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Fierce Can Be Feminine

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition was chalked up while freezing our butts off in the 19 degree Madison temperature.

Transformation…Thursday: this is unbelievable.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self motivation.” – Homer Rice

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX

Alessandra Pichelli and Cameron Pernich win the CrossFit Liftoff. Sneak peak at the front entrance to the new Rogue Fitness HQ. The Barbell Spin got their hands on a pair of the newly released Reebok Legacy Lifters and tried them out. Ithica College’s top female swimmer, Lake Duffy, attributes CrossFit in the offseason to getting her prepared for her senior season: “I’ve never felt so strong coming into the swim season before. I know CrossFit gave me so much strength, and I just had to get my endurance back with swimming.” Jason Khalipa goes through the gauntlet, AKA gets hit repeatedly with karate belts with his shirt off. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet tries to predict a new movement for the CrossFit Open: burpees under the bar. Jamie Hagiya got her car broken into and some WOD gear stolen. Added to our iPhones just in time for Christmas — the new Rogue Fitness shopping app.

Ronda Rousey for Pantene’s new Strong is Beautiful campaign: “If you think fierce can’t be feminine, I’m about to show you what only a strong woman can do.”

THE MADISON UPDATE

The CrossFit Games team is here on the ground in Madison, WI, checking out the new home of the Games. Take a peak inside the Alliant Energy Center through the lenses of Sevan Matossian and Justin Bergh. Last night they ate dinner with all the affiliate owners in Madison. Spotted in the airport, two Rogue employees headed back to Columbus. Translation: the Madison airport will be seeing a lot more passengers wearing Nanos over the next six months.

THE UPDATE IN DUBAI

In case you weren’t paying attention, 74 top athletes from around the world are competing in a four day, 15 event Elite only throwdown in Dubai. Events are going on through Saturday and you can find all the live streams here.

Currently your top 3 men and women are Mathew Fraser, Ricky Garard, Jonn Koski and Sara Sigmundsdottir, Samantha Briggs, Annie Thorisdottir.

Thuri Helgadottir told us she pulled her hamstring in Event 1, which affected her clean and jerk in Event 2, where she missed the jerk and failed to make a lift, receiving zero points for that event. “Everything is a bit difficult now.” Thuri sits in 12th after seven events.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Kara Webb hitting a 220 pound snatch PR backstage at the CrossFit Invitational. She went on to hit a 200 pound snatch on the main stage during competition.

CHALK UP READS

“Women Want Real Weights at the Gym” by Wall Street Journal 

Susan Azam exercises six to seven times a week and works in the finance industry. But she hesitates to enter gym weightlifting areas where she typically sees a bunch of guys lifting. “I still don’t feel comfortable saying, ‘Pardon me, are you done with these weights? Can you spot me?’ ” she says.

She was taking boot-camp and interval-training classes at a New York studio called Trooper Fitness last spring when she spied a weight-training class in the next room that included a mix of men and women. She tried the class and loved the encouraging, detailed instruction. Now the 125-pound Ms. Azam can squat-lift 135 pounds.

Many women have used five- or 10-pound weights as part of workouts. But in recent years more women are lifting heavier weights, spurred in part by intensive regimens like CrossFit that use Olympic-style barbell lifts.

“5 Perfect Gifts for Office Athletes” by Gameplan-A

“It’s that time of the year again: The Holidays are just around the corner and with that the search for jaw-dropping, original and unique presents. As a former last-minute chocolates-and-perfume giver, I decided to take things more seriously this year and opt for fitness gadgets that support my beloved ones in their efforts to stay active at work despite a tough time schedule.”

  1. Balance Cushions
  2. Standing Desks
  3. Hand Grip Strengtheners
  4. Balance Boards
  5. Ankle Weights

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

Members of CrossFit 845 in Wappingers Falls, New York, came together to bake several hundred cookies to send to soldiers in Jordan, Afganistan and other areas around the world, who can’t be with their families for the holidays.

Naughty or Nice presented by Faith Rx’d. Between now and December 13th, more than 200 affiliates will collect 2,000 gifts for kids and families. Coming to an affiliate near you in Gilroy, CA; Lewisville, TX; Farmington, MN; Virginia Beach, VA; Elton, TX; Katy, TX; Sheboygan, WI; Mandeville, LA; Tulsa, OK; Bixby, OK; Kingwood, TX; Frankfurt, KY; Santa Fe, TX; San Jose, CA; Colleyville, TX; Grapevine, TX; Temple, TX; Marshall, MO; Cranford, NJ; Granburry, TX; Apple Valley, MN; Wichita Falls, TX; Salem, OR; Soldotna, AR; Hendersonville, TN; Benton, AR; Medina, OH; McKinney, TX; College Station, TX; Owasso, OK; Wylie, TX; Henderson, NV; St. Petersburg, FL; Bakersfield, CA; Manitowoc, WI; Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Hawthorne, NJ; Webster, TX; Cypress, TX; Carrollton, TX; Southlake, TX; Franklin, TN.

 

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