A Year of Hero WODs

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is brought to you by O2.

What do Kari Pearce, Amanda Barnhart, Armen Hammer, and these two Team Mayhem goofballs have in common? They swear by O2 recovery drink, of course. Try a four-pack sampler of each non-carbonated flavor and get a whopping 25% OFF at drinkO2.com with code “CHALKUPO2.” Free shipping and satisfaction guaranteed. Limit 1 per customer, code expires in two days.

“You have to be odd to be number one.” — Dr. Seuss

Pics to Prove It. A Year of Hero WODs

The story.

Andy Rosenbaum, owner of Boise CrossFit in Boise, ID is working his way through the CrossFit list of hero workouts in order of their posted date and documenting them on a designated Instagram page.

Some background.

A little more than a month ago, Andy was working on programming, searching for a Hero WOD. He didn’t know which one he wanted specifically, he was just browsing for one that would stick out to him when he saw it.

“I browse the main site for ideas often and hit the FAQ when looking for a hero workout. I noticed the pictures were gone,” he told Morning Chalk Up in an interview.

It gave him an idea. He would make an Instagram page with all the photos from Hero WODs so that they would be together in one place.  “I wanted them in order as they were released, so I just decided one day to start.”

Andy’s goal is to complete all 196 within a year. He’s already completed 30 of them in about a month. “Either it’s a fun workout that I’m excited to try or it’s a rough workout that I want to get through so I can do the fun ones that are coming up. That’s why I’ve been moving through them so fast.”

Why the pictures are important.

“I think mostly it comes down to nostalgia,” he said. When he started CrossFit there were only about five hero WODs. For over ten years, Andy would equate the Hero WOD with the corresponding photo. “That picture of Josh-Murph-Arnie-Tommy V told me the workout too,” he said.

It’s been a positive experience for him so far. “With no more Games or Regionals for me, I’ve been struggling to find motivation. I noticed this gave me something to look forward to. That’s been super good for me and getting super excited to workout again.”

QUICK BRIEF

Chillin’ with Number Two.

In Barcelona a few weeks ago, the second fittest woman on Earth, Laura Horvath, joined us for a quick catch up before returning to Hungary to gear up for the 2019 CrossFit Open.

The plan is to be “first in my country and being top 20 in the worldwide Open,” Horvath said. 

This will be Horvath’s fourth CrossFit Open. Last year, she finished 18th worldwide, improving from 44th in 2017 and 190th in 2016. She’s also been the fittest female in Hungary for the past three years. 

WATCH.

Things To…

WATCH: The Lumberjill Erin LaVoie

Erin LaVoie, World Champion Lumberjill, Guinness World Record Holder and owner of CrossFit Predation in Spokane, WA discusses how she discovered timber sports, how the strength she gains in CrossFit transfers to sawing and how she thrives under competition.

KEEPS HER EYES ON THE PODIUM.

HEAR: Sean Sweeney on the No Rep Podcast 

Hosts of the No Rep Podcast, Seth and Tony, kick off season two with Sean Sweeney, “the CrossFit Cowboy.” Sean just secured his invitation to the Games by winning the South African Sanctional. He discusses his transformation from wild child to elite competitor, owner of two CrossFit boxes and budding entrepreneur.

IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL.

WIN: A Custom Assault AirRunner

Want to win a custom Assault AirRunner for your gym? Have your gym or box owner head over to LIFEAIDBevCo.com and log into their reseller account to find all the details and enter to win now. One lucky gym owner will be selected to win on or around March 1, 2019.

WE WANT ONE.

EAT: Broccoli Cheddar Couscous

This recipe is for delicious, cheesy broccoli cheddar chicken couscous with sweet and spicy roasted butternut squash. It’s easy, cozy and a quick dinner recipe for any night of the week.

FAMILY FRIENDLY MEAL.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

• PRO-TIP: MECHANICS OF BREATHING — Brute Strength just released a video on the importance of proper breathing mechanics with a quick test to check the efficiency of your breathing. 
• NAKED FITNESS RETREAT — Brooke Ence is hosting the first ever Naked Fitness Retreat May 8 – 12 in Utah. To be clear this is not a nude retreat in case anyone is wondering.
• MAYHEM SHOWDOWN — CrossFit Mayhem raised $10,000 for the Cookeville Pregnancy Clinic Saturday at the Mayhem Showdown. 
• CROSSFIT AND ADDICTION — The Phoenix, an organization providing free classes to those in recovery from substance abuse disorder, is offering classes every other week at CrossFit Agoge in Montrose, CO.
• EVA FOR EVA — On Saturday, boxes everywhere did “Eva for Eva” for Eva Twardokens, namesake of the benchmark WOD Eva, who was injured in a plane crash recently. So far, nearly $50,000 has been raised to help with her medical expenses. 
• JEREMY GRAVES FUNDRAISER — Makers CrossFit in Salinas, CA held a fundraiser for Jeremy Graves, an L1 seminar staff member, who was badly injured in a motorcycle accident.

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Happy birthday ZA Anderson, also congrats on qualifying for the Brazil CrossFit Championship • CrossFit Westwood hosted their first in-house competition Saturday • Sixty-one-year-old Mike Brown gets his first
strict bar muscle-up • Adrian and Ashley Conway had their daughter Ari Jade on Valentine’s Day • Congratulations to Sarah on her one-month CrossFit anniversary • Roy Wollgast and Nicole Aikens of CrossFit Northern Exposure got married • Assim Al Kiyumi snatched 198 pounds for a PR • Colleen Fotsch push jerked 265 pounds • Jess Richenbacher strung together two strict muscle-ups • Elise Howlett got a 175 pound deadlift PR • Alex LaChance clean and jerks 260 pounds • Congratulations to Adam
Klink on the birth of his son, Noah. 

HEAVYWEIGHTS…Ben Alderman and Blair Morrison, organizers of California’s newest elite competition the Northern California Classic, just landed Reebok as a title sponsor.

— Reading Between the Lines…A Reebok sponsorship of an emerging competition signals a strong commitment to the future of the sport and this competition specifically. The NorCal Classic isn’t a sanctioned event, yet, which is telling.

BOMBSHELL — In an email blast sent out on Friday with the subject line, “Why I’m not doing the Open,” Margaux Alvarez said, “the owner of CF doesn’t really care about us competing in CF, so [instead] I will continue to spread the word of CF Methodology through seminars.” This are probably the most critical comments to come from a Games athlete about the changes to the season so far.

Clear Your Schedule for Games Week — A few months ago, we confirmed the official dates of the CrossFit Games as July 3 – August 4. In creating a Facebook event page, CrossFit lists the Games as starting as early as Monday, July 29th, which would make it the longest CrossFit Games in history. 

Strength in Depth Final Invitation — Strength in Depth, the next sanctioned even on the calendar, has confirmed Paul Tremblay as their final invitational spot. Full roster is here. 

Brazil CrossFit Championship Official Roster Set — Now that the online qualifier scores have been verified, the Brazil CrossFit Championship has sent out their invites and the official athlete roster is set. You’ll be able to follow the leaderboard here. 

— Any familiar faces? Yes, like Jacob Heppner, Austin Spencer Guilherme Malheiros, Norman Woodring, Spencer Panchik, John Coltey, ZA Anderson, Carolyne Prevost, and Mekenzie Riley. 

— Remind me: The Brazil CrossFit Championship final takes place April 17 -19, 2019 in São Paulo, Brazil.

CrossFit Italian Showdown Online Qualifier Begins — The worldwide online qualifier WOD for the CrossFit Italian Showdown began yesterday. Registered athletes have until February 23 to complete the WOD.

— Why is there only one WOD in the qualifier? Unlike the other sanctioned events with competitions, the CrossFit Italian Showdown  welcomes 1500 participants to day 1 of competition. Day 1 includes three scored events used to whittle the athletes down for days 2 and 3. 

Open WODs Flashback…to 2015 when Mat Fraser and Alex Anderson did 15.5 head-to-head. Fraser, true to form, picked up the pace at the end to get a time of 5:19 and tied with Simon Paquette for the top performance in the workout worldwide.

“The CrossFit Games Season: A Uniquely Valuable Opportunity for Other People,” by Jeffrey Cain, Morning Chalk Up 

“Business is the art and science of creating uniquely valuable opportunities for other people,” CrossFit founder and chairman Greg Glassman has often said. Coach Glassman’s philosophy of business is the bedrock upon which CrossFit’s 15,000-strong (and growing) global affiliate network is built. That’s something that can’t be emphasized enough in talking about recent changes to the CrossFit Games season.

The CrossFit affiliate proposition is simple: delivering increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains has extraordinary value for other people because it is uniquely effective in producing fitness and health. CrossFit’s decentralized affiliate model supports but does not usurp that value by refraining from taking those things for itself that are best managed, delivered, and owned by fiercely independent CrossFit boxes. The value is inherent in CrossFit’s physiology, but the economic opportunity resides in the 15,000 affiliates, not CrossFit, Inc.

This same logic informs CrossFit’s sanctioning of competitive events. We’ve long recognized the efforts of CrossFit affiliates, coaches, volunteers, and athletes in building grassroots competitions around the globe. These competitive events wonderfully illustrate the community’s role as co-developer in the sport of fitness. The energy, excitement, and opportunity that animates the CrossFit Games season springs from the affiliate community and its members, not CrossFit, Inc.

This understanding, coupled with the explosive worldwide growth of the sport, demands that CrossFit, Inc. reduce its share of the competitive CrossFit season. The best athletes, sponsors, and media entrepreneurs in the sport of fitness have recognized that the new Sanctionals model doesn’t diminish their opportunities — it expands them. There are more athletes competing in more CrossFit competitions in more places around the globe than ever. CrossFit, Inc. hasn’t abandoned the sport of fitness, it’s stewarding its longevity.

2/21: Open Announcement 19.1 (Online)

2/23: Amicus Ambush: Mixed Teams (Dickinson, ND)

2/28: Open Announcement 19.2 (Online)

2/23 – 2/24: Strength in Depth (London, England)

3/7: Open Announcement 19.3 (Online) 

3/14: Open Announcement 19.4 (Online)

3/21: Open Announcement 19.5 (Online)

3/24: The Rockwell Championships Series Team Qualifiers (Online)

4/6: Feed, Clothe, Love and Lift (Amarillo, TX) 

4/12 – 4/13: Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (Washington, D.C.)

4/20: The Wodfather VII 2019 (Keller, TX)