Hi everybody! Welcome inside the CrossFit Update Studio. I'm Sean Woodland
being joined by a man who really needs no introduction
but let's just summarize the achievements:
You won the Open in 2011–as everyone knows. Shouldn't have to remind you about that.
He is a 5 time CrossFit Games competitor who has finished inside the top-10 every time.
Fourth in 2015 and probably the most popular athlete on the planet. He is Dan Bailey.
-How you doing? -Great.
-Thanks for having me. -We haven't seen you since you got hurt
competing at the Central Regional. How are you feeling now?
Better. That injury–in terms of whatever happened to my shoulders/pec there–that's pretty much all healed up.
I've had a lot of injuries this Fall–or this year. Going from the Fall into now, about one week out from the Open.
So training's been good. It hasn't been as good as it could have been, but that's just part of the process.
That's just one thing. I've been jumping each hurdle as it comes up.
How has that affected your expectations as far as competition is concerned for 2018?
Man, that's a great question.
You know, I don't think it's changed much since 2016.
I don't know if it's expectations, but maybe mental attitude has kind of changed since then.
Not making it to the Games in 2016 was devastating.
It just crushed me. You want to keep that streak alive.
5, 6, 7, as many as you can in a row of going to the Games. And then that happened.
I had a hard time with it for a little while and then kind of over and done with and
so now that's happened. I don't think I worry about it as much.
Again, in terms of going into a CrossFit Games season, my expectations are always the same:
If I'm going to compete, my expectations are to make it to the Games.
There's no–there's no thought process of, "Let's just go out and see how I do."
I'm not going to walk into a competition and hope I get 10th. That's not the thought process.
I don't think that's the thought process of anybody who puts in all that work
and makes it through the Open into the Regionals, you know what I mean?
I'm planning on competing, planning on going through the Open, seeing what kind of–if any–issues
come up from there. Training hard towards Regionals and then making it to the Games.
How do you approach the Open? Specifically are you a guy who does things twice or
are you a one-and-done type guy? Do you watch the Leaderboard a lot?
I definitely watch the Leaderboard a lot. You have to anymore.
I'm not a one-and-done guy. I'll usually do them at least twice.
In 2011 I did one or two workouts like three times or something ridiculous like that.
Four times, I think.
Ithink it's good to kind of go through it once and then know that you might be able to do
a little bit better and go through it again.
There's so many people that do that and their scores improve so much that
sometimes you might have to do that. Or maybe you made a mistake somewhere.
"Oh I went out a little bit too hard and I need to adjust this because I need my scores
"to be a little bit better to be in a better position."
Especially if you have a goal of going to the Regionals.
And being in that top heat. Being in that first heat. Your place matters.
Maybe "Okay great, I made it to Regionals but now I'm in this back heat where I don't want to be starting
"my weekend at Regionals."
Speaking of Regionals, you're in that ultra-competitive Central Regional.
What is that pressure cooker like over those three days?
It's not going to be anything super new.
From 2011 on it's always been really competitive there. 2012 and 2013 you had Rich and Graham and
Scott Panchik and all these guys I'm competing against.
It'll be familiar but this year the litany of names is just–the list goes so long.
I'm sure tensions will be high. I'm kind of looking at it like, "Hey great. This is going to be a really fun challenge.
"This is going to be really cool to throw down with all these guys."
Sure, the pressure will be on a little higher. Every mistake's going to be more magnified.
Every error you made in your training, or every thing that you maybe could have gotten a little bit better at
is going to be magnified because of the talent pool.
You once said to me—and I'll never forget this–you said Regionals are actually more pressure-packed
then the Games. Why is that?
Just cause the expectation of going to the Games is so huge.
And people have had time to prepare on the second and third weekend.
People have had time to prepare, you kind of know what you have to do, and other people know
what they have to do, and athletes know each other. They know each other's weaknesses.
They know, "I could probably beat them here, they can beat me there." And how's that going to play out.
All those thoughts are kind of going through your head while you're competing on the weekend.
You don't have as many events. You don't have as many chances to recover from a mistake
and like I said, if you make the mistake odds are that other people aren't because they're prepared.
What are you most proud of when you look back on your career as a competitor?
Man, that's a tough one. Wow.
What am I most proud of?
Kind of how I've stuck to my guns. Stuck to being honest to myself, true to myself.
The things that I represent, stand for.
Not just on the playing field, but off of it.
2015: My highest place finish.
I'm definitely super proud of that. I'm super proud of winning the Open in 2011.
And getting Spirit of the Games in 2015.
I think as much as winning any kind of competitive events and those kind of things, but
all of the other things that have come as a result of that. As a result of pursuing that goal
all these other things–side things have branched off. I got to commentate with you guys last year
even though I wasn't competing, and that was so much fun. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an absolute blast.
Just all those different things that have come from competing at the Games
are also things I'm really proud of.
You're a year away from entering that first Masters category. Would you consider competing as a Master?
_Right now, no. I can't bring myself to do that. -Why not?
I just don't want to be in a special category. You know what I mean? I don't
I think it's tougher–probably harder for me because
harder for a lot of athletes transitioning into that from being on the main stage,
which is obviously where most of the attention is. That's where the biggest goal is that you're driving for:
To be the Fittest Person on Earth, not the fittest person in "this category". You know what I mean?
That's nothing to discredit anybody in a Masters category. I mean, Kyle Kasperbauer won last year.
He could easily be a threat as an Individual, still.
He qualified for that. That's what he wanted to do. And went in and I'm sure had a great time.
Displayed a lot of talent there, but right now I'm just not there yet.
I mean maybe that will change in a year, but I doubt it.
Dan, as always, we really appreciate you stopping by and best of luck here in the 2018 season.
Dan Bailey, 5 time CrossFit Games competitor looking to make it 6 here in 2018.