By now, you’ve probably seen a name you haven’t seen before atop the Worldwide CrossFit Open leaderboad…that name is Kyle Frankenfeld. Surrounded by familiar names such as Noah Ohlsen, Josh Bridges and Rich Froning, Frankenfeld has quietly stayed in the top 10 worldwide throughout the Open.
With no finish outside the top 20 worldwide through four weeks, Frankenfeld currently sits in 3rd place worldwide (1st in Australia) behind Noah Ohlsen and Josh Bridges. We reached out to Kyle recently to learn more about what has propelled him to the top of leaderboard. Here’s what he had to say.
The Barbell Spin:Â You’ve been competing at the Regional-level for a few years, but not many people in the States probably know much about you. Can you share your background prior to starting CrossFit and when/how you got started in CrossFit?
Prior to CrossFit I was mainly an endurance athlete. In my junior years I was a state swimmer in South Africa. When I moved to Australia I couldn’t wait to get out of the pool. This led me to school rowing. I became captain of boats in school and continued rowing after school. After school I worked to become a high level lightweight rower with the ambition to take it somewhere, but didn’t have the physical height required. At the time I was also competing in triathlons with great success. When I stopped rowing competitively, I started going to the gym more and eventually became a PT while studying construction management. As I was following my passion as a PT I decided to open my own studio and accidentally fell into the world of CrossFit as I was trying to further my own knowledge.
Last year you finished 7th in the Pacific Regional. What was your mindset going into that event?
Last year, I was the most relaxed and calm I had ever been. This led to my first really enjoyable Regionals experience. I had done the work leading up to Regionals and was excited to test my abilities.
What were your emotions after falling a little short of qualifying for the Games?
I was satisfied. I feel that if you fall short, you still have weaknesses and this is a sport of eliminating them. I wasn’t ready to go and I was excited that knew how to move forward.
What has your training been like this past offseason? Have you changed anything this year?
This year I have adopted two training partners, Chase Frankenfeld (my brother) and Michel Sinnamon. These two champions have pushed me to all new heights. I have also been following The Training Plan which has been a major pressure taken of my shoulders from a programming point of view. The main thing though is allowing my body to recover and learning to listen to it.
After two weeks, you’re sitting in 4th worldwide and 1st in Australia after two events. Both workouts have been in the 20-minute time domain, but required different skill sets. Were these workouts suited for your strengths?
To be honest I was a little surprised. I know I am the fittest and most well-rounded I have ever been but you don’t know where you stand until you have been tested. So I’m just taking the Open as it comes and am just reminding myself this is the first step. There is still a long journey ahead. So far I have only done each work out once. I like to attack the workout with the idea that I only have one chance!
What are your goals for this season?
I’m just taking this season step-by-step. The next step is to qualify for Regionals.
What do you like to outside of the gym?
I have a lot of interests outside the gym. Anything to do with the ocean, fishing, diving, spearfishing, boating just to name a few. And I guess that goes along side anything to do with the outdoors, camping, shooting, hiking. I love getting back to nature, it grounds me!
How can people find you on social media?
