A quick scheduling reminder: The Morning Chalk Up team is taking a much-needed vacation next week so there will be no newsletter. We’ll be back in action Monday, December 27.
In today’s edition:
Day 2 of the Dubai CrossFit Championship is about to start.
Why finding your core values will completely change your life.
Cole Sager’s workout of the week.
How RPM’s new scaling options help create more balanced programming.
“Work hard for what you want because it won’t come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive.”- Leah LaBelle
THE 2021 DUBAI CROSSFIT CHAMPIONSHIP PRIMER
Due to the time change and the schedule of events, there was no competition on Thursday.
To make keeping track easier, our schedule of events automatically updates to your local time zone.
There are still seven scored events remaining over the next two days and in a surprising twist, organizers allowed athletes to pick workouts 6A and 6B. Patrick Clark takes you deeper into how that went down in this inside scoop.
Catch-up quick:
Go inside athlete check-in with Sara Sigmundsdottir, Kristin Holte, Sam Briggs and a few others.
Event 2: 4:00 AM PT/12:00 PM GMT/4:00 PM Dubai
1RM Clean and Jerk
Event 3: 6:05 AM PT/2:05 PM GMT/6:05 PM Dubai
50 cal row
40 A-Jumps with weight vest (20lb/14lb)
30 Sandbag Cleans (150lb/100lb)
20 Bar Muscle Ups
10 Paralette Handstand Push-Ups
20 Bar Muscle-Ups
30 Sandbag Cleans (150lb/100lb)
40 A-Jumps with weight vest (20lb/14lb)
50 cal row
Time Cap: 23 min (male) / 25 min (female)
Event 4: 8:21 AM PT/4:21 PM GMT/8:21 Dubai
4 Rounds, each round for time:
20 cal bike erg
15m unbroken handstand walk
10 overhead squats (85kg/60kg)
Time Cap: 3 min per round
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JUST LAUNCHED first episode of Athletes Stories, a new podcast from the Zelos Games featuring in-depth interviews diving into the lives of athletes beyond the competition floor.
Mattie Rogers(76kg A): 107kg🥈, 136kg🥈, 243kg total 🥈.
Ian Wilson (109kg A): 175kg, 210kg, 385kg total (5th overall)
Laura Alexander (87kg A): 104kg, DNF, DNF Total
Juliana Riotto (87kg A): 105kg, 128kg, 233kg total (6th overall)
Upcoming:
Keiser Witte (+109kg B) Today at 12:00 AM ET
Sarah Robles (+87kg A) Today at 3:00 AM ET
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Why Value Based Decision Making Holds the Key to Success
At the bottom of the cover of Mat Fraser’s book, Hard Work Pays Off, are the words:
Train. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
In other words, a CrossFit athlete’s dream. And many athletes, both professional and amateur, do structure their days and lives in a way to make this exact sequence of events possible.
Train. Eat. Sleep. Recover. Get Massages. Watch CrossFit Videos. Do the Open. Do Quarterfinals. Do Semifinals. Go to The Games (maybe). Repeat.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it does leave me questioning the longevity of this lifestyle. This is a cycle that is built around an identity. Specifically, the identity of a CrossFit athlete. Sometimes, investing too much time or energy into an identity comes at the expense of living a more fulfilling life that connects with our core values. A life that could, ironically, make success in our identity or our goals more likely.
Mindset work is not new in CrossFit. Tools like journaling and visualizing and reframing failure are all very common and all very useful. Understanding how to control our minds and responses both in and out of competition can have a massive impact on our results as an athlete. But importantly, these tools serve only our identity as the athlete and not necessarily our core values.
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 of the week is programmed by Games veteran and new dad Cole Sager. After debuting as a 23-year old rookie at the 2014 CrossFit Games, the former collegiate football player has made eight-straight Games appearances with three top-10 finishes to show for his efforts.
His CrossFit highlights include a career-best 5th place finish at the 2016 Games, winning the 2014 Northwest Regional, receiving the “Spirit of the Games” award at the 2017 Games, finishing sixth in the 2019 Worldwide Open, three career event wins at the Games and most recently winning the 2021 West Coast Classic to punch his ticket to this past summer’s Games.
Every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes:
21 Calorie Row
18 Calorie Bike
15 Burpee Box Jump-overs (24/20)
12 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups
Some advice from Cole: “These intervals are meant to build fitness and your capacity for doing a moderate set of gymnastics while fatigued. We ideally want to have around 1 minute of rest before starting our next interval, so adjust the reps for the first three movements accordingly. A good place to start would be to reduce the reps down by three, but keeping the chest-to-bar pull-ups at 12 reps. If you need to scale the chest-to-bar, start by scaling the movement before scaling the reps. Dig in hard on the row, be steady through the bike and burpees and get on the pull-up bar sooner than you want to..”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
LIFESTYLE
RPM Training Co.’s New Platform Offers “Multi-Component Scaling” to Create a Perfect Workout Experience
If scaled correctly, anyone can do it: That philosophy is one that the CrossFit community has preached since the beginning.
As a result, gyms around the world usually offer an Rx, or as prescribed, and a scaled version of any given workout, as do competitions like the CrossFit Open. This generally means athletes must either choose the Rx or scaled version of the entire workout, rather than having the ability to select, for example, the Rx version of two movements, and the scaled version of a third.
RPM Training Co. co-founders Shane and Josh Rogers saw this as a limitation, both in the way many lifestyle athletes choose their workout variation, and also in how they are ranked in a competitive setting.
“In many cases, especially in a competition setting, there’s either an Rx or a scaled version of the workout…And maybe you can do the loading but you can’t do muscle-ups, and you then get kicked to the scaled version just because you can’t do muscle-ups,” said CEO Shane Rogers.
“You should always do the most appropriate version of the workout for yourself,” he added.
Ultimately, the traditional Rx and scaled system leaves a lot to be desired, Rogers explained.
Do you have shoulder aches and pains? Don’t let a minor fixable ache turn into a potential chronic pain and debilitating issue. Use these exercises to nip the problem in the bud now.
Don’t miss out on the new scheduling feature in Phase 2 of SugarWOD x Zen Planner. This latest integration gives you the best of both worlds: Owners set class parameters in Zen Planner, and athletes book classes in the SugarWOD app.
Narrow stance? Wider grip? Straighter knees? A lot of the answers can be found in measuring a strange part of your body...your femur. Watch how your femur length can help you choose the right deadlift setup.
A Free WHOOP Strap 4.0 And First Month's Membership
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The most delicious crispy smashed potatoes with perfectly golden edges and simple seasoning. You’ll love these easy smashed potatoes that are perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or any other time. Serve with any dipping sauce your heart desires for a treat.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.
🎂 Happy birthday to CrossFit Games athletes Haley Adams (21) and Eik Gylfadottir (33).
Stephen Wexler of the Wex Appeal Podcast hit a 260 pound/572kg lifetime hang clean PR at the Reindeer Rumble competition in Anthony, FL.
Sean Sweeney, also known as the “CrossFit Cowboy”, does 3 reps of touch and go clean and jerks at 275 pound/125 kg.
Jens Wöhlbier hit a new back squat PR of 365 pounds/166 kg, which is a 30 pound (14kg) gain from his last PR!
Jennifer Galemmo from CrossFit Maximus in Lexington, KY picked up a snatch PR at 185 pounds/84kg.
🎉 Congratulations to GrandMastersRx (CrossFit Weaver Park officially) in Clearwater, FL on celebrating their 100th member this month. GMRX caters to adults age 55+, with an average member age of 74.
UliftU auctioned off signed CrossFit Games gear from Chandler Smith, raising over $1600 for their programs that support returned and currently incarcerated citizens, under-resourced communities, and justice-involved youth.
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