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

On Fire

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by RP Strength, the leader in strength sports nutrition, helping tens of thousands worldwide lose fat, gain muscle, and improve their performance. The New Year is the perfect time to get smart about your nutrition, and what better way to do that than reading a free chapter from four of RP Strength’s most popular eBooks. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little each time you succeed.” — Mia Hamm

MUSCLE UPS AND MACHINE GUNS

 

The story.

Not your typical headline, but this isn’t your typical competition either.

Did you say competition?

We certainly did. Anthem CrossFit in Pensacola, FL is owned by two former Green Berets, and as such they’re pretty used to using their fitness alongside some firearms (lots of alliteration here folks).

So they teamed up with Core Shooting Solutions for an unconventional kind of competition. 

Tell me the deets.

“The Siege” is a two-gun shooting competition that will test an athlete’s ability to perform various physical and shooting tasks simultaneously. Think kettlebell snatches or sled drags into a pistol shooting course, or rope climb up to a platform and fire off a few rounds of .556 to a target down range. 

When’s this battle going down?

Sometime in January. When we know, you’ll know. In the meantime, watch the trailer

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

 

Roundup — Thuri Helgadottir rides a camel. Jenn Dancer hits what appears to be a 185 pound snatch PR. Carleen Mathews’ face riding a roller coaster looks strikingly similar to our faces every time Dave Castro releases an Open WOD. Doesn’t this run though the desert sand dunes with a weight vest look fun? Here’s a sneak peak at the ladies lined up for the Move Fast Lift Heavy Invitational this weekend.

With your second cup of coffee…Watch Lydia Valentin snatch 260 pounds in 4K slow-mo. Everything looks better in slow-mo, especially gold medal lifts. 

With your third cup of coffee…watch this athlete with cerebral palsy hitting a 154 pound clean PR. 

A Not So Fun Fact — The average American consumes more than 130 pounds of sugar a year.

She Thrives’ advice for navigating the holiday season…“You are responsible for protecting your own energy. Do what feels right for you in order to take care of yourself, and don’t sweat the ‘rules.'”

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

 

How Revival Fitness and CrossFit 46038 are creating a safe workout space for victims of sex trafficking…

The Fishers, IN based affiliate has two extra rooms they’re turning into a fully-equipped gym for women at the Hope Center, a local organization dedicated to helping women who’ve been rescued from sex trafficking. The $12,000 project will build a safe space where women can use fitness to build their confidence, self-esteem and personal strength. 

What to tell your friend who’s looking for stocking stuffers for you…

Hint, hint. This is pretty genius actually. 

alt_text
The home of John and Jagger Ashley, members of CrossFit845, burned down last Sunday. Everyone in the family is safe.

THINGS TO…

 

WATCH: Growing Together at CrossFit Madtown

Keysha Benzing probably didn’t expect to end up living on a 20-acre farm and growing her own food when she was a kid living in an inner city, but that’s exactly where life took her. Benzing and husband Skipp now live in Middleton, Wisconsin, where they raise their own livestock, cultivate organic fruits and vegetables, and run their affiliate, CrossFit Madtown.

WATCH THEIR STORY.

 

DO: Help a High Schooler with His Research Project

A senior at Greenwich High School reached out cause he needed help getting participants for a research project he’s doing. We thought it was pretty awesome that at his age he wanted to explore the effect of external and internal torque workouts on the nervous system so we’re sharing it with you.

DO THE WOD, THEN TAKE THE SURVEY.

 

WIN: A Year’s Supply of CrossFit

FlapJacked is giving away a year-long membership to you and a friend, so y’all can hold each other accountable. Now that’s a prize that comes with lifelong benefits.

JUST ENTER TO WIN.

 

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

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

 
  • ABLAZE — John and Jagger Ashley’s home caught fire on Sunday, completely destroying everything they own. Thankfully the family is safe. Both husband and wife are members of CrossFit845 in Hudson Valley, NY, and their box family is rallying to support the Ashley’s fInancially through this fundraiser.
  • 87-YEARS-YOUNG — Meet Renee Broderick, the 87-year-old athlete at CrossFit Credence in Rochester, MN, who says of CrossFit, “I think my body thanks me.” Renee joined about seven months ago after the affiliate reached out to senior centers in the community. Now once a week, Renee and other residents of Cottagewood Senior Communities pile onto a bus and go WOD together. 
Reads

CHALK UP READS

“A Letter to RX Athletes from a Scaler” by Lauren Enderlein, Morning Chalk Up

For three years, I’ve watched with starry eyes at the RX athletes in my gym as they crush bar muscle ups, deadlift ridiculous amounts of weight, and destroy benchmark workout times. The level of skill and talent never ceases to amaze me, as I watch them string together an ungodly amount of unbroken wallballs or when they snatch 150LBS over their head, all the while thinking, “I really hope I can do that one day.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know I’ve come a long way and those accomplishments aren’t lost on me. I’ve lost over 30LBS. I’ve cut a minute and a half off my average run time. I can lift heavier. I started two-a-day workouts, working on skills and strength, and made it up three pegs on the peg board. I competed in my first Festivus Games Competition at the intermediate level. I’ve seen my fair share of 5-10LB PR’s.

But as a Crossfit Athlete, I find myself between a scaler and an RX’er: do I RX the workout and be slower or do I scale the weight and move faster? Bar muscle-ups, yeah no. Chest-to-bars, ok, I can do those. Overhead plate lunges, Burpees, and Double-Unders today? Check the RX block for THAT workout, baby! 80LBS thrusters and the assault bike? Um…I’ll do as many rounds as I can at 80LBS, then check that scaled block, because this girl is doing 65LBS!

So, when it comes to partner workouts, I’m suddenly that awkward kid at a middle school dance. It’s nerve racking. I don’t want to ask the RX’er to be my partner. I don’t want to slow them down, but at the same time, I want to push myself to go harder to try to keep up. I want to be better. I just don’t want to ask.

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.