CrossFit Takes on the Mannequin Challenge

THE MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE

Today’s tidbit is brought to you by Athlete Daily.

THE STORY

The Mannequin Challenge has made its way around every corner of the Internet and that includes the CrossFit world.

The new trend, in which groups of people hold a statuesque pose, has gone viral. And, really, what better place for that kind of shenanigans than a CrossFit box?

Dangling from a pull-up bar, pausing barbells, muscle-ups and squats, the physically demanding stunt has become increasingly elaborate as its popularity continues to spread.

Some gyms are even putting the Mannequin Challenge into their programming.

The vast majority of Mannequin Challenge videos, which have the camera pan around the room to get the full effect, use hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” though there aren’t any hard and fast rules.  (Except, of course, not moving.)

SO, WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
It’s believed that the first #MannequinChallenge video was by a high school student outside of Jacksonville, Fla., on Oct. 26. Numerous media outlets have pinpointed it back to Twitter user @prvrity___ whose original video received more than 4,700 retweets.

Since then, the frozen meme’s have been everywhere: comedians, politicians, pro sports teams. And it shows no signs of slowing down.

3, 2, 1 GO!

So which affiliate did it first? It’s pretty hard to say this with certainty, but the first affiliate we saw was District CrossFit just a little over a week ago.

Want to join in on the Mannequin Challenge fun at your local box? The bigger the group, and more outlandish the frozen poses the better.

CrossFit Frostbite shows you how cool the video can look when you get the entire gym to play along. While CrossFit Terminus is pitting AM and PM classes against one another.

However you end up doing it, just don’t forget the hashtag.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX

Carleen Mathews went down to Mexico and dominated Gatorade’s 3 day UBKN Challenge. Mattie Rogers has arrived in Mexico for the World University Championships, her first international meet in over four months. Hang out with Joy and Claire from Girls Gone WOD Podcast in Costa Rica. UFC Strawweight fighter Paige VanZant is using CrossFit to train for her upcoming fight December 17. CrossFit HQ helped defeat a California congressional candidate backed by big soda. A U.S. Army veteran who lost his leg after purposefully driving over a IED to protect soldiers on foot, has found a home in his new CrossFit community. Julie Foucher drinks coffee blocks when she travels. Thuri Helgadottir hang snatches 181.5 pounds. Annie Thorisdottir bought a new car! Jackie Perez played with Elephants in India. Sarah Loogman discovered the worlds most intense mobility tool: the Thera Gun. Lucas Parker got nominated for the 22 push-ups challenge.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Jared Enderton snatched 317 pounds in the CrossFit Liftoff, but he failed 15 times before he succeeded. Carleen Mathews throwing it way way back to her first muscle-up five years ago this weekend.

The story of MeiLin, the 17-year-old who suffered a severe concussion during a basketball game as a child, causing her eyes to become permanently dilated and left her unable to focus. Unfortunately, complications during surgery made her symptoms much worse and left her unable to walk. She has some advice for anyone dealing with a debilitating injury: “There’s always hope. Keep fighting. It may suck, but as soon as you say you’re done, everything ends and you don’t get to see the impact you have on people.”

CHALK UP READS

Nicole Carroll, the CrossFit Director of Training and Certification, joins GGW to talk about how she went from living at a yoga center in the hills of Santa Cruz, to training at the first CrossFit gym, to running around the country developing the early L1, to heading up the entire international training and certification program today. And of course, how she came to be the zen master of the Open announcements.

“I went in for a class and my first class was with Greg Glassman…it was nothing crazy it was some running, some push-ups, some pull-ups…it kinda kicked my ass. The other thing was there were a lot of women in the class who could do pull-ups, and I couldn’t do pull-ups yet…I’m going to keep doing this because I want to be able to do that.”

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

Morning Chalk Up reader deal — Get any 2 cans of FitAid for $0.99, including shipping.

AboutTime’s infamous protein pancakes are buy 2 get 1 free with code “TRECAKES.” Plus get 20% off AboutTime’s Pumpkin Spice Latte protein with code “NATURAL.”