Are Major Penalties Making Athletes More Conscious of Their Reps?

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“Live your life in a way that doesn’t cause anybody else to stumble and fall.” — Genasee Sager

ROAD TO GAMES.

Are Major Penalties Making Athletes More Conscious of Their Reps?

This year, CrossFit HQ has been doling out harsher penalties and requesting more video verification from top athletes looking to qualify for the CrossFit Games. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the raised stake for the Open in comparison to previous years.

• CrossFit Games General Manager Justin Bergh: “We’re reviewing video from more athletes, and further down the leaderboard than in previous years. It’s more time consuming but necessary. This is what top athletes should expect going forward.”

In talking about 19.4 with Tommy Marquez on Talking Elite Fitness, which Mathew Fraser nearly won, he brought up a concern about barbell cycle speed and showing quality reps especially at the top of the snatch:

• Fraser: “For a workout like that…I’m pushing the pace so much where there’s literally zero pacing. You’re going as fast as possible the entire time. Where it’s a workout like that I’m like ‘I wish it was a little bit longer where there was a tiny bit of pacing’ just so I’m 100% confident in my movement standards. If I’m snatching 95 pounds like my life depends on it as quickly as possible I’m concerned that my movement standards are staying legit…I would love that at the top of every lift I could pause, so there is a distinct moment at the top of the lift. You’re going so fast that you’re getting to that point where you’re towing the line.”

Fraser is well known for producing consistent, quality reps and no where in the interview did he say that the penalties being assessed this year had consciously affected how he was approaching his reps, but his awareness of speed v. rep standards raised an interesting question: are these penalties making athletes more conscious of showing perfect reps when they know their videos will be reviewed and serious penalties assessed?

So we asked a couple of top performers from the 2019 Open.

Continue reading…

TEAMS NEWS.

BREAKING: Chyna Cho Joins CrossFit Mayhem Freedom in China

The reigning CrossFit Games team champions CrossFit Mayhem Freedom just got a huge boost to their roster.

Six-time individual CrossFit Games athlete Chyna Cho will be joining Rich Froning and the Mayhem crew to compete at the Asia CrossFit Championships in Shanghai, April 27-29.

Cho recently spent a week training with the team in Cookeville, TN in early March, and from there the decision was made to join Mayhem for the competition in China.

After Wodapalooza we realized that the changes to the team format meant we had to adapt if we wanted to stay competitive,” Froning said.

Rumors about her potentially joining the team started swirling after CrossFit Mayhem posted a 19.2 recap video with a graphic that included “Mayhem Freedom,” listed under her name. Subsequent videos of her training with the team during her time there also included the same graphic.

Cho, a former collegiate swimmer and 6th Fittest Woman at the 2015 Games, is the third individual Games athlete on the Mayhem Freedom roster along with Froning and 2016 qualifier Tasia Percevecz.

Continue reading…

Coffee Break Conversations

The next time someone in your box offers up baseball tickets…

Take ’em, and enjoy a night out without feeling terrible about your nutrition for a few hours. 

What to say when you finally land a date from that app…

Not sure this is a great idea, but we’re gonna roll with it. Sometimes you gotta give yourself a pep talk and pray it all works out. 

Things To…

WATCH: Craig Richey on Wrapping up the Open

Craig Richey wraps up all his thoughts on the 2019 Open from Mat Fraser’s performances, Games athletes who did not make it back this year and what happened to some of the heavy hitters in week five. He also covers the verification process from here, some statistics and Team Mayhem’s sudden rise.

A LOT OF INFO TO COVER. 

HEAR: Making Friends and Missing Dave Castro 

Claire and Joy of the Girls Gone WOD podcast discuss how to make friends as you age and how to find good roommates. They also share how they felt about the Open announcements, admit that they miss Dave’s corn row and Nicole’s voice and they answer listener questions.

GETTING CAUGHT UP.

GET: $10 Off and a Free Travel Mug

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START THE DAY RIGHT.

EAT: Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon

Easy, flavorful spinach garlic parmesan orzo pasta with crispy bacon and gorgeous veggies like red bell pepper, corn, carrots, and spinach. This healthy 30-minute dinner is perfect for meal prep and delicious hot or cold!

ORZO IS FUN TO SAY.

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

Chalk Up Community

• NOOMA IS HIRING — NOOMA, who makes organic electrolyte sports drinks, is hiring a part-time social media manager. 
• SECOND LOCATION OPEN — CrossFit Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV has opened a second location. They’re holding a grand opening on Saturday, April 6 to celebrate with the community. 
• NEW AFFILIATE — Oil City CrossFit has opened for business in Casper, WY.
• TOUGH LIKE CLIFF — Cliff and Nikki Rudzki are owners of 5 Seasons CrossFit in Cedar Rapids, IA. In October, doctors found a tumor in Cliff’s brain and operated to remove it. On April 6, members of 5 Seasons CrossFit are holding a deadlift competition to raise funds to help the Rudzki family through the next stages of Cliff’s treatment. 

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

Barni Bojte got 24 unbroken muscle-ups • Reebok is coming out with a Nano 9 and Tia-Clair Toomey got to try them on • Happy birthday to Tommy Marquez’s mom • Wolf Critton back squats 320 pounds for a PR • Win a prize pack of goods with FITAID
• Sage Burgener clean and jerks 212 pounds for a PR • Jacob Heppner did a 285 pound jerk complex.

…keep these wheelbarrow push-up hops in mind for Easter Sunday with the fam.

Reebok Athletes Do Champion for Becky Conzelman — The Reebok Athlete Summit is currently underway in the Bahamas. Yesterday, athletes including Tia-Clair Toomey, Mat Fraser and Pat Vellner did the Hero WOD “Champion” in honor of Becky Conzelman, who is in the hospital after an aneurysm bled into her brain.

Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge Event Announced — Yesterday on Instagram, Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge announced Individual event 4: Groundhog Day. 

Reykjavik CrossFit Championship Wild Card — Yesterday, Reykjavik CrossFit Championship announced their first wild card pick: Four-time Games athlete Thuri Helgadottir.

CONFIRMED…Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Lukas Esslinger both out for Asia CrossFit Championship.

CrossFit Italian Showdown Schedule — The CrossFit Italian Showdown released their full event schedule yesterday. 

— Events are coming next: Age group events will be announced on April 5 and Elite events will be released April 13 except final events, which will be released at a later date.

— A reminder: Organizers issued a reminder to athletes regarding the rules. “Time to get serious: please read carefully the instructions about Athletes Check-in, the Anti-Doping policy and the Competition Rulebook on the official website.“

LIFEAID Raises Funds to Expand — LIFEAID announced Monday it has raised $7.7 million to expand nationwide in grocery and convenience accounts across the country.

— “LIFEAID co-founders Orion Melehan and Aaron Hinde said the company recently secured a chainwide expansion with Walmart, rolling out to the retailer’s 4,300 stores next month. The company is also now in 15 Kroger divisions and recently received authorization with Wegmans. LIFEAID is also…adding 90 retail locations across ten East Coast airports.”

“This Research Group Seeks to Expose Weaknesses in Science,” Erik Stokstad, Science 

In August 2011, Diederik Stapel, a prominent psychologist and a dean at Tilburg University here, confessed to faking data for dozens of papers over 15 years. As part of an internal investigation, Marcel van Assen, a psychologist in the university’s Department of Methodology and Statistics, spent months looking into Stapel’s data, methods, and results.

The scope of the fraud was staggering, but just as alarming as the fabricated data, Van Assen says, were the flawed analyses, rife with statistical problems, that Stapel had performed. The fact that all his papers had been approved by co-authors and published in respectable journals meant psychology had a larger problem, Van Assen says. ‘I thought, holy shit, this is not a characteristic just of Stapel or Tilburg.’

Around the same time, a psychologist with a strong interest in the same issues joined his department. Jelte Wicherts, previously an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, wanted to find out why “smart researchers do stupid things with statistics,” as he puts it. The two hit it off, and have since created what psychologist Brian Nosek, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Open Science in Charlottesville, calls “one of the leading groups” in metascience, the study of science itself.

4/5 – 4/7: Iron Sharpens Iron Camp (Nashville, TN)

4/1 – 4/8: Northern California Classic Online Qualifiers (Online)

4/1 – 4/11: The Liege Throwdown Online Qualifiers (Herstal, Belgium)

4/3 – 4/8: 2019 Rogue Invitational Qualifier (Online)

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

4/6: St. Peters CrossFit Fitness Awards (Saint Peters, MO)

4/6: Powerstroke Partner Throwdown 2019 (Fallon, NV)

4/6: Metcon Meltdown (Flemington, NJ)

4/6: Two Peas in a POD Competition (Burlington, MA)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Diversion (Williamstown, NJ)

4/6: Rise of the Machines IV (Austin, TX)

4/6: Bay Area Beatdown 2 (Webster, TX)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Cornerstone (Cincinnati, OH)

4/6: WOD 4 Trent (Phoenix, AZ)

4/6: Smiles Hero WOD (Grand Chute, WI)

4/6: Tough Like Cliff Deadlift Competition (Hiawatha, IA) 

4/10 – 4/24: Granite Games Online Qualifier (Online)

4/11 – 4/14: CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Online Qualifier (Online)

4/12: Throwdown in Joe Town (Saint Joseph, MO)

4/12 – 4/13: Capstone Caveman Clash and Cook Off (Lubbock, TX)

4/12 – 4/14: Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (Washington, D.C.)

4/12 – 4/14: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/13: The Craic Throwdown (Norwood, MA)

4/13: Capacidad De Dos Amigos (San Antonio, TX)

4/13: Warrior Affiliate League Deuces Wild (Chino, CA)

4/13: Battle of the Ages (Pineville, NC)

4/13: 5th Annual Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/13: The Requisite Masters Classic (Philadelphia, PA)

4/13: HandSTANDUP for Haiti (Smyrna, TN)

4/13: WOD Wars Fit Fest (Dunedin, FL)

4/13: CFL Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/13: CrossFit Katy Team Classic (Katy, TX)

4/13: Rescue Road: Obstacle Course Event (Alpharetta, GA)

4/13: Quad Wars at CrossFit Adversary (Williamstown, NJ)

4/13: First Annual McClaren Cup (Rio Rancho, NM)

4/13: Garage Girls 2019 Tour at CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

4/13 – 4/14: Freakin Throwdown 6 (Miramar, FL)

4/13: Burden Games at CrossFit Morgantown (Morgantown, WV)

4/13: Bryan Hall Memorial WOD (Frisco, TX)

4/14: To Hill and Back 2019 (Albemarle, NC)

4/15 – 4/27: Top Of The Box Online Qualifier (Clarksville, TN)

4/19 – 5/1: CrossFit French Throwdown Individual Online Qualifier (Online)

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

4/20: Rookie Rumble at Bucktown CrossFit (Chicago, IL)

4/20: Barnyard Throwdown (Ohatchee, AL)

4/26: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Nashua (Nashua, NH)

4/26 – 4/27: Gameday Competition (Mankato, MN) 

4/26 – 4/28: CrossFit Italian Showdown (Milan, Italy)

4/26 – 4/28: The Sun Coast Fitness Festival (Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA)

4/27: 4th Annual Spring Fever Partner Masters Comp (Souderton PA)

4/27: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit KOA (Cranford, NJ)

4/27: The Gnardog Challenge (Reedley, CA)

4/27: Festivus Games (Worldwide)

4/27: Raising the Bar for Charlotte (Medina, OH)

4/27 – 4/29: Asia CrossFit Championship (Shanghai, China)

4/27: Autism Rocks and Rows (San Clemente, CA)

4/27: Garage Games Xs and Ys (Hiram, GA)

4/27: The Explode Individual Classic (West Chester, PA)

4/27: Fast Times at West Tech High (Las Vegas, NV)

4/27: Tyler’s Voice CrossFit Competition (Jefferson City, TN)

4/27: SWFL Sharks Semi-Pro Grid Combine (Cape Coral, FL)

4/27: Explode’s Independent Classic (West Chester, FL)

4/27: Festivus Games at Crossfit Sav-up (Petaluma, CA)

4/27: 4th annual Apple Town Throwdown (Cornelia,GA)

4/27: Kettlebells for Cojones (Montgomery, TX)

4/27: Spring Fever Partner Master Competition (Souderton, PA)

4/27: Best of the Midwest Team Series Part 1 (Westfield, IN)

4/27: Officer Christopher Goddell Memorial WOD (Walkdwick, NJ)

4/27: Pose Method Run RX Course (Lake Havasu City, AZ)

4/27: Battle of the Boxes (Newport,KY)

4/27: 2019 Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola, FL) 

4/27: Festivus Games at Camel City Crossfit (Winston-Salem, NC)

4/27: Festivus Games at CrossFit LaCrosse (LaCrosse, WI)

5/4: 2nd Annual Heavy Day Morgan (Oak Ridge, TN)

5/4: Battle at the Lab 2019 Cinco De Mayo (Clarksville, TN)

5/4: Border Open Part V (El Paso, TX)

5/4: Desert Warrior (Scottsdale, AZ)

5/4: The Jurassic Classic (Kennewick, WA)

5/4: Lifto De Mayo 2019 (Eagan, MN)

5/4: Rookie Rumble Pittsburgh at Arsenal Strength (Pittsburgh, PA)

5/11: 2019 Moco Throwdown (Bethesda, MD)

5/18 – 5/19: Big Impact Games (Kaukauna, WI)

5/18: 2019 Tough Temple CrossFit Super Total (Bethseda, MD)

5/19: Heroes and Heroines Team Throwdown (Pawtucket, RI)