“Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing.”- Oscar Wilde
CROSSFIT GAMES
Annie Thorisdottir Explains CrossFit Reykjavik’s Roster Decisions at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games
CrossFit Reykjavik team leader Annie Thorisdottir has provided an important answer to a lingering question. She explained why the team used its original lineup during the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games in the midst of injury concerns.
Remind me: One of the biggest stories heading to Madison was the status of Lauren Fisher. She had suffered an injury during training, which created questions about whether CrossFit Reykjavik would need to use its alternate athlete, Katrin Davidsdottir.
Thorisdottir released a recap video on YouTube, which addressed Fisher’s health leading up to the CrossFit Games. She explained that Fisher had “hurt her lat tricep attachment” on the fourth day of training in the United States. This meant that she could not complete certain movements as the Games drew near.
Davidsdottir had actually been on the roster since the CrossFit Open. The original alternate had a broken elbow, and Fisher had felt some discomfort while completing the dumbbell snatches.
Davidsdottir was still in the United States, so she flew to Michigan with five days remaining until the CrossFit Games began. She took part in training with CrossFit Reykjavik and was on hand while Fisher underwent Ozone Therapy to help accelerate her recovery.
Editor’s Note: According to Healthline, “Ozone therapy refers to the process of administering ozone gas into your body to treat a disease or wound.”
A test played a role: The team ultimately moved forward with Fisher in her original spot after she received therapy on her shoulder. Though she first had to complete a test featuring multiple movements.
“I need to do a good set of chest-to-bars,” Fisher said in the YouTube video. “Need to be able to do one pegboard, some ring muscle-ups, and a legless rope climb. Pretty substantial test.”
Fisher took part in the test once the team reached Madison. She completed all of the movements and then lifted the pig multiple times. She also completed a clean and jerk at 205 pounds.
CrossFit Reykjavik left some points on the opening day of the CrossFit Games. They fell victim to the time cap on Pegs & P-Bars, a workout that put extra strain on Fisher’s shoulder. However, the team ultimately battled through and finished fourth after stacking up four third-place finishes and two runner-ups.
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In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to Annie Thorisdottir on her up and down season:
“I’ve had a great year so far. But yeah, it’s been really hard.”
Drug test update: CrossFit has released a list of an additional six team athletes who have tested positive for banned substances and who have subsequently been given four-year bans.
Interesting read: The Washington Post has a great piece on women ditching traditional workout regimes to hit the weights and bulk up (paywall) 🏋🏼♀️:
“Now more than ever, women are hitting the gym and heading straight to the weight racks. No longer fazed by the stigma that women can get too bulky from lifting weights, women powerlifters see the sport as a physical and mental salve.”
Local love: Great story about Grand Ledge, Michigan man Jim Peeper, 66, who came third in his division at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Coffee Break(Down): Pros, Cons and How Much to Consume
If there’s one thing that goes hand-in-hand with CrossFit, it’s nature’s nectar for improved mood and elevated energy: coffee. It’s no secret that caffeine is the gasoline that keeps our community buzzing, but how much is too much?
Now before you get nervous that I’m going to suggest you cut such a sacred part of your day, hear us out: anything in excess can be harmful, and I’m just as guilty as the rest of them (former baristas tap in). Let’s explore the benefits, how to evaluate if your consumption is actually serving you and potential alternatives to get the most bang for your bean.
Drink Up Buttercup
First, let’s talk about why you should reach for that cup of joe. The Cleveland Clinic notes that regular coffee consumption can lower your risk for multiple diseases: Type-2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, liver disease, cancer and even depression. From a get-stuff-done point of view, it’s been shown to increase alertness, memory, focus, cognitive function and athletic performance.
And, the connection component is not to be missed. Anna Dalton, founder of Anna’s Coffees, opened a coffee shop within CrossFit New England (CFNE) earlier this year in part, to pour into a culture that prioritizes community.
Morning Chalk Up merchandise is back for another two-week, limited edition run.
These tanks and tees will only be available only until next Friday, September 2 at 6:00 PM PT. Oh and we’re also shipping worldwide to most countries.
You might not know this, but each one of these shirts goes directly to support the team covering this global support and community. Plus they’re uber soft, like teddy bear soft.
In this session we’re chatting with Strongman Rob Kearney. As an American Professional Strongman, he also programs the STRONG track for HWPO — helping CrossFit athletes incorporate more strength and power work in their training. He is also the first and only openly gay professional Strongman in the world. How can you safely add more strength work to your program? Can you do it without sacrificing conditioning? Tune in to find out!
Coffee Break Conversations are a weekly 30-ish minute chat with someone in the CrossFit industry, hosted by Preslie Hirsch, where we’ll dive into a particular topic that you can use in your training and/or business. These interviews are exclusive to RX members only and will take place every Friday live on YouTube, with the replay available afterward.
Now that we’ve had a chance to take a step back and look at the entire CrossFit Games Season as a whole, is this a structure that moves the sport forward? Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sits down with Brian Friend and Chase Ingraham to discuss the length of the season, if quarterfinals and semifinals are necessary and some suggestions on how to drive the sport forward.
CrossFit Dynamo Raises More than $73,000 for Children’s Cancer Research With 24 in 24 Event
On August 26-27, over 50 participants took part in a unique fundraising event at CrossFit Dynamo. They completed 24 WODs in 24 hours and raised more than $73,000 for The Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.
Remind me: The Georgia affiliate has completed six of these 24 in 24 fundraisers while trying to support children in need. They have raised a significant amount of money with these annual events, to the point that they have now surpassed the $425,000 mark with the most recent iteration.
The participants split into teams for the 24 hours of WODs. Only four could compete at any given time, but there was no limit to the number of people that could join any given team.
There were no hard and fast rules about the split between men and women on each team. There were numerous scaling options, and the focus was more on raising money while having fun.
The workouts: CrossFit Dynamo had a healthy mix of Hero WODs and alternate takes on classic workouts. The list included Diane at 10 PM, Double Annie at 5 AM, a 400-meter weighted prowler push, and 150 calories on the assault bike among others.
One of the unique offerings for the participants was Midnight Murph. The participants officially kicked off the second day of the event by taking on one of the hardest Hero WODs at the stroke of midnight.
The 24-hour event came to a close with a fast and difficult WOD. The participants completed Friendly Frances, a take on Fran that featured three rounds of 15 thrusters (105/75) and 15 chest-to-bar pull-ups.
CrossFit Dynamo owner John Manser even threw in his favorite workout, Nasty Girls. This workout featured three rounds of 50 Air Squats, seven muscle-ups, and 10 hang power cleans (135/95).
Get involved and show support: Those interested in supporting this mission can still make donations. The fundraising page is still live, and there is an existing goal to hit $100,000. Though it may be difficult to surpass the $22,934 raised by Team Beef.
Why this matters: The CrossFit community has repeatedly proven that it will step up when needed to support those around the world. They have helped rebuild affiliates that suffered flood damage, raised money for humane societies, and shown their support in numerous other ways. CrossFit Dynamo has continued this tradition by addressing the fact that 46 children in America are diagnosed with cancer every school day.
INDUSTRY
PushPress Talks How to Use Their Software to Improve Client Retention
Ten years ago, LAX CrossFit gym owners Chris McConachie and Dan Uyemura were frustrated with the lack of effective gym management software available to small gym owners.
Their frustration, along with their desire to help other gym owners, led them, along with Brian Aung, to found the gym management company PushPress in 2013.
Nine years later, the company has become one of the most popular ones in the functional fitness and CrossFit space, and McConachie and Uyemura insist it’s because, not just them, but pretty much their entire staff has gym ownership experience.
“We learned through the experience of running our gym what we needed to build,” McConachie said, adding that their second big weapon is their willingness to adapt and constantly grow.
This was the case since the beginning. When they built the first edition of their CORE client management software, for example, they quickly realized, “Oh, everyone runs their gym differently. Like very differently…that was eye opening for us,” McConachie explained.
As a result, the company has taken the time to get to know all kinds of business models in the industry, and today they have an umbrella of 2,000 facilities that include, not only CrossFit and functional fitness gyms, but also MMA gyms, yoga studios, pilates studios and dance studios.
Most of the time, lower back pain stems from a weak lower back. That means, strengthening your lower back can significantly reduce your pain or other risks of injury. Put in the work to notice the difference.
"When I found Yerbaé it was a perfect fit and I believed in the brand and its mission so much that I became an investor and part-owner," said Annie Thorisdottir. This is the last chance to invest alongside Iceland Annie, don't miss out.
Some workouts will stick with us forever. This CompTrain workout is definitely one of them. If you are up for a challenge and like to do workouts others might define as "gross" this is for you. Not you? Don’t worry, the 25 minute time cap is there to save you from the brink of death.
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Deadlifts can be a very intimidating movement for weightlifting beginners or those suffering from injuries. We’ve all seen the horror stories of people hurting their backs or seen lovely videos of puking mid deadlift, but picking things up and putting them down are a very necessary part of life that you should be perfecting every day.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.
Congratulations to 16-year-old Kaiden Hogan on hitting a 242 pound/110kg behind-the-neck jerk PR.
Congratulations to Chaz “CB” Barnes from CrossFit Pistol Creek in Maryville/Alcoa, TN on the 280 pound/127kg clean PR. Chaz just celebrated his 1-year CrossFit anniversary back in June.
🔥🔥🔥 Frankly, we have no idea how to accurately describe what Nick Mathew did here other than give it three fire emojis and say you should probably watch it.
Founder and CEO of O2, Dave Colina, joined the faculty of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.
P.S. if you’re not following @chalkuphighlights, you should go do that real quick.
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