“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”- George Bernard Shaw
INTERVIEWS
Mental Toughness and Past Lessons Lead to Travis Mayer’s Quarterfinals Win
The 2021 CrossFit Quarterfinals came to an end in April with Travis Mayer sitting atop the leaderboard. He took the top spot from Scott Panchik by two points and booked a trip to the Semifinals. Mayer is one step closer to returning to the CrossFit Games and achieving his goal of standing on the podium.
Remind me: Mayer first appeared at the CrossFit Games in 2013, joining a stacked field of competitors in Carson and finishing 18th overall. He competed at the Games five more times (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 Stage 1) and posted a best finish of 10th in 2016. Mayer has remained one of CrossFit’s most consistent competitors while working with Max El-Hag at United Performance in Alpharetta, GA.
“Over the years, you start to evolve as a dad, as a gym owner, as an athlete,” Mayer said about his consistency. “I think everything comes full circle and then me and Max’s relationship will grow. We’ve figured out some different approaches on how to combine more coaches throughout the organization, to actually write the program so you’re getting a different variety from each of them.”
“Then you have Noah (Ohlsen) and some of the other athletes that are pretty much here full-time to train and prep for the Semis. We are all getting that extra 1% better by pushing each other just a little bit more on each workout. Things he’s better at helps me push a bit deeper to improve and vice versa.”
Travis Mayer is the new face of Gillette’s Invisible Solid Deodorant campaign. The unofficial winner of the North American Quarterfinal and father of four joins the leading men’s deodorant company to give all CrossFitters a free stick for their gym bag with any Invisible Solid Deodorant purchase. No code necessary.
The CrossFit Games released Semifinal rosters and additional seeding details on Wednesday evening.
WODwell is hiring a General Manager and they are looking for a candidate who is experienced in start-up business operations and also a CrossFit fanatic!
Subscribe to the West Coast Classic newsletter to stay up to date on spectator ticket info, tiers, and more. Additional information will be released soon.
Morning Chalk Up writer/photographer,Kay Wiese, had a photo published in May 2021 edition of Men’s Health Magazine.
The DEKA Competition Club is live now. Coach Michele LeTendre and the DEKA team are looking for driven and ambitious athletes who want to be competitive in CrossFit to join them now.
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
What Happens When You Bonk?
Exercise for long enough, and you are bound to experience a bonk.
It’s particularly common in endurance events where calorie intake leading into a race is vital. If you are lucky enough to experience this in a gym and not on a run, you can typically just stop your workout and grab a bite to eat. Either way, understanding the cause of this unfortunate physiological phenomenon.
You cannot talk about bonking without talking about glucose. Specifically glycogen, which is the stored version of glucose in the body. Glycogen comes in two forms, proglycogen and macroglycogen. Proglycogen is fast acting and depends highly on the carbohydrates we eat. Macroglycogen is formed in the body using glucose units from other substrates and is made and used only after proglycogen is depleted. This is why “bonking” tends to be a phased experience. There is an initial bonk followed by a recovery and then the second and more potent bonk.
The Brits Are Coming; A UK Perspective on the 2021 CrossFit Open
The UK’s capital is the home of Europe’s first CrossFit box, CrossFit London and it’s safe to say that the country has long-contributed and competed on the global and European scene at the highest levels of the sport of CrossFit. The “Engine from England” Sam Briggs is an established household name, while Steve Fawcett and Phil Hesketh competed individually in 2015, and Elliot Simmonds (2018, 2019), David Shronke (2020) and Zack George (2020) have all earned individual Games berths in more recent years.
Taking a closer look at the European Open leaderboard with a specific focus on the UK shows that, to borrow a phrase from the much-loved past Sanctionals event, there is plenty of Strength in Depth!
While the global Open sign-up surpassed 2020 numbers, sign-up in the UK remained much below these levels in 2021; no doubt largely due to the continued government constraints in response to COVID-19, to the extent that all gyms remained closed throughout the Open and had been since at least the beginning of January.
Despite the lower sign-up numbers, UK representation remains the most significant contributor to the European Open roster for the 2021 season, with over 10,000 athletes bringing ~20% to the continent.
TJ Webb Survives Multiple Gunshot Wounds, Wins Chalk Up Community Choice Award
To celebrate the start of the Open in March, we created the Chalk Up Community Choice Awards to honor one man and one woman that embody the spirit of the CrossFit Community. After receiving so many inspirational stories, the staff landed on two community members. TJ Webb of CrossFit Lewes is the male honoree after surviving multiple gunshot wounds sustained in the line of duty and inspiring his fellow CrossFitters with mental toughness during his recovery.
The details: Webb is an officer with the Milford Police Department in Delaware. He is assigned to the Violent Fugitive Task Force with the US Marshal Service. In December 2010, they attempted to apprehend an individual wanted for three attempted homicides. They exchanged gunfire with the individual, resulting in Webb sustaining severe injuries.
“Five rounds struck me in my body,” Webb explained. “My injuries were: femur, both my hands and wrists were broken. One round went through my left shoulder and two rounds went through my right arm. Another round ricocheted from my body armor and landed in my face.”
“When I woke up on the way to the hospital from the injury I knew — without knowing what my injuries were yet — I knew that they were pretty, pretty severe and things were going to be a little different.”
Every Friday, we’re bringing you an exclusive workout challenge programmed by a CrossFit Games athlete or coach that you can take on at home or the gym. You can post your times or scores in the comment section.
Today’s workout of the week is programmed by Patrick Vellner.
For Time:
4 Rounds For Time:
20 Thrusters (95/65 lbs or 43/30kg)
12 Double DB Step Overs (50/35 lbs or 22/15kg) at 24/20”
4 Rope Climbs (15’)
Time Cap: 18 Minutes
Some advice from Patrick: “Move smooth and don’t be frantic. Do big sets of thrusters then be steady and chip away on the box and rope. Plan to have the gas for a strong push in the last round.”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
THINGS TO...
...LEARN
How to PR Your 2K Row
Aerobic Capacity coach Chris Hinshaw breaks down the complete program he took Mayhem Athletes through to improve their 2K row times. He goes over pacing, addressing individual weaknesses, and when to start your sprint finish.
O2 has officially gone carbon neutral in 2021 and today they're planting trees with every order. As a bonus, you can grab a 24-pack of their new O2 Water which gives 5% of sales back to the community for 20% off - today only.
Whether she wants to relax in comfy sweats or hit the box in new Nanos, you know mom deserves a treat this Mother's Day. Save 30% off sitewide with code "MOM".
Make these ahead of time and have the perfect treat, breakfast, or pre-workout snack ready to go. Simple ingredients, one bowl, no mixer, these can be made by anyone and completely satisfy that baked goods craving.
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to tips@morningchalkup.com to be featured.
This email may contain affiliate links. We make a small commision off of purchases made via our affiliate links to help support this newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the Morning Chalk Up newsletter, unsubscribe here.
