“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying.”- Booker T. Washington
INTERVIEWS
Meet Emma Heck, a 13-year-old National Champion with a Gym in Her Living Room
Like many 13-year-olds, Emma Heck comes home after school and logs some serious time in her family’s living room. The difference is, Heck’s not staring at a screen. She’s doing handstands and pull-ups and lifting, like, really heavy weights.
The details: For Heck, who started CrossFit when she was 7, training in her living room for hours on end after school is normal. “I have a lot of CrossFit and weightlifting friends online (who don’t think it’s weird), but I guess the people at my church and my school friends think I’m crazy,” said Heck, the 2020 USA Weightlifting champion in her age group.
Building a gym in the family’s living room in Jacksonville, FL was Heck’s father Raylan Heck’s idea, something he came up with two years ago. “I thought it would be a great way for everyone to come together and either throw down or hang out,” said Raylan, who has been involved in CrossFit for years and is currently training to bike 400 miles in 24 hours for charity. “It just made sense to have workout equipment in there. We often invite people over to lift and socialize,” he added.
Today, the Heck family’s living room is a fully equipped gym that backs onto their outdoor space featuring a swimming pool complete with a volleyball court, a lounge area, as well as a second outdoor gym.
Step Up Your Nutrition Game For Your Best Open Yet
Are you eating all the right foods but feeling like your performance is stuck in a rut? Then you need to try Macrostax, the app that gives you custom macros and recipes for your goals whether it’s for performance, fat loss, or muscle gain.
“Food is fuel and it is so important for both body composition and more importantly performance and recovery. I use Macrostax to log everything I eat and it works best for me and my goals.” — Amanda Barnhart, Pro CF athlete
Use “CFOPEN2021” for 50% off your subscription — huge savings for a yearly plan. Sign up now and stay ahead of the game.
SPEED READS
CrossFit Games tickets go on sale to the public today.
James Newbury, the Australian CrossFit Games veteran, is the newest member of the PRVN Fitness team.
Newbury: “I chose PRVN as my training platform because after knowing Shane and Tia for so many years and sharing so many laughs and good training sessions, I felt the urge to rekindle that feeling. Having Shane as a mentor and Tia as a training partner were some of the most memorable times in my CrossFit career.”
PRVN Fitness announced that coach Dwight Upshaw, from Boulder, CO, will be joining their training staff.
Adrian Bozman: “It is not a scale, these workouts are going to be hard. If you go at them the way you should, you’re going to feel it.”
Samantha Briggs, the 2013 Fittest Woman on Earth, will join the OUT Foundation “OUT in the Open” leaderboard this year. This will be her tenth appearance in the CrossFit Open.
Briggs: “It’s an honor to represent the LGBTQ+ community in this sport, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year’s Open.”
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet has partnered with supplement maker, Nutrex Research. And to celebrate you can get 45% off your next order.
Lauren Fisher’s Grown Strong programming will begin offering an Olympic Lifting program starting this week. Grown Strong is devoted to helping women train and develop confidence, strength, perseverance and discipline.
Jump Rope Challenge: The first five athletes to complete this 50/50/50 Challenge will win a set of Buddy Lee ropes and free admission into a Buddy Lee Jump Rope Master Class.
Michele Letendre Launches Deka Competition Team to Build Camaraderie and Foster a Community of Competitive CrossFit Athletes
Michele Letendre, the founder of Deka Comp — a company that provides programming for CrossFit athletes — is expanding her services to build a Deka Competition Team.
Athletes on the Deka Competition Team will receive, not just programming, but also more individualized coaching, access to training sessions and training camps, online conferences, as well as gear and other resources. The overall idea is to create the feeling of belonging to a club, much like you’d experience being on a cycling or triathlon team, Letendre explained.
Remind me: Since retiring from elite CrossFit competition in 2017, five-time CrossFit Games competitor Michele Letendre quickly established herself as one of the top CrossFit coaches in the world.
Not only is Letendre three-time CrossFit Games podium finisher Patrick Vellner’s long-time coach, she also coached Laura Horvath to a second place Games finish in her rookie season in 2018. Two other notable Letendre pupils include four-time Australian Games athlete James Newbury, who is now trying his hand at bobsledding, and Canadian Adam Davidson, who qualified to his first Games in 2020 under Letendre’s tutelage.
What Will It Take to Make the Quarterfinals?: A Look at the 2018 Open for Statistical Answers
Section 2.01 of this season’s rule book states that “Based on Open rank, individual men and women in the top 10%* on each continent are eligible to participate in the quarterfinals.”
What exactly does top 10% mean?
CrossFit HQ has clarified that when it comes to determining the number of athletes for quarterfinals: “All registrations from divisions with equipment count for the 10%, but not the equipment free workouts.”
If you want to clean as much weight for your current level of strength, you have to maximize your ability to get out of the squat as fast as possible. Speed from the bottom is how you break through the sticking point in the squat instead of getting rejected. In this video, coach Greg Everett talks you through some coaching cues for maximum acceleration.
The Strato Tech Tee from Vuori is the softest piece of workout apparel on the planet. Quick-drying, moisture-wicking with UPF 30+ and made from their softest performance knit. Great for AMRAP, training, stretching, and beach days.
The Relationship Between Stress, Screen Time and Recovery
Recovery is critical to improved performance, muscle-building and fat loss. And managing stress is critical to recovery. This post on the Invictus blog asks you to think about how your phone and screen time may be contributing to your stress level. It's very likely that having some clear boundaries with screen time could improve your stress management and recovery.
Here's an easy one-pan weeknight dinner that is sure to satisfy that umami craving. Imagine emptying out a bunch of egg rolls and just digging into the stuffing without the fried wrapper. This recipe uses pork, but you can easily substitute shrimp or chicken.
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to tips@morningchalkup.com to be featured.
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