Would you give your kidney to your coach?

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by RP Strength, the leader in strength sports nutrition, with numerous high-level CrossFit Games athletes as satisfied customers, including our newest athletes Rich Froning and Team Mayhem. Interested in reaping the benefits of dieting and training with RP? Start by downloading four free chapters from their best-selling ebooks.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” — Calvin Coolidge

WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR CROSSFIT COACH YOUR KIDNEY?

Excerpts from the feature story we just released this morning. 

“Why can’t I do this,” Codiee Lofquist thought to himself.

A coach who regularly squatted north of 400 pounds struggled to even stand up from the bottom of an air squat.

CrossFit Muskegon members knew something was amiss; they just didn’t know exactly what.

Over the past several years, Codiee’s kidneys had been progressively deteriorating, slowly inching towards complete failure. But Codiee tried hard not to let on that he was struggling.

When he stopped showing up to coach though, everyone realized how sick he really was.

…Continue Reading.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who always tells dumb jokes…

Crickets…could they be the new superfood? They have nine times more omega’s than wild salmon, more calcium than milk, and produce two times more protein than beef. Well Adrian, you might be on to something. 

What to ask your coworker while walking back from your second cup of joe…

Ever wonder why pizzas come in square boxes, are made as circles and eaten as triangles? 

What to tell your friend who doesn’t think actions have consequences…

We’re sorry, we didn’t know this was gonna happen. Last week, we published a little bet between two friends that resulted in one having to pony up 500 wall balls for time. #Ouch. So apparently CrossFit Sacred Pine in Ladson, SC got a sick and twisted idea to make that a box-wide challenge. A total of 21 athletes stood up and said “hells yes”, which is both mind boggling and awesome at the same time. Congrats to Eli — whoever you are — for posting the fastest time of 30:19. Can you actually walk? 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Brooke Hits the Brute Strength Boot Camp

Brooke Ence heads out to Salt Lake City, Utah to train with the Brute crew, doing hill sprints, climbing a mountain and crushing the boys at fitness.

TRAVEL WITH BROOKE.

HEAR: Trust is Love

Ben and Heather Bergeron join The Tribe Life, a podcast all about connecting with other parents to hear about their relationship and how they’re raising their families. In this episode they dive into topics like open discussions with your kids at the dinner table from an early age, how to be happy in your relationship and successfully co-parenting with previous spouses.

TUNE IN.

EAT: Double Chocolate Paleo Banana Bread

This actually looks magical. Like we don’t even bake and we’re thinking of ditching work to try our hands cooking this up. Bring this into work (or the box) and everyone will love you.

IT’S HEAVENLY.

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• BROOKE GETS HER BOX — If you’ve haven’t been following this story for the past week, click here. For everyone else, CrossFit FIF raised more than enough to buy Brooke a foam box so she could do box jumps more safely, and here she is using it for the first time. 
• PRO TIP — Where should your shoulders and hips be in the mid and low-hang positions? You might be able to muscle your way through when the weight is lighter, but you’ll fail on heavier loads if you’re not engaging your hamstrings and keeping your shoulder over the bar. 
• BUT THE DOCTOR SAID — Doctors told Richard Marsh from CrossFit Ignite that without medication he’d never have a normal blood glucose level. After two years of CrossFit, paired with dialing in his nutrition, Richard just had 30 straight days of normal blood glucose without taking medication. 
• BURPEES FOR BEATS — Fourteen-year-old James Long of CrossFit Chesapeake in Chesapeake, VA created the event to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke after his dad was diagnosed with heart disease. His grandfather also died of a stroke. Burpees for Beats took place over the weekend. 

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

Barbara from CrossFit Train was able to string together single unders for the first time • Chris Spealler’s new book “Speal: A David and Goliath Story”, which was released yesterday has already sold out, but thankfully it’s now up on Amazon • This is what Sara Sigmundsdottir eats in one day • Amber Rayne Abweh took a swig of whisky before pulling 380 pounds off the ground; more than three times her bodyweight • Here’s how to get early access to CrossFit Games tickets • Jessica Griffith hits two snatches at 170 pounds • CrossFitter,
pro Golfer and LIFEAID athlete Scott Stallings took seventh at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, pocketing a sizable $250,000 check. 

…and here are 33 photos that will make you realize how badass figure skating actually is. 

On the rower they say go, go, go, go.

You never just want to be slow.

You pull and repeat-er,

To get every meter.

On ending, your cookies you’ll blow.

— Scott Simmonds, Gulfport CrossFit

2/16 – 2/18: Iron Sharpens Iron (Miami, FL)2/17: Lovers and Lifters (Springfield, KY)

2/17: Steel Rail Shootout 2018 (McComb, MS)

2/17: Wynwood Throwdown (Miami, FL)

2/17 – 2/18: The Shred Fest (Orlando, FL)

2/22: CrossFit Open 18.1 (Worldwide)

2/23 – 3/26: Garage Games Junior Open (Worldwide)3/1: CrossFit Open 18.2 (Worldwide)

3/8: CrossFit Open 18.3 (Worldwide)

3/10: Women Who WOD (Barbados)

3/15: CrossFit Open 18.4 (Worldwide)

3/22: CrossFit Open 18.5 (Worldwide)

3/23: The Redeemed and the Dominant: Fittest on Earth is released (iTunes)

3/24: 4th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Competition (Norwood, MA)

4/7: Battle of the Badges (Anaheim, CA)

4/7: The Revolution (San Antonio, TX)

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

4/14: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

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

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

4/21: Festivus Games (Nationwide)

4/28: Battleground SoCal (Wimington, CA)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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