Barbell Math is Legit Hard – Even The Pros Screw up

By Marcherry Garnica
Feb 22 2023

Barbell Math is Legit Hard – Even The Pros Screw up

Why is barbell math so much harder than normal math? 9 years into lifting and I am still like ughhh!!! It’s hard enough counting in lbs – I can’t even imagine how impossible counting in kilos would be 🙂And that’s exactly what happened here.

I’m sorry to hear that Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala had their 23.1 scores invalidated due to a mistake made during the live Open Announcement in Madrid, Spain. CrossFit, the organization responsible for the Open, has taken responsibility for the error, which involved loading the barbells with incorrect weights.

The workout (a repeat from 2014): Complete as many reps as possible in 14 minutes of:

  • 60-calorie row
  • 50 toes-to-bars
  • 40 wall balls (20/14 pounds)
  • 30 cleans (135/95 pounds)
  • 20 muscle-up

Since the announcement was in Spain and kilogram plates were used, the women’s weight was supposed to be 43 kg. However, the barbell was only loaded to 38 kg. In total three athletes, Camila Granizo, Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala, did the workout with the wrong weight.

CrossFit released an official statement whereby it accepted responsibility for the error.

—–

Per CrossFit:

CrossFit athletes Camila Granizo, Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala put on an incredible performance kicking off the 2023 CrossFit Open. CrossFit mistakenly misloaded the women’s barbells during the 23.1 Announcement, which resulted in the weights being lighter than prescribed. The barbells in today’s test weighed 38 kg instead of the prescribed 43 kg. 

Despite their efforts, Granizo, Horvath and Migala will not be able to have their scores from this attempt validated. 

It was solely CrossFit’s responsibility to load the barbells to the correct weight and we apologize for the error.

It’s important to note that mistakes can happen in any sport or competition, and it’s commendable that CrossFit has taken responsibility for the error. While it’s certainly disappointing for the athletes affected, it’s a reminder that sometimes things don’t go as planned, and we should always strive to learn from our mistakes and do better in the future.

It’s also worth acknowledging the hard work and dedication of all the athletes who participated in the Open, regardless of the outcome. Competing at that level takes an incredible amount of skill, strength, and mental toughness, and everyone who stepped up to the challenge should be proud of what they accomplished.

The bottom line:

With that being said, I think we could all agree that counting up a barbell could bring Einstein to his knees. So many times that I PR’d my Back Squat or deadlift  (by #10 or 15#), because I cannot seem to do the most basic math in my head while I’m at the gym. I have to pull out the calculator on my phone when I add 10 lb plates to each side just to make sure. Anyone else can relate?

Get our Shhh I’m doing math here and join the club.

1 thought on “Barbell Math is Legit Hard – Even The Pros Screw up”

  1. I have always been very good at math and always succeeded in tests with the highest grade BUT still it is almost impossible to count the weights (kg) at the gym!

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