Here’s what athletes will make at the CrossFit Games

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“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us in trouble. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” — Mark Twain

Lt. Desiree Farchione Uses CrossFit to Better Serve Her Community

Some backstory.

Lt. Desiree Farchione has been a police officer in the Kenosha, WI police department since 1998. She’s worked her way through the ranks as a patrol sergeant, then a detective sergeant, and now as a second-shift lieutenant.

She also works as an instructor at the police academy, teaching about 60 recruits each year. One of those recruits changed her life forever.

What happened?

Farchione, wearing a full-body protection suit called “RedMan gear” was teaching recruits to decentralize a suspect by putting that person to the ground. Farchione was acting as the suspect being taken to the ground when one recruit was instructed to give her a “knee strike or two.”

When he did, the recruit fractured her spine in two places. “He did it exactly as he was trained to do,” Farchione said.

Farchione was completely immobilized for ten weeks before she moved on to three months of physical therapy.

A wake-up call.

The injury was a wake-up call for Farchione. She promised herself that if she recovered she would no longer take her health for granted. She made a list of things she wanted to accomplish, like losing weight and running a 5k.

As soon as she was cleared to exercise she joined Harbor Park CrossFit.

She now works out five to six days a week in 90-minute sessions. In August, she was recognized in a national law enforcement magazine and she competes regularly in local CrossFit competitions.

But the biggest promise she made during recovery is that she would become fit enough never to be a physical liability to the officers she oversees. “I have an obligation to my profession and to the guys I work with,” she said.

GAMES NEWS.

How the CrossFit Games Payouts Have Changed

With Monday’s release of the official 2019 CrossFit Games rulebook came details on the prize purse awaiting competitors come August.

The individual prize purse remains nearly identical to 2018 except for a $15,000 increase awarded to the second place overall finishers. The prizes for placing first, second and third in an individual event also remain the same: $3000, $2000, and $1000 respectively.

Teams prize purse shifted as well. First place remained at $100,000 per team while second and third both increased by $10,000 and fourth and fifth increased by $5,000 each.

Individual Prize Purse by Overall Finish (Men and Women)

1. $300,000

2. $115,000

3. $75,000

4. $50,000

5. $35,000

6. $30,000

7. $27,000

8. $25,000

9. $23,000

10. $21,000

11. $18,000

12. $16,000

13. $15,000

14. $14,000

15. $13,000

16. $12,000

17. $11,000

18. $10,000

19. $9,000

20. $8,000

Team Prize Purse by Overall Finish

1. $100,000

2. $70,000

3. $40,000

4. $25,000

5. $20,000

Masters 35-39 Overall Prize Purse

1. $25,000

2. $10,000

3. $5,000

Masters 40 – 60+ Divisions Prize Purse

1. $10,000

2. $5,000

3. $3,000

Coffee Break Conversations

What to say the next time someone reveals a secret…

Man, that’s heavy. But probably not as heavy as your kids backpack, TBH. A new study shows that carrying too much weight can take its toll on a child’s back. Dr. Ken Hansraj co-authored a study that measured how wearing a backpack impacts the spine and, when doubled with the de-neutralization of the spine from constant cell phone use, it’s not looking pretty Mom and Dad.

Things To…

WATCH: Nothing But CrossFit and YouTube

Craig Richey of Team Richey YouTube is a 25-year-old CrossFit enthusiast. He’s also one of the most recognizable faces in the CrossFit vlogosphere. “My life now revolves around CrossFit and YouTube,” he says.

WELL WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

HEAR: Do Aerobic Intervals Make You Better at CrossFit?

While there seems to be a general understanding that the one rep maxes of everyone’s Instagram feed don’t necessarily translate into improved performance in CrossFit, what about the long hours of grunt work spent rowing, running, biking and skiing? Are you wasting your time on the assault bike?

DOES HARD WORK PAY OFF?

TRY: Spend Less Time Meal Prepping, More Time Fueling Up

Make fueling up that much easier with Kettlebell Kitchen’s ready made, protein-packed healthy meals that accommodate a variety of nutrition plans. First-time Kettlebell Kitchen customers can snag $25 off their first two orders plus they’ll throw in Kari Pearce’s new Power Abs course (worth $59.95) as a free gift. Just use code “MCU” at checkout.

TIME TO FUEL UP.

EAT: Healthy Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Muffins

Fluffy, healthy dairy and gluten-free banana muffins with chocolate chips sweetened with bananas and pure maple syrup and made with a mix of almond and oat flour. These muffins are freezer-friendly and great for breakfasts or snacks.

YOU’LL WANT EXTRAS.

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Chalk Up Community

• SWEAT FOR JAMES — James Townsend, owner of the Brave One in Clive, IA and long-time friend of the Morning Chalk Up was admitted to the hospital and placed in ICU on New Year’s Eve. He’s slowly recovering and his wife, Amy, has designed the WOD “Sweat for James” to show him some support while he recovers.
• NEW CROSSFIT GYM — CrossFit Thunderhawk Kids and Teens invites the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho communities to visit their new location in Rio Rancho for a grand opening on Saturday, January 19 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT. The grand opening party will include a ribbon cutting ceremony by Mayor Greg Hull, music, smoothies, and Hawaiian BBQ.
• GRAND OPENING — RoxFire Fitness, home of RF1 CrossFit, in Fort Lauderdale, FL is opening their space on Monday, January 14th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. They will have a grand opening party on February 9th. 
• COFFLAND WOD — CrossFit Norwalk will host their first annual Coffland Hero WOD on Sunday, February 3rd at 9:00 AM PT to benefit Catch A Lift Fund, a charity that provides free fitness for post-9/11 combat veterans that served in Afghanistan and Iraq, who suffer from PTSD and life-threatening injuries.

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

Congratulations to Iron House CrossFit in Godfrey, IL. on their five year anniversary • Taylor Deering gets a 240 pound clean PR • Congratulations to Deanne Veleas on her three-year long CrossFit transformation • Fifteen-year-old Morgan McCullough hits a 297 pound snatch PR • Cody Anderson is back under the barbell after a back injury and hits a 275 pound snatch • Leah Casciano got a 330 pound back squat • Guilherme Malheiros gets five(ish) touch and go snatches at 270 pounds • Happy ten year anniversary to CrossFit Invictus • Logan Aldridge, who has one arm, is learning to do handstand walks • Liefia Ingalls does 85 pound dumbbell push presses. 

… and if you’re looking for a fun partner WOD, Jamie Hagiya has one for you. 

Set Those Reminders — “On the Minute” is back from a few weeks off with a new episode you won’t want to miss, airing tonight at 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET live on Facebook. Join Justin LoFranco and Armen Amirian as they run through the new CrossFit Games rulebook and preview the upcoming Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival.

Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — The remaining three WODs for the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge online qualifier will be announced today at 5:00 PM PT. Scores will be due Monday, January 15th.

Wodapalooza Event #5 — On Monday, Wodapalooza released details of for Event 5, “The Ocho Chipper.”

The Ocho Chipper

— Individuals:

30/20 Bar muscle-ups

30 Hang power cleans (165/115 pounds)

30 Defict handstand push-ups (6/4 inches)

30 Front squats

30 Toes-to-bar

30 Shoulder to overhead

— Teams:

​20 Synchronized Bar Muscle-ups

40 Synchronized Deficit Handstand Push-ups (6, 4in)

50ft Worm Lunge

20 Synchronized Bar Muscle-ups

40 Synchronized Deficit Handstand Push-ups

75ft Worm Lunge

20 Synchronized Bar Muscle-ups

40 Synchronized Deficit Handstand Push-ups

100ft Worm Lunge

“How Did Eating Become so Complicated?” by Greg Bell, Deseret News

How is it that the average American consumer, even intelligent, educated, reasonably well-informed people, don’t always know what they should eat?

Kevin Hall, senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said in Nutrition Action, July/August 2018:

“The Nixon administration had to deal with complaints about food prices going up. So (in the 1970s and 80s) the USDA made some dramatic changes to alter the incentives for farmers to produce. … And who could blame the USDA? Those officials lived through the Great Depression, when people were starving. I’m sure the idea that you could create an obesity epidemic was not on their minds. So with all good intentions, policy changes generated this flood of cheap commodity crops.

“The changes drove down the price of ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. And ingenious engineers figured out how to make stable, convenient, inexpensive and tasty processed foods.”

The result was a cascade of ultra-processed fast food and ubiquitous snacks like chips, cereal, cereal bars, cookies, ice cream, soda and more and more soda.

Also, as the country’s leading cause of death, heart disease gained lots of attention some years ago. Dietary fat and cholesterol were identified as the culprits. Fat in food was mistakenly equated with fat in the body, giving rise to a raft of fad diets and advertising campaigns.

1/10 – 2/4: Row’d Royalty (Online)

1/11: Redneck Hootenanny (Fruitland, OH)

1/12: Community Workout Tyler Strong (West Lafayette, IN)

1/10 – 1/13: Feats of Strength Online Meet (Online)

1/11 – 1/13: CrossFit Fort Vancouver Championships (Vancouver, WA)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown at New Ulm CrossFit (New Ulm, MN)

1/12: The BrickYard Brawl (South Windsor, CT)

1/12: Hometown Throwdown 4 at CrossFit 534 (Poplarville, MS)

1/12: Granite Games Winter Throwdown (Waite Park, MN)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown (Snyder, TX) 

1/12 – 1/13: Scaled Flames (Amsterdam)

1/12 – 1/13: Row for Reveille at CrossFit Kitsap (Poulsbo, WA)

1/17 – 1/20: Wodapalooza (Miami, FL)

1/19: New Year New Throwdown Event (El Mirage, AZ)

1/19: Battle For The Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Warrior Affiliate League Fantastic Four (La Puente, CA)

1/19: Battle for the Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Great Lakes Games 2018 (Detroit, MI)

1/19 – 1/20: Chiang Mai Throwdown (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

1/21: Helen for Hounds at CrossFit Pretoria (Pretoria, South Africa)

1/25 – 1/27: Australian CrossFit Championships (Queensland, AUS)

1/25 – 1/27: Judgment Day Hawkes Bay (Napier, NZ)

1/26: The Force Wars 2 (Pembroke Pines, FL)

1/26: Lost River Rumble (Bowling Green, KY)

1/26: The Blizzard Bowl (Little Canada, MN)

1/26: 2019 IceBreather Classic (Springfield, IL)

1/26: ATCF Cancer Crackdown: Revival of The Fittest (Pasco, WA)

1/26: Hung Like Coff at PFC CrossFit (Las Vegas, NV)

1/26: Steel Rail Shootout 2019 (McComb, MS)

1/26: Woid Beast Fitness Challenge (Cham, Germany)

1/26: Brick NY Midtown Throwdown (New York, NY)

1/26: Fifth Annual Cold Steel Classic (Oswego, IL) 

1/26: New Year’s Revolution (Seminole, FL)

1/26: Three Rivers Throwdown (Rome, GA)

1/26 – 1/27: Cougars and Cradle Robbers (Salem, MA)

1/26 – 1/27: Game Day Eau Claire (Eau Claire, WI)

1/26 – 1/27: NorCal Masters (San Rafael, CA)

1/27: Big Dawgs Athlete Development Camp (Letchworth, England)

1/29 – 2/2: Fittest in Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa)

2/1 – 2/2: Battle of the Brave III (North Kansas City, MO)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: Left Coast Classic Competition (Laguna Niguel, CA)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: A League of Their Own (San Antonio, TX)

2/3: Coffland Hero WOD (Norwalk, CA) 

2/9: Valentine’s Day Crush (North Hollywood, CA)

2/9: The Garage Games Master of the Masters (Suwanee, GA)

2/9: Cupid’s Roar Partner Competition (Melbourne, Australia)

2/9: 3rd Annual Black Ops Partner Competition (Wheaton, IL)

2/9: Bedrock Heart Breaker (Calgary, AB)

2/9: Battle for Bae 2019 (San Mateo, CA)

2/9 – 2/10: The CrossFit Circus (Des Moines, IA)

2/16: Valentine’s Day Massacre (Kilgore, TX)

2/16: The Garage Games Xs & Ys (Valdosta, GA)