Is this competition the future for non-sanctioned competitions?

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is brought to you by Brute Strength.



Supercharge your performance with Brute Strength’s Mental Performance Seminar. On February 6th at 5 p.m. PST, you can learn how to give your brain a boost from the champ of mental strength himself: Justin Su’a, who’s worked with athletes like Mitch Spjut, Kara Saunders, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, and Brooke Ence.

“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.” — D.H. Lawrence

Is the Fittest Freakest Challenge the Future for Non-Sanctioned Competitions?

Some background.

Unless you live in Spain, there’s a fairly good chance you’ve never heard of the Fittest Freakest Challenge, a NIKE-sponsored competition in Barcelona.

In its fourth year, the competition is now a mainstay event for the Spanish-speaking CrossFit community especially once NIKE got involved in 2017. Since then, it’s grown to welcome crowds of more than 2,000 fans packed into iconic locations like Sant Jordi Club, and served as a showcase for NIKE’s impressive roster of CrossFit athletes and new rollouts.

A different style of competition.

The CrossFit world really only knows one style of competition —  everyone competing in the same workouts all at once or in heats, and the individual or team with the most points wins.

The Fittest Freakest Challenge is the exact opposite. A single-day, four-hour tournament style elimination competition with brackets where workouts are released a few minutes before the start. All you have to do is perform better than the other team and you advance. The process continues until the finals and one team is crowned the winner.

NIKE’s heavy support is also an important factor as they’re able to rally their superstars. Sara Sigmundsdottir, Laura Horvath and Sol Siguradottir came onto the floor during one break for a fun workout with fans. Later in the evening Mathew Fraser and Lukas Hogberg joined for their part.

A pathway for others to follow.

With all of CrossFit’s recent changes, there’s now more opportunity than ever for event directors to experiment beyond the typical competition format.

It’s the style of event that brings together the best of entertainment. Short enough to be watched in one sitting, live streamed, where top name athletes can come out and participate mid-season without asking too much of them or take them away from critical training time.

It’s the perfect balance of entertainment and competition, and one that local competitions should strongly consider for the future.

Coffee Break Conversations

The next time your BFF asks for a tip in the gym…

These are called legs and they are your friends. And they need a little fresh air sometimes, so do it Girl. Wear those short shorts if you want to. You might even find they boost your self-confidence enough to get a few PRs in those bad boys. 

What to say the next time someone mentions Tom Brady…again…

GOAT. Love him or hate him, he just won another Super Bowl. That makes it his sixth and to celebrate Margaux Alvarez is giving away six bottles of her wine, GOAT, when you buy six bottles. And don’t forget about the Surf and Turf deal at ButcherBox. Pair that free wine with some free steaks.

Things To…

WATCH: Sean Sweeney’s Breakdown of Fittest in Cape Town

Sean Sweeney, the CrossFit Cowboy, just punched his ticket to the Games by taking first place in the Men’s division at Fittest in Cape Town. He breaks down his whole experience, event by event, in this video.

HE FELT LIKE A MESS.

HEAR: Create Good Habits and Own Your Shit

On this Brute Strength Podcast episode, host Michael Cazayoux becomes the guest when his wife, Adee, interviews him. Michael discusses the importance of creating good habits, the power of owning your own shit, and developing a vision for your future. 

OWNING YOUR SHIT IS SEXY.

KNOW: Use Competition Corner for Your In-House Events

While Competition Corner powers some of CrossFit’s largest events, it’s also a tool used by affiliates around the world like CrossFit Eminence, BoomBox and CrossFit Central to organize their in-house and local competitions. You can even use it to create custom leaderboards during the Open.

COMPETITIONS MADE EASY.

EAT: Four Ingredient Paleo Crackers

These paleo crackers are made with almond flour and you’ll only need four simple ingredients for these deliciously crispy protein-packed low-carb crackers. Plus there are five different flavor variations for you to try.

HOMEMADE FOR THE WIN.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

• LIFT FOR COFF — On Sunday, February 3, CrossFit Norwalk in Norwalk, CT held its first annual Coffland Fundraiser WOD to benefit the Catch-A-Lift Fund. The event was put on in conjunction with the Norwalk Police Department and Catch-A-Lift. They had over 100 participants and raised over $8,000 for post 9/11 combat veterans fitness grants through
  Catch-A-Lift. 
• PENNY CARS GIVEAWAY MEMBERSHIPS — Penny Cars, a UK-based taxi company is giving away 20 memberships to CrossFit Airdrie. Anyone who books a taxi with the firm during February will automatically be entered into the contest, which will run until the end of this month.
• FUNDRAISER WOD — On January 12, Diamond Hill CrossFit ran a fundraiser for pancreatic cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation for member Mike Keefe. Almost 100 athletes completed a WOD of Mike’s favorite exercises, including Mike and his family, and they raised $6000 to go towards cancer research. Sadly, Mike passed away February 3rd, at age 35.
• NEW OWNERS — CrossFit Noosa in Australia has been sold to local CrossFitters Colin and Mamiko Macfarlan. Former owners Matt and Wendy Swift are moving forward as owners of CrossFit
  Brisbane.

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

Congratulations to Kristi Eramo on her weekend wedding • Ben Smith has five tips for first time CrossFitters doing the Open
• Kaela Stephano gets a 202.5 pound clean + clean and jerk • Margaux Alvarez’s mom, Jane, did her burpees for the February challenge in the snow • Congratulations to Beth Coke on her 3RM push jerk PR • Ryan gets his first muscle-up • Spencer Murphy hang power cleans 385 pounds • Happy fifth anniversary CrossFit Cambria • Happy birthday Amy Townsend • Kate Nye gets a 330 pound front squat PR.

…and this police officer put his fitness to use for good. 

USA Powerlifting Bans Male-to-Female Transgenders from Competing Against Women — USA Powerlifting has banned all male-to-female transgender individuals from competing against biological women. “According to the USAPL’s transgender policy, male-to-female athletes have a ‘direct competitive advantage’ over biological women due to their ‘muscle mass, bone density, bone structure, and connective tissue’ acquired through exposure to testosterone during puberty.” JayCee Cooper, a male-to-female transgender who recently won a women’s powerlifting state championship, is challenging the ban.

— Further Reading: You can read the complete USA Powerlifting Transgender Participation Policy.

— Take Notes: In August, Greg Glassman announced that transgender athletes will be allowed to compete in the gender division in which they identify. These changes were outlined in the 2019 Rulebook. 

Running Successful CrossFit Kids Programs — In the Albuquerque, NM area there are currently five gyms that offer CrossFit Kids. A recent article showcases how each of these gyms started their kids programs and how they’ve kept them running. “Four or five years ago, gym owners started to notice how many of their customers were bringing their kids to their workouts,” Cassie Mitchell, head instructor for the kid/teen classes at Duke City
CrossFit, said. “I think it was just a natural process that gyms started creating programs for those kids because they want to do what their parents are doing.”

“Not Exercising May Be Worse for Your Health Than Smoking, Study Says,” by Gina Martinez, Time

It’s common knowledge that there are many benefits to being fit, but one large new study found that skipping out on the gym is particularly bad for your health.

In fact, the study claims not exercising may be more harmful to your health than smoking.

New findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, detail how researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied 122,007 patients from 1991 to 2014, putting them under treadmill testing and later recording mortality rates. Researchers found a clear connection between a longer, healthier life and high levels of exercise. The report calls for health care professionals to encourage patients to achieve and maintain a robust fitness routine.

“Cardiorespiratory fitness is inversely associated with long-term mortality with no observed upper limit of benefit,” the study says. “Extremely high aerobic fitness was associated with the greatest survival and was associated with benefit in older patients and those with hypertension.”

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: Can’t Stop Brock Event (Mankato, MN)

2/9: Battle of the Ages (Jacksonville, FL) 

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

2/9: Battle of the Fittest 6: NYC Throwdown (New York, NY)

2/9: My Bloody Valentine (Vidalia, OH)

2/9: 2nd Annual Battle of the Ages (Fruitland, ID)

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

2/9 – 2/10: The Chitown Throwdown 2019 Masters Edition (Emhurst, IL)

2/15 – 2/16: 2nd annual Tough Love Competition (Louisville, KY)

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

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

2/16: Couples Clash 2019 (Pensacola, FL)

2/16: Tuff Love (Boulder, CO)

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

2/16: Winter War Games (Spanish Fort, AL)

2/16: Vicious Valentine’s Partner Throwdown (Carlisle, PA)

2/16: Ice Breaker 3 at Unbreakable Athletics Academy (Plainfield, IN)

2/23: Amicus Ambush: Mixed Teams (Dickinson, ND)

2/23 – 2/24: Strength in Depth (London, England)