paced it well and it paid off. At a certain point, Mat and Justin separated themselves out in front and I was able to chase Sam. For a majority of the hour we were running, I was back and forth and side by side with Jeffrey. Most of the time he had a slight lead on me, but I started to pick up on particular windows of opportunity that I could pass him. Physically, the last three miles were intersting because my energy came and went in waves. I’d saunter along for a bit at a pace that felt slow, but all that I could muster, and then all of a sudden I’d be cruising quickly and try to hang onto that for as long as I could.
Trudging up what I knew was our final climb, Jeffrey was walking about ten steps ahead of me. I decided to risk using the extra energy to run at that point to pass him just as we reached the peak and let gravity send me soaring down the other side. I could hear him hot on my heels and didn’t have a whole lot of push left in me, but was mentally screaming encouragement at myself to just hang on and spread the gap because it was almost over.
As I slid down the hill shown in the photo above, I recognized that it was one of the first ones we climbed on our hands and knees, which meant the finish line was right around the corner! I confidently emptied the tank and managed to secure myself a third place finish that was celebrated with some @dougthedoggo kisses. I was thrilled that I battled it out and never gave up.
That being said, I truly don’t think I ever fully recovered from the effort that took me, for the rest of the weekend.
Event 6
This was my chance. The first classic @crossfit workout of the weekend that I really thought I could take advantage of and pull off a much needed win. In practice a few days prior, I played around with a toe to bar technique that I felt confident would buy me a few seconds of a lead on each set. As rocked as my legs still felt from the trail run only about 16 hours prior, I believed that I could gut the lunges out quickly enough to stay ahead.
As I’d hoped, I was the first one to finish the opening set of toe to bar! By the time I put my kettlebells down to start the second set, I could see that lead had diminished. I fought on with hope that I could still pull it off. Going into the final set, Mat and I were neck and neck. I swang my feet up to the bar frantically, but he made it to the kettlebells a split second ahead. As I crossed the finish line a few second behind him, in exasperation I thought, “dang it man, can’t I have at least one!”
A second place finish was my best of the weekend thus far, but felt disheartening having been so close to a victory.
Event 7
This will always be one that I look back on and think about how it could’ve made all the difference.
We’d spent so much time working on trail running leading up to the finals, that my snatch had taken a bit of a hit. I wasn’t feeling super confident in it and on top of that, was still feeling heavy fatigue from the day before while we warmed up. I tried not to let it worry me and convinced myself that when the clock started, I’d be able to do what I needed to do.
I knew that the first wave would be fast and furious and more about speed than technique. That being said, if the balance shifted too far in one direction, I could run into a problem. I raced up to 245 and missed. That could easily have been the end of the road for me, but Justin also missed. As a Hail Mary, I bent down to pick the bar back up right away and was able to get across the finish line with enough time to advance.
The second wave shifted the balance a little more to the technique vs speed side of things, but still required some hustle. I made it to final bar at 265 at almost the same time as the other guys and took a chance by pulling it a little sooner than I probably should have, to try and edge them out. I missed. But so did they. We all took a second to gear up for another attempt, but they both stuck their lifts before I even got mine off the ground.
The “what if” of whether or not I could’ve hit that first attempt at 265 and locked in at least a 3rd place finish there, had I just had a second more patience, is what may eat at me. Knowing that I was competitive and confident enough to go for it and take the risk, quells that curiosity ever so slightly…
Event 8
I was really looking forward to how “fun” this one would be. A bit of that sensation was robbed by a last place finish. A couple rounds in I could already feel that my legs just didn’t have the juice to keep up on the bike. I almost gave up hope, but convinced myself to keep pushing, on the off chance that one of my competitors made a mistake. The rope climbs were basically a non factor, so this is almost as simple as what’s already been said.
To add depth, there were two noteworthy experiences. One was our first sense of having fans at the games! A large group had gathered on the other side of the fence and would cheer wildly as we made our turns to head back to the rope. That was awesome and made me a little less sad. The sadness stemmed from the fact that while I was biking across the field and could see myself sliding further toward the back of the pack, I had a vision of my friends and family watching at home and could feel their hearts breaking for me.
Walking off the floor with @maxelhag I said, “I’m bummed but I really didn’t make any mistakes and the effort was there, it just wasn’t my workout and I didn’t have the juice in my legs.”
I enjoyed the unique experience and was hopeful that the final workout of the day would provide a similar challenge. Even more hopeful that it’d be one I could rise to meet!
Event 9
I was fighting to remain confident and hopeful after a morning that didn’t go my way and a body that was starting to feel the fatigue set in. As they unveiled this event, I hate to admit (and hated feeling in the moment) that a pit formed in my stomach. It wasn’t necessarily a “bad” one for me, but it certainly wasn’t going to be easy. I was nervous about having to dig deep on an already slightly fractured body and spirit.
As we warmed up, I did two thrusters at 175 and the way they felt, I thought, “there’s no way I’ll be able to do all 11 unbroken at the end of the workout.” I wish my mind hadn’t gone there because as I worked my way through the event, I was actually able to tap into some reserves. I reminded myself that, “I’m a machine” and heading up the final hill run, I’d pulled myself into second place. All that stood before me finishing in that position, were 11 burpees and those 11 thrusters. I got to the bar at almost the exact same time as Sam and Jeffrey and as I worked my way through the reps, there was a little bit of fight in me that sparked the hope that I could do them unbroken. After about 6 reps, it took everything to drive myself up out of the squat and arch my back to press the bar overhead.
In a split second, after barely locking out the 8th rep, my body dropped the bar without consulting my brain on the matter. In the short window it took me to pick the bar back up and finish the last 3 reps, I’d been edged out and crossed the finish line in 4th place. So close, yet just slightly too far from what I needed it to be. Not such a happy star, after all.
Event 10
The night before the final day I had done exactly what I needed to do to put myself in the perfect head space to finish the weekend. I wasn’t wallowing in what had thus far been a handful of shortcomings. I was confident and fired up that for one more day, I would give it absolutely everything I had left in me. And we’d start with a swim. I like swimming…
However, as we got off the bus and strolled up to the pool the next morning, I caught a glimpse of an assault bike in front of each lane. Gulp. What I was hoping would be a huge advantage for me seemed to have just been nullified by another bike. I shook that thought off and remained confident that I’d dig in and finish with no regrets.
I have none. There’s literally no way that I could’ve pushed my body harder on that one. In fact, the finish of this event was by far the most painful of the weekend. It all came down to the bike. The swim, sit-ups, and ball slams were unfortunately not what would win it.
I sent it and was pleasantly pumped to cross the finish line of the first round in first place. Round two was almost a stalemate across the board. I was not expecting what hit me on round three. Coming off the bike sprint that ended round two and starting with more of the same for round three, rocked my world. I managed my way through the 15 cals and when I dove into the pool, almost panicked at the way my body felt, thinking I may not even be able to make it across. I took it one stroke at a time then struggled to lift a 60lb ball up over my head.
As with intervals, no matter how you feel, when you make it to the last one and the end is in sight, there’s a slight glimmer of hope. As my body screamed internally from head to toe, I promised myself that I wouldn’t give up or give in. I sprinted through the slams and sit-ups, and on numb arms and legs, swam myself across the pool for the final time. I got on the bike and drooled my way through the last 15 cals at the absolute fastest pace that I could, then collapsed across the finish line.
The “swim” event that I was hoping to knock out of the park to stay in podium contention, rewarded me with a mere 35 points.
Event 11
This was when it hit me emotionally. I recognize that the narrative I’ve been weaving has thus far been of a negative experience, but it wasn’t until this one ended that I was pissed. All weekend, even though I hadn’t had any real luck, I hadn’t given up hope. I was in the fight and prepared to do whatever it would take to make this crazy hard year all feel like a worthy struggle when I stepped onto the podium.
I knew this event would be over in a minute and I knew that I could force myself to do anything for that short a time. I blazed my way down the field and was aware that I got to the sled first. I’d made myself a promise ahead of time, that no matter how much it hurt, I wouldn’t stop pumping my legs. I could no longer feel them as I gutted through the last 15 yards of the push. When I finally crossed the line and turned for the final sprint, I almost tripped on my numb legs. I recovered and with every desire in my heart, tried desperately to race to the other side. I couldn’t tell where anyone else was in that blur, but when my vision cleared, I saw that I’d taken 4th place. Again.
I felt like screaming WHAT MORE CAN I DO! I’d given every event everything I had, and not ONCE had it been enough.
One event remained and @maxelhag reminded me that anything could happen and there was still a chance to sneak my way onto the podium.
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Event 11 This was when it hit me emotionally. I recognize that the narrative I’ve been weaving has thus far been of a negative experience, but it wasn’t until this one ended that I was pissed. All weekend, even though I hadn’t had any real luck, I hadn’t given up hope. I was in the fight and prepared to do whatever it would take to make this crazy hard year all feel like a worthy struggle when I stepped onto the podium. I knew this event would be over in a minute and I knew that I could force myself to do anything for that short a time. I blazed my way down the field and was aware that I got to the sled first. I’d made myself a promise ahead of time, that no matter how much it hurt, I wouldn’t stop pumping my legs. I could no longer feel them as I gutted through the last 15 yards of the push. When I finally crossed the line and turned for the final sprint, I almost tripped on my numb legs. I recovered and with every desire in my heart, tried desperately to race to the other side. I couldn’t tell where anyone else was in that blur, but when my vision cleared, I saw that I’d taken 4th place. Again. I felt like screaming WHAT MORE CAN I DO! I’d given every event everything I had, and not ONCE had it been enough. One event remained and @maxelhag reminded me that anything could happen and there was still a chance to sneak my way onto the podium. ? @crossfitgames
Event 12
Atalanta
So so so unbelievably and painfully close. I needed to have my first event win of the weekend in order to get on the podium. I finished in second by less than 38 seconds on a 52 minute workout.
Let’s rewind. We got to the ranch and awaited the announcement of the “the hardest @crossfitgames workout in history.” My body was rocked. Quads, hamstrings, hips, low back, and triceps all sore and fatigued. It’s kind of the unspoken thing that we assume we’re all feeling at that point. Still, I was determined to keep my promise that I’d pour out everything left in my cup before leaving that ranch.
I didn’t know whether to feel amused, hopeful, or nervous as @thedavecastro told us that we’d complete, all in a 20lb weighted vest…
For time:
1 mile run
100 handstand push-ups
200 pistols
300 pull-ups
1 mile run
I’d never done 200 pistols or 300 pull-ups straight through in my life, let alone in a weighted vest.
But… the last time that combination of movements showed up at the Games, I secured an event win.
Our first mile took 8:30. I kept the handstand push-ups in sets of 5 until I had to break them into smaller sets to finish. As I moved into the pistols, I could see Mat chipping away and heard Jeffrey’s judge say that he was 30 reps in. I took a big gulp of my @evertrain Post Pro and got to work. Advancing to the pull-ups, I’d built about a 40 rep lead on Jeff and Justin. I kept them in sets of 5 and demanded myself to stay diligent and push my limits. Miraculously, I took off for the final mile in the lead!
However, as I began the run I was immediately aware that almost my entire body, but specifically every muscle from my waist down, was on the verge of fully cramping. I kept my feet moving and begged my body to hang on and pick up the pace. I tried a few times and was shut down by a muscle locking up to the point where I’d have to walk it out for a couple steps to avoid toppling over.
As Mat and Tia trotted past me at the halfway point, I wanted to say something to them. For whatever reason, no words left my mouth and I watched in desperation as they slowly widened the gap.
With 400m to go, @maxelhag met me at the fence. He pointed to Mat, who was about 30 meters ahead of me and said, “you need to beat him to get on the podium.” I tried to will myself to catch him but could not physically get my legs to move faster, no matter how desperately I tried.
As I watched them cross the finish line just in front of me, I wanted to cry out. Tears, a yell, anything to get the sickness out of my stomach that I felt, knowing I hadn’t done enough. I was crushed. I am crushed. I wonder if I could have done more. I want to believe that’s the not the case. That I did truly do everything I could. Either way, I can’t dwell on it for long. I am already fully committed to training this season so that I don’t have to experience that feeling again. I still have a burning desire and I still believe.
Transformations: Noah Ohlsen Before He Found CrossFit (And Six of His Challenging Workouts)
