Danielle Brandon Turning Heads in the Quarterfinals
Danielle Brandon made a splash in the 2022 Quarterfinals, including a worldwide top five score in workout one on her way to a 3rd place finish in the North America region.
She also had an increasingly familiar flash of red in her mouth as she competed.
“Training and Competing with AIRWAAV helps me focus on my breathing and also provides some protection for the heavier lifts. Lately I have been working on my aerobic capacity on multiple machines and it only helps me get there faster.”
The AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece is clinically proven to:
Open your airway by up to 25% for improved breathing efficiency.
Reduce respiratory rate by 20% for increased endurance & strength.
Reduce cortisol build-up by 50% post-workout for faster recovery.
Semifinal payouts have been released, and they are the same as last year, but here they are again if you forgot:
In North American and European events (top overall finish in men and women)
First – $5,000
Second – $4,000
Third – $3,000
Fourth – $2,000
Fifth – $1,000
Teams in same region:
First – $5,000
Second – $4,000
Third – $3,000
Fourth – $2,000
Fifth – $1,000
In Oceania, Asia, South America and Africa events (top overall finish in men and women)
First – $5,000
Second – $4,000
Third – $3,000
Teams in same region:
First – $5,000
Second – $4,000
Third – $3,000
Mat Fraser spoke to Men’s Health UK about how retirement isn’t really like retirement for him.
“Things couldn’t be better. But I’ve had to rephrase. For a while, I got a kick out of people asking me what I was up to and being able to say, ‘Oh, I’m retired’. But I’ve quickly realised that I’m not retired. I retired from competing but I’m working and busier now more than ever. There’s just not enough hours in the day.
Sit Ups For Pups 2022 kicks off today, teaming with Barbells For Bullies and AbMat to raise money and awareness for shelter dogs and local animal rescues.
“There are two types of athletes: Heavy Hitters and Consistent Placers,” Morning Chalk Up analyst Brian Friend told BarBend in an interview. “I look at previous competitions to determine how many events an athlete may come in the top three in an upcoming competition. If they can’t do that, are they Consistent Placers? Conversely, I look at weak events. Are there events where an athlete will be in the bottom 10?”
Barebells, the high-in-protein, no added sugar bar brand has just announced the launch of their new protein bar flavor, Creamy Crisp. 😍
FITAID continues their push into Pickleball with their latest release…PICKLEAID. 🤣
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Is Failure a Prerequisite for Success?
People who are successful, the athletes who win, the business people who succeed, the students who score high marks, do not sit back at the end of the day and attribute their success to the fact that they are winners. Previous “wins” do not guarantee future ones, any athlete will tell you this.
What makes standing on a podium so rewarding is not the achievement itself, it is the reflection on the effort and patience required to get there. No one wins a gold medal and thinks to themselves while their anthem plays, “I deserve this because I am a winner.”
Success becomes a pattern not because of an intrinsic personality trait, but because a solid groundwork of effort and striving has been laid. A groundwork that includes a great deal of failure.
First Indigenous CrossFit Level One Scholarship Program Comes to Navajo Nation
In November of 2021, Native American Heritage month, CrossFit announced it was partnering with the Native Strength and Rezilience Project (NSRZP) to bring a level one scholarship seminar to Page, AZ at Powell CrossFit to help members of the Navajo Nation earn their CrossFit training certificate.
Just over two weeks ago, 12 aspiring Indigenous CrossFit coaches were joined by three members of the CrossFit seminar staff to train and prepare. It was just the first step in a much bigger plan to help their community combat chronic disease through fitness and nutrition.
“We wanted all of the attendees to be from the reservation,” said Paul Baughman, the owner of Powell CrossFit. “So they could take this [CrossFit training] back there, they have the desire to go back and offer something in their areas.”
From Quarterfinals to Wedding in One Weekend for Meg O’Donnell
When Meg O’Donnell and her wife Alexis Esbitt were looking at wedding ceremony dates last year, they settled on March, knowing full well it may present a challenge given O’Donnell is an avid CrossFitter.
“Technically my wife and I got legally married last year,” said the 33-year-old who started doing CrossFit about a decade ago and currently lives in Delaware. “But we still wanted to do the big day.”
O’Donnell said while looking for dates, everything in November was booked up where they wanted to have the ceremony.
“So we landed on March. I told my wife, Alexis, that we would probably be in the middle of the season for Crossfit. We were unsure since 2021 was the first three week Open into the Quarterfinals year. We weren’t sure if it would change again. So we snagged the 25th of March, a Friday, and went with it. We just didn’t know how much in the middle of the season we would be.”
Thus O’Donnell found herself heading into a weekend she will surely never forget. She sent out a few emails to gyms around the venue, HollyHedge Estate in New Hope, PA and settled on CrossFit Mad Hatter, which is located in Bucks County, PA.
“I knew I would start with Workout 2,” said O’Donnell about getting started on Thursday. “After I completed that one, we discussed and thought it would be best to do the Other Total (Workout 4). I was trying to fit these two workouts in before my rehearsal dinner.”
O’Donnell said she knew she had hair and makeup Friday morning, which presented another challenge.
“So I woke up around six to get myself to the gym to fit in Workout 1 before we got dolled up and dressed. Then I went to look at my video and realized that it had cut out. It was about 8:10ish at this time. I texted both my wife and coach and told them. We knew I had no other time to come back. So I ended up having to wait about 30 to 45 minutes and go again. Mind you, I almost had a full meltdown in front of a bunch of strangers.”
Then it was time for the festivities.
“I submitted my Friday scores and then went about my day. We had a great time. Awesome venue, awesome staff. Everyone came up and complimented us on the staff, food, venue and what a good time they had.”
And then Saturday morning rolled around and O’Donnell said she was able to have breakfast with her family before she tackled Workout 3 around lunchtime which included rope climbs, wall balls and shuttle runs.
“My videos didn’t upload in time or I didn’t start uploading them soon enough. So I had to submit my score without the links and then email the links in. Drive home Saturday night. And then I got to hit Workout 5 with my home crew. I ended up having to do that one twice as well. But that was because of performance.”
O’Donnell, who ended up finishing 89th in North America, said despite the logistical chaos she still enjoyed herself immensely.
“It ended up being a great weekend. I’m sure I could’ve done better had I not had to rush around and try to fit things in around my wedding. But I’m unofficially in right now. Also we got to celebrate our marriage. So technically, that’s all that matters.”
Of course, she wouldn’t suggest trying what she did last weekend.
“While I had a great time, I don’t know that I’d recommend it to anyone out there. But you gotta do what you gotta do.”
CROSSFIT GAMES
VIDEO: Teens and Individuals to Watch Going Into Semifinals
Every Friday, we’re bringing you an exclusive workout challenge programmed by a CrossFit Games athlete or coach that you can take on at home or the gym. You can post your times or scores in the comment section.
Today’s workout is programmed by three-time CrossFit Games team athlete Kelsey Kiel. Kiel made news last year when she was selected to train with the US Olympic Bobsled team, ultimately making the team as a brakewoman.
After a year and a half away from the sport, she made her return at Wodapalooza in January. Soon afterwards she announced that she would once again compete for a Games invite, joining the OpenBox Athletics team with Joey Tortora, Nik Hecht and Ashleigh Wosny.
RX: 5 Sets
4-Minute EMOM
5 Power Cleans (135/95 pounds)
20 Wall-balls (20/14 pounds)
Rest 2:00 between sets
SCALING OPTIONS: Scale weight for power cleans
Scale number of wall-balls
Shoot for :10 of rest each minute
Some advice from Kelsey: “The power cleans need to be fast and unbroken and you need to pick the wall-ball right up!”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
THINGS TO...
...LEARN
The Four C's of Programming Metabolic Conditioning
Programming Metcon's is harder than it looks. They have to be intense, but not to the point that you can't walk for a week afterward. This free class on the four C's of Metabolic Conditioning will help you design and progress Metcons appropriately for everyone from beginner to advanced.
Looking for a training program that fits into your life but doesn’t it take over? Coached by two-time Games athlete Colleen Fotsch, HYBRID Body is the new all-in-one full-body program designed to get you jacked, conditioned, and out of the gym in just 60 minutes a day.
If you struggle with catching the bar on your shoulders during cleans, you're probably moving your hands too slowly. Instead of fixing them, try this method to increase your speed by focusing on your elbows instead.
Gain unparalleled insight into your body and training with a free WHOOP Strap 4.0 and a free month of membership for new members. WHOOP measures your body's data over 100 times a second to provide personalized feedback on your recovery, strain, and sleep.
The athletes face a wet, cold, and blustery day one in Big Bear, but their excitement to compete outweighs the poor conditions. Watch as heavy sleds, icy waters, and firey tempers push the athletes to breaking point.
Congratulations Paul Sakowski from CrossFit Dt1 in Cherry Hill, NJ on the 365 pound/165.5kg clean PR.
Gui Malheiros lifted 1101 pounds/499kg across the Other Total’s clean, bench, overhead squat, helping him to an unofficial first place rank in South America.
Stephen Wallace from Blues City Athletes in Brentwood, MO lifted 1113 pounds/504.5kg in the Other Total for 10th in the world and 7th in North America in Workout 4.
Europe’s unofficial female Quarterfinal champion, Gabi Migała hit a squat clean PR of 264.5 pounds/120kg.
#FlashbackFriday: Noah Ohlsen shared his 245 pound/111kg overhead squat triple from 2012—quite a change up from the 360 pound/163kg 1RM he put up last week.
18-year-old Olivia Sulek from CrossFit Cornerstone in West Chester, OH posted a 245 pound/111kg clean PR during Quarterfinal Workout 4.
This email may contain affiliate links. We make a small commision off of purchases made via our affiliate links to help support this newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the Morning Chalk Up newsletter, unsubscribe here.
