Find out how 2010 Games champion Graham Holmberg and second-place finisher Rich Froning Jr. are training for the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. At the Rogue Fitness training center in Columbus, Ohio, and CrossFit Cookeville at Tennessee Tech University, Sevan Matossian captures these two elite athletes preparing themselves for the mental and physical battles they are soon to encounter.

Reminiscing on his experiences last year, Froning says, “You can look at it like I lost or you can look at it like he won, and either way the outcome is he won. There’s not much you can do about it, and I can’t change anything about it.”

To prepare for this year’s Games, Froning says his game plan is simple: “Train as hard as I can. That’s what I’m going to do, and that’s what I have been doing.”

Reigning champion Holmberg confronts criticism about his performance and obscurity over the past year. He says the Open was a “lose-lose situation” for him—if he did well, people expected it, but if he did poorly, people would question his capability. Holmberg finished 37th overall in the Open, and he didn’t compete in a regional event.

Both athletes say they are ready for the Home Depot Center and July 29. They analyze their own past performances and that of their peers, sizing up the competition.

“We’ll see what happens when we get to the Games,” Holmberg says. “That’s all that really matters.”