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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by Red H Nutrition, an athlete founded, athlete focused supplement company who believes in the process as much as the result.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese Proverb

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX

Hafthor “The Mountain” has reclaimed his title of Europe’s Strongest Man.Tommy Marquez and Rory McKernan go over their favorite moments from the 2017 CrossFit Open. Eddie Hall set a new world record with this 476 pound axle press! For a weightlifter, Jared Enderton can do a lot of gymnastics. Carleen Mathews practices 100 sots press for time. Alexis Johnson hits a 200 pound thruster PR and does Karen unbroken. Andrea Ager got engagedAlexandra LaChance qualified for Nationals at her first weightlifting meet since transitioning away from CrossFit. Adrian Mundwilerpractices weighted L-sit muscle-ups for Regionals. Rasmus Andersen hits a 355 pound clean PR. Brooke Ence is back home from the hospital after surgery.
FUN FACT: Mathew Fraser wasn’t the fastest athlete on the field during the sprint event at the 2016 CrossFit Games even though he came in first.

WHAT TO TELL YOUR POLICE OFFICER FRIEND WHO’S UP FOR THEIR ANNUAL PHYSICAL REVIEW…

Let us introduce you to Amber Kennedy, the first woman selected to the Council Bluffs, Iowa SWAT Team. So how’d she train to ensure she’d be able to keep up with all the extra tactical gear? CrossFit. Aside from the physical support of CrossFit, she uses it to clear her head after tough days on the job.

THINGS TO…

WATCH: The Scottish Invasion of Columbus

Brand new to the 2017 Arnold was the introduction of the indoor Scottish Highland Games, the centuries-old competition originating in Scotland. To be fair, what’s more Arnold than throwing around the heaviest objects you can find in the Scottish countryside?
CHECK IT OUT.

HEAR: Joe and Claire Do Madison

What does a beet burger, Dave Castro and beer have in common? Madison, WI — the home of the next CrossFit Games and where Joy and Claire watched 17.5 live. In this episode, they recap the 17.5 live announcement and some of the fun things they experienced in Wisconsin.
GO BADGERS.

EAT: The Most Popular Muffin Recipe on Pinterest

Introducing skinny banana chocolate chip muffins from Ambitious Kitchen. Don’t believe that it’s the most popular of all time, well it’s been pinned more than 1.8 million times. As far as suggestions go, we think the Internet has spoken and it’s time to give this a try.
I LOVE BANANAS.

BUY: 10% Off Barbell Apparel

Barbell Apparel jeans are designed specifically for the athlete who likes to squat but still wants to fit into a pair of jeans that fits right. If you do CrossFit and you’ve ever been jean shopping, chances are you understand the dilemma and right now they’re 10% off with code “CHALKUP.”
START SHOPPING.

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

FIRST LOOK Margaux Alvarez launches the website to her under construction affiliate – The Vineyard CrossFit – that will be opening their doors this Fall.
Soldotna High School in Alaska hosts a biannual CrossFit competition that invites three area high schools together to compete. Last Fall, CrossFit HQ sent L1 trainers to certify the area coaches.A high school junior who joined Fairmont CrossFit in 2016 placed 13th in the North Central region and is heading on to the Online Qualifier.

Mission CrossFit in Livingston, NJ is hosting their second annual fundraiser for Spectrum Works next weekend. Last year, the event attracted more than 200 people and raised more than $10,000 toward Spectrum Works, a non-profit organization that gives individuals within the autism spectrum the opportunity to learn skills in a regular work environment with the possibility of obtaining employment.

CHALK UP READS

“Measured, Observed, Repeated: Lessons from a Six Year Open Veteran” by Brittney Saline, CrossFit Journal

Last Thursday, after Open Workout 17.5 was announced, Dave DeGroot had one thought: “Oh boy.” The couplet of thrusters and double-unders called for 350 reps on the rope, more than the 47-year-old had ever done in a single workout. Had it been a normal challenge programmed at his gym, CrossFit 808 in Honolulu, Hawaii, he would have scaled. “But nope, it’s the Open,” he thought to himself. “I have a goal: Rx everything.”

A day later, DeGroot finished the final double-under of 17.5 at 37:26, last in his heat. Though disappointed at first, he looked at the big picture once he caught his breath. “A couple years ago, I couldn’t do double-unders, and 95-lb. thrusters would leave me gasping,” he said. “It’s good to keep that perspective.” For DeGroot, a CrossFit Games Open competitor since 2012, that perspective spans six years and 30 Open workouts. Each year of tests, he said, has provided an opportunity to grow.

“The Trouble with Triplets” by Mike Warkentin, CrossFit Journal

If you get 2 rounds of Nate in 20 minutes, you’re likely missing the point. The triplet calls for max rounds of 2 muscle-ups, 4 handstand push-ups and 8 kettlebell swings. When performed by a skilled athlete, it’s a challenging test of conditioning in the range of 20 or more rounds. But if you take 20 minutes to grind through a total of 4 muscle-ups, 8 handstand push-ups and 16 kettlebell swings, you’ve turned a conditioning test into work on gymnastics skills, with 2 irrelevant sets of swings to break things up.

This is not to say it’s stupid to struggle through Nate. Developing athletes can find pride and motivation in putting “Rx” on the board, and sometimes the struggle is worth it. But only sometimes. I’ll let the Founder of CrossFit Inc. explain the rationale behind the conditioning triplet.

“Ideally the elements chosen are not significant outside of the blistering pace required to maximize rotations completed within the time (typically 20 minutes) allotted,” Greg Glassman wrote in the 2003 article “A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming.”

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