When the government decides how you can squat

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“Failure cannot cope with persistence.” — Napoleon Hill

WHEN THE GOVERNMENT DECIDES HOW YOU CAN SQUAT.

Some background. 

For decades, the federal government has played fast and loose with the facts on nutrition and exercise. Most of us growing up were taught the food pyramid and encouraged to eat lots of crab-heavy foods like bread, bagels, cereals, pastas and anything with grains. We were also told that “fat is the enemy.”

Unfortunately, as carb consumption increased, so did the number of cases of Diabetes. Today, there are more than 30 million Americans living with diabetes, up from less than 6 million in 1980. That’s 9.4% of the entire U.S. population, or a little more than the population of Texas.

Ouch.

OK, so they fumbled nutrition. So what now?

So the same government that told us how we should eat to stay healthy, wants to tell you how to squat.

For the past few years, CrossFit Inc. has been working behind the scenes to protect their affiliates from state government’s passing legislation requiring coaches to apply for licenses to train athletes.

Right now, states don’t require personal trainers — or your coach — to apply for a permit or license like many other professions like barbers and hair dressers. But they want to, along with some of CrossFit’s more vocal opponents like the NSCA, ACSM and ACE. Oh and BTW, the ACSM doesn’t agree with squatting below parallel.

So what’s the big deal?

There have been 26 separate pieces of legislation introduced in state legislatures which would require CrossFit coaches to obtain a state-issued license in order to train you. By the way, all were unsuccessful except for in Washington D.C.

CrossFit HQ’s Russ Greene puts it best, “If you get to control who practices a profession, you also get to control how it’s practiced.” And that’s where the problem lies.

So no longer will results like “I’m finally walking again, sitting up straight, playing with my grandkids, off my diabetic medicine, down 50 pounds, doing gymnastics, lifting heavier, feeling confident or in love with my freaking life, body and happier than all heck” govern our approach to fitness. It’ll be the food pyramid of fitness. So keep your eyes out, but for now, squat as low as you wanna.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who’s 40’s are looking fitter than their 20’s…

Everyone loves a good comeback story. Meet 30-year-old Allie Kieffer, an elite long distance runner from Buffalo, NY. She’s been crushing times since her time running at Arizona State but struggled for the next ten years to break into the upper tiers. That is until last November, when she slashed 26 minutes off her lifetime PR to place fifth at the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:29:39. That’s 10% faster for you non-math majors. And no, it wasn’t cause she started doing CrossFit. But she did pick up a book by a well known CrossFit coach by the name of Ben Bergeron. She said his philosophy on success has helped reshape her training: “Before, I was focusing on training and strategy. But what kind of person was I? I’m much more positive now and it affects my performance. If I can focus on being the best version of myself every day—going to the gym, being a good girlfriend, doing my run, and all the other things I can control—at the end of the day I’ve done what I can to be the best version of myself. I can walk away feeling like I succeeded every day.” We can’t guarantee your Fran time will change, but maybe go grab a copy?

What to tell your friend who’s always counting your reps…

Don’t judge me. The 2018 CrossFit Games Judges Course is now live. It’s a must if you’re going to validating those Open scores at your affiliate, judge athletes that are attempting to qualify for Regionals, be a judge at Regionals or just wanna click “no rep” on athletes’ online video submissions.

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Becoming Brooke Wells EP. 3
Brooke went from the sixth fittest in 2016 to 14th. What happened? Did she get less fit? In Chapter 3, Brooke talks about the 2017 CrossFit Games and the fact that her placing didn’t reflect how much she improved as an athlete.
WATCH.

KNOW: Caffeine Overdose
You know that grinding through on an empty stomach, surviving on the second, third, fourth cup of coffee kind of day? Let’s hope that’s not today. So here’s some food for thought on your next binge day of meetings without breakfast.
HOW MUCH COFFEE IS TOO MUCH?

EAT: 17 Sweet Potato Recipes
There’s a 99% chance you’ve got some sweet taters laying around in the kitchen, cause they’re literally available year-round. So if you’re getting bored with the old “bake in the oven for 45 till soft then add butter” routine, Bon Appétit has got your creativity covered.
DO MORE WITH YOUR TATO.

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

SAVE ELLIE — Ellie is a four-year-old black lab who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. Her momma is Stephanie Plumlee, a coach at CrossFit Little Egypt in Harrisburg, IL. During all the snow days this winter, Stephanie used the down time to do some painting and she’s now selling them to help pay for chemo. But if you’re feeling generous, you can just send some some financial love directly her way.

FROM LAST TO FIRST — Revenge is a dish best served cold, and that’s what James English of CrossFit QTE did at Wodapalooza. The 52-year-old from Lumberton, NC was only invited because another athlete dropped out. So James said, “I’ll show ’em what’s up,” and he did, winning the whole thing against a cadre of masters Games athletes — he’s not BTW. “When people usually ask me why I do it, I tell them because of life. I want to stay alive and if I ever have grandchildren, I want to be able to play with them and not bend over and say I hurt
my back and I can’t do it. I don’t want to be the guy on the sidelines.” And by “stay alive” he means win comps.

CHALK UP FOR BURPEES — Someone said “chalk” and it grabbed our attention. Chalk Up For Burpees is an annual event dedicated to supporting local veterans struggling to transition into civilian life. The next event isn’t until Veterans Day (November 11) but you can sign up to hear more about how you and your box can get involved.

BABY I’M BACK — Twenty years ago, Alethea Boon took the floor at the Commonwealth Games to compete in her sport of gymnastics. In April, Alethea is making her third appearance, this time in Olympic Weightlifting.

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

Rob Fox of CrossFit B2B in Sarver, PA celebrated his 47th birthday with an unbroken 47 foot handstand walk • Reebok just dropped a bunch of new CrossFit gear for the 2018 season • Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson joins the Virus team • Kara Webb hits a clean, front squat, thruster complex at 175 pounds • Colleen Fotsch hit some overhead squat doubles at 215 pounds • Camille Leblanc-Bazinet hits her first strict muscle-up post shoulder injury • Good luck to Anna Tobias who’s competing in the sailing World Cup in Miami starting today • Ben Smith hit some snatch triples at 245 pounds.

“I Gave Up Added Sugar For A Week And I Am Effing Starving” by Amy Marturana, SELF

We all know sugar is the Devil. Over the past few years, food experts and researchers have shown us that the sweet stuff is one of the worst delicious things we can eat or drink. It even turns out it may be worse for us than saturated fat (gasp!).

The more you read about sugar, the more you realize how not only bad but pervasive it is. Sugar is in everything. Sure, it’s in cupcakes and gummies and lollipops. But it’s also in ketchup, bread, and peanut butter. Does it really need to be there? The answer, quite simply, is no. When you realize how many foods it’s been sneaked into without our knowledge, it’s no wonder we’re eating over three times the recommended limit.

In an effort to discover how realistic cutting back on sugar really is, I decided to go a week without added sugars. Why not all sugars? The short answer: Because I don’t hate myself. The long/scientific answer: Because we’re meant to eat natural sugars in normal portions. Naturally occurring sugars, in things like fruit and dairy, also come with other nutrients—fiber and protein—that help our bodies digest the sugar more slowly and dull the impact it has on our bodies. It’s also easier to limit our intake when we stick to naturally occurring sugars, since those other nutrients are more filling and help tell us when we’ve had enough. The reason we eat way more sugar than we should is because we don’t just eat the naturally occurring kinds—we eat it in most processed or packaged foods we consume.

1/27: Winter Chiller (Fairmont, WV)
1/27: NorCal Masters 2018 (Richmond, CA)
1/27: IceBreather Classic (Springfield, IL)
1/27: The Masters Classic 2018 (Spanish Fork, UT)
1/27 – 28: The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)
1/29: Facebook Live Q&A with Brooke Wells (Facebook)
2/3: No Weak Links “V” (Whitesboro, NY)
2/3: Caution Grounds 7 (Hialeah Gardens, FL)
2/3: Output Fitness Trials (Miramar, FL)
2/3: 6th Annual Women’s WOD Jam (Broomfield, CO)
2/3: 5th Annual Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)
2/3: Garage Girls Tour (Milton, GA)
2/10: Mirror Image CrossFit’s Cupid’s Clash (Panama City, FL)
2/10: New WODs On the Block – The Third Wheel (Nationwide)
2/10: Tuff Love (Boulder, CO)
2/10: A League of Their Own: A Women’s Only Challenge (San Antonio, TX)
2/10: Mayhem Showdown 2018 (Cookeville, TN) 
2/17: Lovers and Lifters (Springfield, KY)
2/17: Steel Rail Shootout 2018 (McComb, MS)
2/22: CrossFit Open 18.1 (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)
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)