Read the latest Morning Chalk Up articles on BarBend
Your Coffee is ready.

This is the only body you’ll ever have

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by RP Strength, the leader in strength sports nutrition, working with high-level CrossFit Games athletes, record holding powerlifters, weightlifters and Olympic athletes. Get ready to jump start your New Year,with the RP Diet Template 3.0, the same templates that helped tens of thousands worldwide lose fat, gain muscle, and improve their performance.
This week only, save $15 on your template with code “CHALKUP15”.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’ll relish in what my body can do today and not lament that perhaps it wasn’t as good as it was yesterday. I’ll also consider what I can do in order to make it better for tomorrow…Always, I will listen: to my heart, to my mind, to my body. I will not tell myself lies about what I can or cannot do…I will accept that this is the only body I will ever have, and treat it as my most prized possession. I will have fun, and because I’m having fun, I will not quit.” — James Fell, The Exerciser’s
Creed

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

 

Roundup — The Dubai Fitness Championships kicked off in the middle of the night with a 5K weighted vest run through sand dunes. Luckily it was only 76 degrees out. Events will be live on Facebook, though we imagine it will be only indoor events. We’re having a hard time tracking down the specific times of each event but we’ll do our best. Colin Burns is getting back into recovery after dislocating his shoulder at Worlds. “The Fittest on Earth” was the number 2 documentary on iTunes in 2017. Teresa Trojanowski hit a 240 pound clean and jerk PR. 

As you’re planning your New YearFour pillars to improve your overall success.

Kelsi Kiel on keeping perspective“Sometimes I need to remind myself that the process is LITERALLY everything. Its not always going to be smooth sailing. It’s not meant to be easy every day (and it won’t be). You’re not meant to be ‘okay’ every second. A friend told me recently – ‘its okay not to be okay’. Life is hard and messy and beautiful – all in one. Its OKAY to have tough days. But you do need to make sure you keep your head up. You are a force.”

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

 

What to tell your friend who’s looking for a new life coach…

Get to the choppa! Arnold Schwarzenegger is waiting for you with lunch and a few cigars so y’all can talk through life’s most important topics, like gains and leg day. He’s also your new life coach, at least for the afternoon. And while you’re riding around in a helicopter, you’ll be helping to raise money for After-School All-Stars, a year-round after school program for low-income kids around the U.S. 

…and we’ve been waiting years to find an appropriate tie-in for these five motivational Arnold quotes.

  1. “It’s simple, if it jiggles, it’s fat.”
  2. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
  3. “Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.”
  4. “For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.”
  5. “Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.”
alt_text
One-dish baked chicken with tomatoes and olives recipe from Bon Appétit.

THINGS TO…

 

WATCH: CrossFit Liftoff Recap

Tommy Marquez, Rory McKernan and Pat Sherwood break down results from the 2017 Liftoff and highlight some of the big lifts and athletes to watch heading into next season. 

3, 2, 1…LIFTOFF.

 

DO: 2018 Open Prep with Rich Froning

The 2018 CrossFit Open is less than three months away and if you want to be prepared, you’d better start kicking things into high gear now, not three weeks after the New Year. CrossFit Mayhem’s Open Prep program kicked off yesterday, but there’s still more than enough time to join.

PREPARE FOR BATTLE.

 

HEAR: Friendships and Striking a Balance with Brooke Wells and Jessica Griffith

Julie Foucher catches up with these two Games athletes at the Rogue Winter Classic. Both have lives outside of fitness. Brooke is a full time student at the University of Missouri and Jessica is an ER nurse. On this episode of Pursuing Health, they discuss their evolution as CrossFit Games athletes, how they balance their training with school and work, and what tips, habits, and practices they use to be successful as they train for the 2018 CrossFit Games.

TUNE IN.

 

BUY: The CrossFit End of Season Sale

At 50% off or more, you can never have enough WOD shorts and sports bras.

A LITTLE GIFT FOR ME. 

 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is fueled by

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

 
  • 80-YEARS-OLD — Meet Beverly Quarles, who just competed in CrossFit Bomb Island’s Winter Classic in Chapin, SC. “Well it exercises the body so well and it keeps my mind in tune with what’s going on and so I think it really emotionally, physically and mentally is a wonderful work out,” Beverly said. 
  • HAPPY ANNIVERSARY — Jefferson City CrossFit in Jefferson City, MO celebrates their five-year-anniversary this month. Co-owner Maria Holle wrote to us, saying: “I get a little sentimental this time of year thinking about all the firsts we had to get through to be the CrossFit gym that we are today. A big part of that is being the best coaches that we can be for our members. And give them the ‘BEST’ hour of their day…Our drive is to never stop learning for our members and our trainers.” Congratulations, and here’s to five more years Jefferson City CF. 
Reads

CHALK UP READS

“Movie Review: Born Strong” by Mike Warkentin, CrossFit Journal

“Woo—that’s heavy, man!”

Brian Shaw—a three-time World’s Strongest Man champion at the time—isn’t talking about a barbell or an Atlas stone or even a refrigerator.

He’s talking about the body weight of fellow 2016 Arnold Strongman Classic competitor Eddie Hall, who had just informed him that he’s 399 lb. at about 6 foot 3.

Hall, nicknamed The Beast, is all in for some friendly banter.

“It looks like you put fucking 5 pounds on the fucking fat roll on the back of your neck. It looks like fucking somebody’s stuck a sesame bun on the back of your head,” he says while the 6-foot-8, 420-lb. Shaw roars with laughter.

The two then discuss strategy for an upcoming event in which they have to clean and press the 300-lb. Cyr dumbbell for reps—or “putting the average obese American above your head,” Shaw explains.

Tips

CHALK UP TIPS

Brought to You by Jared Enderton — OK, so you got the snatch down, now you’re trying to fine tune. Let’s begin with your starting position. Take one minute to watch Jared Enderton demonstrate how he gets the bar closer to his body for a tighter, closer pull. 

Reads

CHALK UP CALENDAR

12/18 – 20: 6th Annual CrossFit Invictus Online Competition (Online)

1/6: BrickYard Brawl (South Windsor, CT)

1/11 – 14: Wodapalooza Fitness Festival (Miami, FL)

1/13: Abominable Snowdown II (Orem, UT)

1/13 – 14: War of the Wods (Greensboro, NC)

1/20: Winter WOD’rland 2018 (Bend, OR)

1/27: Winter Chiller (Fairmont, WV)

1/27: NorCal Masters 2018 (Richmond, CA)

1/27 – 28: The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)

2/3: No Weak Links “V” (Whitesboro, NY)

2/3: Caution Grounds 7 (Hialeah Gardens, FL)

2/3: Output Fitness Trials (Miramar, FL)

2/22: CrossFit Open 18.1 (Worldwide)

3/1: CrossFit Open 18.2 (Worldwide)

3/8: CrossFit Open 18.3 (Worldwide)

3/15: CrossFit Open 18.4 (Worldwide)

3/22: CrossFit Open 18.5 (Worldwide)

see full calendar  |  + Send us an event
Is there something we missed? Email us at [email protected].
Your Coffee is ready.