Here we go

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is built by Brute Strength, the Official Online Training Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up. Wanna master your bodyweight movement? With Brute Gymnastics, not only will you nail those muscle-ups and fly through those pull-ups — but you’ll become a better athlete all around. Learn how here.

1 day until Regionals starts. 

P.S. We’re on a plane heading to the South Regional in Salt Lake City. If you’re going to be there, let us know. 

“You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy or fake.” — Morning Chalk Up

REGIONALS STARTS TOMORROW

Stay tuned. We’ll have a lot more for you on this front tomorrow AM. We’re still waiting on some final details. 

EXCLUSIVE: SARA SIGMUNDSDOTTIR — PERSEVERANCE, PART 7

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who’s tired of spending $4.45 for cold brew…

Temps are on the rise and so is your tolerance for dropping mega bucks every week trying to stay equally cool and caffeinated. So for you coffee cravers out there, here are seven cold brew hacks that will save you $20 bucks a week. 

What to tell your friend who’s all about that bacon…

It’s the secret to my success. At least that’s what 109-year-old Ruth Benjamin said in a recent tv interview. And no, that’s not a typo. She eats potatoes and bacon every day. As a matter of fact, so did 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones, who ate four strips every morning with grits and eggs. So yeah, keep doing you Ruth. 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: The Awakening Part 2

Part two of three in this series follows 6x CrossFit Games athlete Marcus Filly as he opens up on his family life and how to find success with nutrition at home and build confidence in the kitchen.

MEET MARCUS.

HEAR: Nearly There with Tia Wright

The perennial Regionals athlete Tia Wright, just missed the CrossFit Games by one spot. She joins the CrossFit Podcast for an episode talking about the heartbreaking moment from 2017 and her plans to change that result this year. 

TUNE IN.

EAT: Banana Bread Oatmeal

This recipe is great for making in big batches, so you can quickly reheat at home or work especially after a tough workout. 

NO MORE BORING OATS. 

WIN: RXBARs + Nut Butter + Born Primitive Gear

RXBAR and Born Primitive are giving five lucky athletes free RXBARs, packets of ttheir brand new nut butter, a Born Primitive training outfit and a $100 gift card.

JUST ENTER TO WIN.

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• THE FITTEST KIDS — Here are 11 CrossFit kiddos who are probably fitter than you. 
• MOBILITY TIP — For when you want to get really gnarly with your shin/ankle mobility. 

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

Members of CrossFit Stacked in Hickory, NC got together to raise money for Stevie Dellinger as she prepares to compete at the Atlantic Regional • Spotted: Sara Sigmundsdottir repping FITAID in a large ad outside one of the biggest grocery chains in Iceland • Logan Aldridge climbs the American Ninja Warior wall with only one arm.

…and this sums up the entire Regionals weekend for all you individual athletes. 

Study — “According to a study conducted by The Physiological Society, a six-week CrossFit exercise programme can lead to improved control of blood sugar levels and decreased risk of heart disease in people with Type II diabetes.” 

Regionals Preview — 

Lindy Barber reflecting on months of long, hard training…“During these three weekends you will see some amazing performances, super strong fit bodies and some incredible insta-worthy moments…They will make it look easy. They will make it look like they have been doing this their whole lives. They will make it look glamorous.

“What you won’t see is all of the extremely hard and very long training days, the struggles and maybe injuries these athletes have been dealing with to get there. You won’t see the frustrations of the people around them who have been put second to their training and their goals. You won’t see the hard conversations they have had with themselves wondering if what they are doing, ‘is worth it,’ if they are, ‘good enough.’

“These incredible athletes have put everything into getting to this point and only a few of them will qualify for the next level of competition. The success that you are going to see is about so much more than just this weekend. It’s about everything that they have gone through over the last year, if not longer,  to get to Sunday. To fight for 3 days. To make it feel like it was all worth it.”

2018 Senior Pan Ams — Team USA continued their medal count after day three after Mattie Rogers swept silver. They now have a total of nine medals: 1 gold, 7 silvers, 1 bronze; but still remain far behind the 24 they accumulated last year in Miami. 

— Mattie Sasser snatched 95kg/209 pounds for 7th place, clean and jerked 120kg/264 pounds for 7th place, and got 7th place overall. 

— Mattie Rogers had a rough start in the 69kg division. She missed her 99kg/218 pound opener, quickly came back and hit it on her second attempt but missed her third attempt at 103kg/227 pounds, securing her the silver. Her 130kg/286 pound clean and jerk was enough to take silver, and silver overall. 

— Up Next: Jordan Cantrell (85kg) lifts at 10:00 AM ET, Harrison Maurus (85kg) lifts at 10:00 AM ET, Nathan Damron (94kg) lifts at 12:30 PM ET, and Jenny Arthur (75) lifts at 3:00 PM ET. Link to live stream.

“CrossFit: The Cure for the Modern Plague” by Ben Bergeron and Christine Bald, CrossFit Journal

In the Late Middle Ages, Europe experienced the deadliest disease outbreak in history. The Black Death, a pandemic of bubonic plague, was fast and ruthless—once infected, victims died within 10 days.

From 1346-1353, the Black Death killed about a third of the human population. Historians have described it as the “greatest catastrophe ever,” and the human race has gone to great lengths to ensure that something similar never happens again.

But something is happening again, and it is happening right now. We are amid a global plague that threatens our survival as a species. It is, as CrossFit Inc. Founder Greg Glassman has forewarned, the world’s most vexing problem—and the United States is the primary front.

Chronic disease has been accepted as part of the aging process, but it is not, and while the effects of chronic disease are not as fast as those of the Black Death, they are no less ruthless. According to the World Health Organization, chronic disease is responsible for 88 percent of deaths in the United States in the form of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s—to name a few. Instead of killing its victims quickly, chronic disease manifests over a lifetime in heart attacks and strokes, kidney failure, blindness, limb amputations, brain damage, and more, with crippling emotional and financial effects.

5/18 – 5/20: East Regional (Albany, NY)

5/18 – 5/20: Europe Regional (Berlin, Germany)

5/18 – 5/20: South Regional (Salt Lake City, UT)

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: SilverFox Masters Competition (San Clemente, CA)

5/19: Ultimate Fitness Championship (Kennewick, WA)

5/19: Warriors Hope 2018 (Greenwood, IN)

5/19: T-Town Throwdown (Tifton, GA)

5/19: Murph for Muts (Peachtree Corners, GA)

5/19: Firehawks Scorch Trials (Rio Rancho, NM)

5/19: Denton Fitness Festival (Denton, TX)

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

5/20: Europe Regional After Party Sponsored by FITAID (Berlin, Germany)

5/25 – 5/27: West Regional (Del Mar, CA)

5/25 – 5/27: Central Regional (Nashville, TN)

5/25 – 5/27: Latin America Regional (Rio de Janiero, Brazil)

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

5/26: Strong AF Against MF (East Windsor, CT)

5/27 – 5/28: 24 Heroes in 24 Hours (Southborough, MA)

6/1 – 6/3: Atlantic Regional (West Palm Beach, FL)

6/1 – 6/3: Meridian Regional (Madrid, Spain)

6/1 – 6/3: Pacific Regional (Sydney, Australia)

6/2: Kegs and Kilos (Manhattan, KS)

6/2: Long Island Masters (Hauppauge, NY)

6/2: Texas WOD Fest (Houston, TX)

6/2: Tacos and Tequila Throwdown (Highlands Ranch, CO)

6/2: Meshugge CrossFit Summer Melee (Overland Park, KS)

6/3: Summer Sizzler Individual Masters Competition (Burlington, MA)

6/8 – 6/9: Bricktown Throwdown (Bricktown, OKC)

6/9: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

6/9: Gulf Coast Games (Mandeville, LA)

6/9: WOD Wars 6 (Humble, TX)

6/9: Big Orange Brawl (Knoxville, TN)

6/9: Heroes of the Platform (Meridian, ID)

6/9: Triple Crown Fitness Event (Greenville, NC)

6/9 – 6/10: The Heartland Games 2018 (Chicago, IL)

6/9 – 6/10: Alaka’i SUPER Summer Slam (Kapolei, HI)

6/16: Battle on the Creek (Johns Creek, GA)

6/16: Full Battle Rattle (Robinson, IL)

6/16: East Coast War (Wilmington, NC)

6/19: Gauntlett VIII – River Rumble (Portsmouth, OH)

6/23: Garage Girls CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

6/23: 2018 Summer Swolestice (Gresham, OR)

6/23: HAMCO Heat (McLeansboro, IL)

6/23: The Greenville Games (Greenville, SC)

6/23: The Burn Out (New Bern, NC)

6/23: Battle of the Border (Phenix City, AL)

6/23 – 6/24: Asbury Park Summer Games (Asbury Park, NJ)

6/23 – 6/24: The Dakota Games (Fargo, ND)

6/30: Summer Stampede (Bethlehem, PA)