Megan Benzik Opens Up About Taking Peds

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“Motivating others leads to success whereas inspiring others leads to greatness.” — Ken Poirot

NOBULL Coming Soon

The story.

After Ben Bergeron shared this image of what appeared to be a NOBULL retail store coming to New York the Internet has been abuzz but few details exist and even NOBULL has been mum on the subject. That is until we caught up co-founder Marcus Wilson who shared more plans about the ‘coming soon’ project.

And…

In about four weeks — think end of October — NOBULL will open their first retail spot at 68 Prince Street in the chic SoHo neighborhood of New York City. This is not a pop-up shop or a temporary seasonal experiment. NOBULL is all in on this expansion into retail.

“We found out it was available and we jumped all the way in and signed up long term,” Wilson said on the phone. “We’re in the process of building it out right now. I’m in SoHo standing out in front of the store.”

Even though NOBULL is based in Boston, MA, their interest in New York started back to October 2015 when they held a launch event at CrossFit Solace to a packed house. It was then that they realized they had a strong customer base in the city.

A major first for a CrossFit industry born brand.

The CrossFit industry has some very successful brands born inside the industry — think RXBAR and FITAID for starters —  no major apparel or shoe company has emerged to open a retail presence and in New York City no less.

And similar to their super limited runs and select launches, NOBULL is building out a unique fan experience for their flagship store.

“We’re very much viewing our retail presence as a way to engage consumers in a unique way and drive things online,” Wilson said. “We’re thinking of this as very much a retail store but also as a community engagement hub. We’re going to start rolling out programs for trainers, box owners, and the broader New York community.”

One thing Wilson let in on was that they’d be bringing back select sold out limited sneakers for purchase in store only.

So what about all of us 3,000 miles away?

TBD. Wilson didn’t name any new cities they’re expanding too yet but didn’t rule it out either.

“We’re going to be trying to learn as much as we can. As we look at other key markets we’ll want to take some of that knowledge and learning and bring it to other cities.”

In the meantime, if you want to be the first to know what’s going on at the store just sign-up for updates.

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell your kids the next time they inhale dinner faster than you can serve it…

You’re going to make yourself sick to your stomach. Eating slower aids in digestion, which will help tummy troubles overall. Other things that help are adding fiber and drinking more water as well as eating foods like pickles and yogurt. So the next time they complain of a tummy ache, have them slow down; it’s not chewing for time. 

What to tell your office mate who complains about her grocery bill…

But did you use the rule of twos, though? Pick two proteins, two carbs, two veggies, and two fats and then mix em up for the week. With this one little list, you’ll have everything you need for your three main meals, won’t go over your budget, and won’t be eating the same thing day in and day out. 

Things To…

WATCH: A Decade of Fitness in Texas

When brothers Spencer and Sam Nix started CrossFit it was just the two of them and some makeshift equipment. Now they’re celebrating a decade of fitness with their own community, CrossFit Dallas Central. 

FOR THE COMMUNITY. 

HEAR: Megan Benzik on Her Failed Drug Test

Regional athlete Megan Benzik joined the Todd Nief podcast to discuss what it felt like being selected for a drug test when she knew she would test positive and how she continued to compete the rest of the weekend at Regionals after the test.

FELT LIKE A FRAUD. 

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

Chalk Up Community

• FATAL CAR ACCIDENT — Former Cal Strength Oympic weightlifter Scott Hisaka was arrested on suspicion of DUI in a fatal head-on collision in La Habra over the weekend. 
• NEW CROSSFIT IN TOWN — CrossFit Bells Beach in Torquay, Australia is open for business. They also offer CrossFit Kids classes and classes for teens, with speciality classes offered by Certified CrossFit Kids trainers.
• PLANE PULL — Members from Fern Creek CrossFit participated in a plane pull as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics on Saturday. The group raised $2900.

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

Caveman Coffee is now available on Amazon Prime • RXBAR is in Target • Erik Jacobs gets a 300 pound front squat PR • Congratulations to David and Stephanie Brown on their three year weight-loss transformation • Happy birthday Chyna Cho • USAW announces Youth World Championships teams • Maddy Curley makes a baby announcement. 

How Margaux Alvarez Plans to Attack 2019 —  “So how do we attack the season? Through the OPEN, and trust me, this will not be easy but in 2019 season, the best opportunity is to place top 20 in March. Historically, looking at my past performances, I’ve placed top 20 once and top 30 twice while last year taking a fall in the world ranking. I’m aware of this but I’m not overly concerned because as coincidence may have it, is my decision to avoid the ’19 harvest.

“After the 2018 CrossFit Games, I had a talk with Alex and we both agreed it was not fair to continue pushing a fantasy of trying to farm 3 months after the Games. This left me rushing and cramming for a test the rest of the season fighting to get my fitness back to what it was…This left little time for training and it put my capacity in a defecit, it was visible trying to clean in the Open on 18.2 where I was cleaning 235 and power cleaning 230 rested, but unable to recover after the AMRAP struggling to hit 217, while so many other people were setting PRs. So what do we focus on? The Open has traditionally favored endurance in gymnastics and this will be a huge component in our training.”

“Lani Fry Reclaims Her Life,” by Emily Beers, CrossFit Journal 

Lani Fry was tired of going to funerals.

Her mother died from an aneurysm, attributed to high blood pressure, at 48. Two of her brothers died of congestive heart failure, both in their mid-30s.

Fry’s remaining siblings aren’t in perfect health, either. Two have Type 2 diabetes, one had to have her leg amputated, and another is battling heart failure.

“I wanted to avoid all this,” said 45-year-old Fry, who started experiencing health problems of her own in her 20s.

Fry assumed she was destined for poor health. She chalked it up to genetics.

By the time she turned 37, Fry weighed close to 200 lb. at 5 foot 4 and had an A1C level of 9.6 percent. The A1C test measures average blood-glucose levels over a period of approximately three months, and a reading over 6.5 percent is indicative of Type 2 diabetes—putting Fry well into the diabetic range.

“That’s when they started me on diabetes meds,” Fry said. She also began taking medication for high blood pressure, and at one point her doctor recommended she take cholesterol medication as well.

Her life “pretty much sucked,” Fry said.

“I sat at home every day. Every day. Every day,” she emphasized. “I didn’t have an active life at all. My husband is nine years younger than me and he has always been an active hiker and liked running, and I was always like, ‘I can’t do it. I might die.’ I lived in total fear.”

Then one day in 2017, Fry’s sister-in-law paid a visit.

9/28 – 9/29: Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola Beach, FL)

9/28 – 9/29: The Primal Games (Savannah, GA)

9/29: Kilo Crush Fest (Hampton, VA)

9/29: Barcode Team Competition (Leander, TX)

9/29: Long Island Masters Team Competition (Hauppauge, NY)

9/29: Fallout Powered by Battleground Events (Long Beach, CA)

9/29: Battle for Boise (Meridian, ID)

9/29: 5th Annual WOD for a Cause (Murrietta, CA)

9/29: K-9 Pursuit (Bristol, CT)

9/29: Swolemates (Cincinnati, OH)

​9/29: CrossFit Be Someone Charity WODathon (Houston, TX)

9/29: Garage Girls (Pousbo, WA)

9/29: Adoption Fundraiser WOD (Millcreek, UT)

9/29: Warrior Slam at CrossFit Waldwick (Waldwick, NJ)

9/29: Fall Face Off 2018 (Albany, NY)

9/29: CrossFit Knightsdale Autism Awareness (Knightdale, NC)

9/29: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ CrossFit Petram (Middletown, DE)

9/29: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ CrossFit 88 (Park Ridge, IL)

9/29: 2018 515 Wingman Challenge (Grimes, IA)

10/3: Wodapalooza Qualifier (Online) 

10/5: The Hopper (Asheville, NC)

10/5 – 10/7: International Functional Fitness Federation World Championships (London)

10/6: Beer City Beatdown (Asheville, NC)

10/6: Gallant Gauntlet 2 (Bedford, TX)

10/6: WOD for Water Troy (Troy, AL)

10/6: Cactus Games (Phoenix, AZ)

10/6: Pound-4-Pound Competition (Denver, CO)

10/6: Invictus Boston Barbells for Boobs (Boston, MA)

10/6: Girls Gone RX @ Old Line Crossfit (Millersville, MD)

10/6: The Battle To Benefit Badge (Utica NY)

10/6: Iron Eagle Challenge (Cookeville, TN)

10/6: The Grit Games (Jacksonville, FL)

10/6: Fit For Freedom (St. Peters, MO)

10/6: Fitness Freedom Project Jay WOD (San Marcos, CA)

10/6: OUTWOD (Philadelphia, PA)

10/6: Garden State Open 2018 (Berkeley Heights, NJ)

10/6: T-Town Throwdown (Toledo, OH)

10/6: 7th Annual Dog – WOD (Minneapolis, MN)

10/6: Hulks and Ninjas (Bangor, ME)

10/6: 7th Annual Dog WOD ( Minneapolis, MN)

10/6 – 10/7: The Iron Clash (Fayetteville, NC)

10/6 – 10/7: 307 Throwdown (Casper, WY)

10/12 – 10/14: Faith RX’d (Denver, CO)

10/13: Barbells For Boobs 2018 (Sutton, MA)

10/13: WOD for a Cause (Bloomsburg, PA)

​10/13: C4 CrossFit Co-Ed Classic (Brunswick, NJ)

10/13: 2018 War in the Woods (Norton, MA)

10/13: The Festivus Games (Online)

10/13: Grand Games 2018 (Westfield, IN)

10/13: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ Red Island CrossFit (Smithfield, RI)

10/13: Barbells for Boobs (Steamboat Springs, CO)

10/13: Older, Wiser, Faster, Stronger (Plymouth, MI)

10/13: The Greenville Games (Greenville, SC)

10/13: Reps For Recovery (Hickory, NC) 

10/13: Kal-Haven Trail Ruck (Kalamazoo, MI)

10/13: Fall Brawl (Saint Michael, MN)

10/13: Sweat for Georgia Mae (Wendell, NC)

10/13 – 10/14: Box Wars 3 (Fort Valley, GA) 

10/14: CrossFit for Kayden (Fallsington, PA)

10/20: BCS Classic 2018 (Bryan, TX)

10/20: Head 2 Head in Hamilton (Hamilton, NJ)

10/20: Fittest on the Valley VI (Lahaina, HI)

10/20: Crossfit Bona Fide Third Wheel Throwdown (Portsmouth, NH)

10/21: Me Jane, You Jane (Santa Rosa, CA)

10/20 – 10/21: The Independence Games (Florence, SC)

​10/20 – 10/21: The Lincoln Invitational (Spokane, WA)