Introducing, the Masters Show

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by ButcherBox, your neighborhood organic butcher for a modern America. Take the stress out of meal planning by getting organic grass-fed meat delivered to your door every month for less than $6 per meal, plus shipping is always free. If you start your first order this week, you’ll get $20 off + a free packet of bacon made from pasture raised, heritage
breed pigs. 

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” — Karim Seddiki

HEY ALEXA, WANNA WOD?

Always listening?

Technology is here to make our lives easier, and whether or not we agree, it’s here to stay.

Alexa, one of 2017’s most popular Christmas gift items, is doing just that. “Alexa, dim the lights”. “Alexa, play Marvin Gay”. Talk about convenient. But isn’t she always listening?

That’s not really why we’re here, but technological espionage aside we want to help make it work in your favor.

Your new swolemate.

VentureBeat shared 6 Ways to Turn Alexa into Your Workout Partner, and it’s pretty damn cool.

You can tell Alexa things like: “Start the 7-Minute Workout” for those hectic days when you can’t make it to the box. You can use the app H20 Pal via Alexa to remind you to drink water, you can look up healthy recipes and even (loosely) track your macros without ever touching a device.

You can even say, “Alexa, ask main site to give me today’s workout,” by enabling this feature.

Cheers to that.

A device is never going to replace good old fashioned hard work (ask Matt Fraser — #HWPO), but it sure can make life easier in between all the exhausting training sessions.

Here’s to a fitter, more techno-logic 2018.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend over 35 who just heard there’s a Tesla orbiting Earth…

Launched, just like the new show for Masters athletes. Here to kick off the inaugural episode highlighting big lifts and athletes to watch in the 2018 season is Rory McKernan. Along with the launch, HQ wants to remind you there’s a Facebook group just for you timeless classics “AKA Masters” to share stories, talk about WODs, nutrition, supplements and training tips. 

What to tell your friend who likes talking smack…

Anything you can do I can do better. That’s basically what Brooke Wells told Dave Castro when she said, “I can do any workout with his weight faster than Dave.” Real question: when’s this going down?

What to tell your coworker while you’re waiting for the 9AM strategy meeting to start…

• Have you seen Starman orbiting Earth? He’s currently streaming live.
• Best Buy decided to say “goodbye” to CDs, pulling them from the shelves on July 1.
• Disney just announced that the creators of HBO’s Game of Thrones are going to write and produce a new series of Star Wars films. Everyone clap.

THINGS TO…

WATCH: “I Owe It to Myself to Get Well”

Al Sagapolutele was always the “big guy.” As a result of poor eating and drinking habits, he weighed as much as 485 pounds after college. After suffering a heart attack, Al started taking his health seriously and joined CrossFit Resurgens in Atlanta, Georgia and his transformation began. 

NOT THE SAME AL. 

HEAR: Getting the Most Out of Your Training

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Ben Bergeron sits down to talk about CrossFit New England’s emphasis on recovering well, nutrition, sleep, muscle work, icing versus heat, stress, and other aspects of training outside the box. 

TUNE IN.

EAT: Smoked Ribs 

Just down the street from Rogue HQ, sits Smoked on High BBQ. Owner Max McGarity heads into the kitchen to show you how they make their famous Buckeye Back Ribs.

SMOKE MEAT EVERY DAY.

BUY: 3 Jeans for $300

This is the kind of Valentine’s Day sale perfect for your swolemate. Right now, grab three pairs of Barbell Apparel jeans or pants for just $300. Plus, if you use code “CHALKUP” you’ll get an extra 10% off.

START SHOPPING.

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• BROOKE GOT A BOX — On Tuesday, we shared a video of Brooke, a visually-impaired athlete from CrossFit FIF, meeting her goal of doing an RX box jump. CrossFit FIF asked for donations to buy her a foam box so she could perform these more safely. The Internet stepped up and bought her about six foam
  boxes. 
• FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE — SteadyMD is growing…steadily. The online medical practice that pairs you with a doctor who is into functional fitness is hiring for multiple positions.  Dr. Dani Urcuyo who leads the practice is now seeing patients in 6 states (CA, NY, FL, IL, CO, and OH), with plans to license him in an additional 20 states in the next few months.
• TIPS: FLEXIBILITY vs MOBILITY — To the untrained athlete, the two are often used interchangeably. So what’s the difference? And does one matter more than the other? 

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

RPM Fitness is giving free engraving on jump ropes until Valentine’s Day • When you’re at work and you need to get in a WOD but there are no weights • This dog is abnormally chill about being used for Turkish get-ups • This is not an Assault Bike WOD we plan on doing anytime soon • Kari Pearce hits a 253 pound overhead squat PR • CrossFit Games released the cover of the new Fittest on Earth documentary and
it looks a lot like a Marvel comic book cover.

“How to Revive Your New Year’s Motivation” by Rachel Ragosa, CrossFit Invictus

Did you know that a vast majority of people who have made a New Year’s resolution have already given up? Making the right nutrition choices and getting to the gym may feel just a bit harder than it did January 1st, but pushing through is critical. Here are a few ways to kick yourself into gear and revive that motivation that was so prevalent at the start of the year.

Push Through Until It Is a Habit

Research shows that it takes 21 days, or three weeks, for something to become a habit. So if you have been consistently going to the gym since the start of the year, congratulations! You have made it! The longer you are consistent, the less you have to think about it. If you still aren’t quite to “habit” status, hang in there! Once you get to the three-week mark, it does get easier.

Review Your Progress

You should be tracking your progress in one way or another. If you aren’t, now is a great time to start. Seeing positive changes are one of the biggest ways to keep your motivation even when things get tough. Take progress pictures, record your lifts, or keep a CrossFit journal. Each month, take a few moments to pat yourself on the back and inspire yourself to keep moving forward.

2/10: Costa Rica w/ VoyEdge RX (Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica)2/10: Strength Is (Moorpark, CA)

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) 

2/16 – 2/18: Iron Sharpens Iron (Miami, FL)

2/17: Lovers and Lifters (Springfield, KY)

2/17: Steel Rail Shootout 2018 (McComb, MS)

2/17: Wynwood Throwdown (Miami, FL)

2/17 – 2/18: The Shred Fest (Orlando, FL)

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)

3/23 – 4/26: Garage Games Junior Open (Worldwide)

4/7: Battle of the Badges (Anaheim, CA)

4/7: The Revolution (San Antonio, TX)

4/14: Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/14: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

4/14 – 4/15: Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge (Columbia, MD)

4/14 – 4/15: WOD Wars Fitfest (Dunedin, FL)

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)

5/4 – 5/6: European Masters Throwdown (Budapest, Hungary)

5/5 – 5/6: Tribal Clash (Quarteira, Portugal)

5/5: Cinco de Mayo Classic (San Antonio, TX)

5/5: The Locomotive Games III (Youngstown, OH)

5/11 – 5/12: Beast Mode Games (Greenville, SC)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)