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“If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want will be the sacrifice.” — Unknown. 

Oh hi Monday. 

SWEAT REALLY IS JUST FAT CRYING.

The story.



Fat loss— what everyone seems to be after. But where does it go when you lose it?



CNN.com surveyed 150 doctors, dietitians, and personal trainers and the common theme was that most of them really didn’t know. The most common misconception was, by far, that fat is converted to energy. In fact, only three of the 150 health professionals gave the right answer.



Which is…



You exhale it! Sounds super weird, but fat is converted to carbon dioxide and water. You exhale the carbon dioxide and the water mixes into your circulation which you either expel as urine or sweat.



So sweat really is just fat crying.



In fact, for every 10 pounds of fat you lose, about 8.4 comes out through your lungs as carbon dioxide. You exhale almost all of it.



Great! A magic solution!



So this means we should just breathe heavy all the time, right? Wrong. That’s called hyperventilation— no bueno. The only way to consciously increase the amount of fat you lose by breathing is by moving those muscles and increasing your metabolic rate.



No magic solution here, just keep hitting the box, folks!

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who just realized it’s ‘suns out guns out’ season and needs a new tank (or tee)…

We got you covered. We only do this a couple times a year so now’s your chance. For the next two weeks only, we are taking pre-orders for our Morning Chalk Up Basic muscle-tanks and tees. Each design only lasts for two weeks then they’re gone, like forever and ever and ever. 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Brooke Ence Seals the Deal

After four weeks of the Open, Brooke Ence was poised to return to the West Regionals, and only one painful workout remained to officially seal the deal.

MAKE IT HAPPEN.

HEAR: Josh Bridges and Paying the Man

One of the most iconic CrossFit athletes joins Rich Froning and Friends and shares some of his Navy SEAL stories, hell week during BUDs and being a father of two.

HANGING WITH JOSH AND RICH.

EAT: Chipotle-Rubbed Chicken Sheet-Pan Dinner

The arguments for stocking your kitchen with a couple of standard half-sheet pans are endless. They’re inexpensive, indestructible, and best of all, you can fit an entire dinner recipe for four — like this sweet-spicy chipotle chicken with zippy tomatillo salsa — all on one.

AHH SHEET.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• ONE SUMMIT — One Summit is teaming up with CrossFit boxes across the country to hold Nate’s WOD Challenge, in honor of Navy SEAL Nate Hardy who was killed in action, and his brother Josh who died from cancer. He’s the hero behind the popular Hero WOD Nate. One Summit is a nonprofit that builds resilience in kids battling cancer through experiential learning and ongoing mentorship with U.S. Navy SEALs, and they’re inviting CrossFit boxes to do “Nate” from April 2 – 16 to benefit this program. Just email if you want to get your box involved.
• OFF SEASON TIP — When is your off-season? Are you taking time to recover throughout the year? Are you just grinding through 52 weeks of fitness? Are you just hanging on for dear life trying not to miss a WOD? Brute Strength’s Adrian Conway tackles the concept of an off season, and what that might mean for your training in and out of the box.
• BENEFIT FOR BIG MIKE — About a month ago, Mike Bike was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and immediately started on an aggressive seven-day-a-week chemotherapy treatment. So his home gym of Badger CrossFit in Wauwotosa, WI will be sweating it out for Big Mike on April 7th to raise money for him and his family. 

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

KeVita launched a new kombucha flavor: Organic Glitter, Gilded Grapefruit • Fanny Josephine dead hangs from a pull-up bar with 330 pounds of extra weight strapped on • The US Department of Agriculture just wrapped up an open comment period on two key issues: low carb diets and saturated fats. They’re formulating their nutrition guidelines for 2020-2025 • Tennil Reed-Beuerlein celebrated her first wedding anniversary. 

Best In Class: April Fools Edition — By far the best April Fools joke goes to Epic Bar, who orchestrated an entire social media campaign including instagram video stories launching a new fragrance: Le Carnivoure (pronounced “carniv-wahr”), “an aroma that, for thousands of years, has aroused our most ancestral
desires.” Unleash the animal within here.

Something that Shouldn’t Come as a Surprise — 18.4 is the video submission being requested by CrossFit HQ for all athletes qualifying for Regionals. With the new handstand push-up standard, this really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. 

— Don’t know what we’re talking about? — According to the 2018 CrossFit Games rulebook, “any athlete who qualifies for regionals must have all of their Open workouts videotaped and kept on file. These videos may be requested for review by CrossFit Inc. at any time. At least one video will be reviewed by CrossFit Games staff prior to sending out regional invitations.”

Launching Today — Along with a redesigned website, branding and packaging designs, SmashPack is launching new grass-fed protein pudding pouches in two flavors: chocolate and chocolate peanut butter. They’re packed with 15 grams of protein, and only 4 grams of sugar and 130 calories. You can snag yourself a few packs at 15% off with code “MCU15.”

Also Launching Today — Brute Strength is launching Brute Gymnastics, a ‘go at your own pace’ gymnastics program to help any athlete from beginner to advanced. The program includes static and dynamic strength work, fundamental gymnastic movements, high level skills and all of the building blocks one needs to dominate gymnastics in the sport of fitness.

“Peace Out Open” by Tasia Percevecz, CrossFit Mayhem

Congratulations if you made it through the 2018 Open! This was no easy feat. Each year, February rolls around and fills us with anxiety and trepidation. What will the workouts be? Will I be able to accomplish my goals? Did I do all the right things in the year leading up to the Open? These questions seem to haunt us all for weeks leading up, and then, BOOM! Just like that, it’s over in the blink of an eye. Here are a few things I learned this year.

First off, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Yes, I just said that, and, yes, I’m serious! It’s only CrossFit; it’s a sport. I understand it is a very important part of our lives, but your value as a human being is not determined by a number on the leaderboard. You are enough. Don’t get me wrong, it is much easier said than done! During this Open, I had plenty of moments where I found myself falling into old ways, feeling overly stressed about workouts.

I worried that if I didn’t hit a certain number or goal, I simply wasn’t good enough. I let my emotions take over a few times, and this did me no good – in fact, it made me perform worse. Eventually, I checked myself and remembered that my absolute best effort is good enough. And if I gave that in each workout, then I did all I can do! Be proud of yourself. Your value is not dependent on a placement.

4/7: Battle of the Badges (Anaheim, CA)4/7: The Revolution (San Antonio, TX)

4/7: GenX Masters Comp (Salem, MA)

4/7: Lt Col William “Wild Bill” Schroeder Memorial Competition (San Antonio, TX)

4/7: Burpees for Bellies (Williamston, MI)

4/13 – 4/15: The Railyard Games (Albuquerque, NM)

4/14: Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/14: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

4/14: Deuces Wild by Warrior Affiliate League (Baldwin Park, CA)

4/14: Atlas Blarney Stone Competition (Denver, CO)

4/14: RISE of the Masters (Statesboro, GA)

4/14: CrossFit Forte FORCE For Families (Nashville, TN)

4/14 – 4/15: Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge (Columbia, MD)

4/14 – 4/15: WOD Wars Fitfest (Dunedin, FL)

4/14 – 4/15: Funky Town Throwdown (Ft. Worth, TX)

4/19: Teens and Masters Qualifier (Invitation Only)

4/20 – 4/22: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/21: Festivus Games (Nationwide)

4/21: Mayhem for MSR (Cookeville, TN)

4/21: Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/21: FoxWOD (Panama City Beach, FL)

4/21: Swamp Challenge (Gainesville, FL)

4/21: Mucctown Throwdown (Winnemucca, NV)

4/21: Famously Hot Showdown (Columbia, SC)

4/28: Battleground SoCal (Wimington, CA)

4/28: Girls Gone Rx (Cincinnati, OH)

4/28: Salem Slaughterfest (Salem, OR)

4/28: 3rd Annual Appletown Throwdown (Cornelia, GA)

4/28: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

4/28 – 4/29: Walter’s Cup Throwdown (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

4/28 – 4/29: Battle of the Bluffs (Council Bluffs, IA)

4/28 – 4/29: King City Throwdown (Tupelo, MS)

5/4 – 5/5: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/4 – 5/5: No Gutz No Glory (Denver, CO)

5/4 – 5/5: Throwdown in Joe Town (St. Joseph, MO)

5/4 – 5/6: European Masters Throwdown (Budapest, Hungary)

5/5 – 5/6: Tribal Clash (Quarteira, Portugal)

5/5 – 5/6: Barbell de Mayo (Woodbridge, VA)

5/5: Cinco de Mayo Classic (San Antonio, TX)

5/5: The Locomotive Games III (Youngstown, OH)

5/5: Granite Games Throwdown (Southaven,  MS)

5/5: Battle of the Boro (Goldsboro, NC)

5/5: New WODs on the Block (Grand Rapids, MI)

5/5: The Crawfish Challenge (Columbia, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Beast Mode Games (Greenville, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Midwest Monster (Joplin, MO)

5/11 – 5/12: Reebok’s Ready for Action – Fittest in Israel (Israel)

5/12: Barbells for Bullies (Danbury, CT)

5/12: The Mountain Meltdown (Park City, UT)

5/12: The 5th Element (Bedford, NH)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)

5/19: Barbells in the Burbs (Carol Stream, IL)

5/19: Gladiator Games (Concord, NC)

5/19: The Pillage of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor, FL)

5/19: Spring Fling Partner Throwdown (San Anselmo, CA)

5/19 – 5/20: GameDay Mankato (Mankato, MN)

5/26: Beauty is a Beast 2 (Indian Rocks Beach, FL)