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

Dear 13-year-old Carleen

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by FlapJacked, makers of high-protein muffins and pancakes. This week, they’ve got a challenge for ya — “Double Unders for Double Chocolate.” Here’s how it works:

1. Post a video to Instagram of you doing 100 unbroken double-unders (they’ll be counting!)

2. Tag #flapjacked in the post.

3. FlapJacked will mail you a FREE six-pack of their Double Chocolate Mighty Muffins.

That’s it. Videos must be posted by 5pm ET Friday, December 22. U.S. only entries please.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

When you think of giving up remember why you started.” — Unknown

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

 

Roundup — Kelsi Kiel hits a huge 260 pound clean and jerk PR.  Reebok has sent athletes the Nano 8.0s which are due out in January. Margaux Alvarez’s wine won gold in the Texas International Wine Competition. Noah Ohlsen just launched his own website. Amanda Deller clean and jerks 265 pounds. Katrin Davidsdottir’s mom joined her for their first Spartan Race. Josh Bridges’ mustache has inspired some very ugly CrossFitty Christmas sweaters. Stefi Cohen deadlifts 503 pounds for four reps. Carleen Mathews joins the FNX team.

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet on physical imperfections…“I’ve been trolled so much about having a little belly and here is the thing: I LOVE my belly…it’s my special secret power pouch! It means that I am healthy to perform and not too lean! Everything I do is to be the best version of myself and performance in my sport is my priority. I love all my scars because it reminds me that I’ve been through life and I’ve always came out stronger. We are all too skinny, too fat, too strong, too frail, too pale, too dark too anything for someone else and if you hang on to finding approval by how you look from someone else you will never learn to love yourself from within. Find pride and approval by asking yourself am I too kind, too genuine, too loving, too compassionate, too hardworking, too driven. Let yourself be the judge
of your worth and embrace who you are because the BEST thing you can be is TOO YOU!”

Dubai Fitness Championships — DBX wrapped up Saturday morning Pacific time.

— Men: 1) Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, 2) Travis Mayer, 3) Rasmus Andersen

— Women: 1) Annie Thorisdottir, 2) Laura Horvath, 3) Kara Webb

— Overall Payout: 1) $50,000, 2) $30,000, 3) $20,000. Per event: 1) $3000, 2) $2000, 3) $1000. 

alt_text
“Dear Thirteen-Year-Old Carleen…There’s a lot you do not know. But here are few things I want you to understand now.”

THINGS TO…

 

WATCH: Preparing for the 2018 Games

How are the elite athletes of Training Think Tank like Lucas Parker, Noah Ohlsen and Travis Mayer, kicking off training for the 2018 CrossFit Games? Head coach Max El-Hag walks through week 1 of training. 

TUNE IN.

 

DO: 15 Open Prep WODs to Do Over Christmas

With the 2018 CrossFit Open only two months away, the last thing you want to do is concede the holidays. Even if you’re on the road with little access to equipment, here are 15 WODs you can do anywhere that will keep you fit even if you all you have is your living room. 

GET THE GUIDE.

 

EAT: Cranberry Bison Meatloaf

This Paleo Cranberry Bison Meatloaf  is the perfect healthy winter comfort food. It is incredibly flavorful, packs a big superfood punch, and the tangy cranberry sauce topping makes it perfectly festive for the holiday season.

ENOUGH FOR LEFTOVERS.

 

BUY: Two Reeboks for One Price

Upgrade your footwear with the Reebok Nano 7.0 weave plus the Legacy Lifter for $225. Just use code “BUNDLE” at checkout.

ADD TO CART.

 

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

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

 

P.S. Box owners, are y’all prepared for January’s influx of members returning to regular order and all the new ones about to come in the door?

  • NOT SO FUN FACT — Adults with disabilities are three times more likely to suffer from chronic diseases that could be avoided with proper exercise. That’s why Brute Strength is giving $5 of every $20 purchase to the Garrett’s Fight Foundation, an organizaion creating a community for special needs athletes to train and improve their health and fitness.
  • FROM A CHILD’S POV — Danielle Glickman, a member of CrossFit kids at Sky Point CrossFit in Lynbrook, NY, writes in her local newspaper: “CrossFit is a way to get in shape, to get healthier and to work out…You don’t think it is hard as it sounds, but it is. We are all so tired at the end of the class.”
  • STRANGE BEDFELLOWS — We don’t have a name for the affiliate, but a CrossFit box and a bakery plan to share a vacant warehouse in Bedford, NH. 


Navigating Holiday Parties Like a Pro

Here are a few tips adapted from Working Against Gravity’s holiday guide to help you survive the barrage of Christmas parties:

  1. Choose a side plate instead of a larger plate to automatically make your portions smaller.
  2. Go for lean protein and greens first — then wait 15 minutes before going back for any “fun” foods.
  3. Browse all the options before choosing sides or dessert and THEN stick to small portions of only your favorites.
  4. If leftovers are tempting you, have take home bags ready for your guests!
  5. Eat a little snack beforehand so you don’t arrive famished. 
  6. Bring along a dish you can eat, just in case there are no healthy options. 
Reads

CHALK UP READS

“Dumbbells: Did You Get the Message?” by Brittney Saline, CrossFit Journal

It’s been almost a year since the Great Dumbbell Shortage of 2017.

Provoked by a single photo shared on Instagram by CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro, the shortage was the result of thousands of affiliate owners who rushed to purchase dumbbells for the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, nearly depleting retailers of their wares while inciting fury among those who had long mistaken the dumbbell for a glorified doorstop.

So what’s happened since then?

Did you get through the Open only to return to the barbell like a long-lost lover? Or did you recognize a hole in your fitness and spend the year filling it?

Here, affiliate owners react to the 2017 season and share how it affected their approaches to training and programming.

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)

1/11: Row’d Royalty (Worldwide)

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

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

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

1/20: Garage Games’ World Wide WOD (Worldwide)

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)

2/10: Mirror Image CrossFit’s Cupid’s Clash (Panama City, 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.