“Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.”- Jackie Robinson
CROSSFIT GAMES
Three Weeks On, One Week Off Training Program Leads Bethany Shadburne to Feel “Better Than Ever”
When five-time CrossFit Games qualifier Bethany Shadburne first arrived in Las Vegas, NV last season to train with Underdogs Athletics Coach Justin Cotler, she was, as Cotler called her “a broken athlete,” “a shell of herself.”
Cotler took the, once upon a time, always injured athlete under his wing last season and so began the process of rebuilding Shadburne, not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally.
“I don’t think that I ever truly believed in myself and there was a lot of self-sabotaging,” Shadburne said of the place she was in when she arrived in Las Vegas, a place that often involved overtraining because she was scared of getting fat or not being good enough.
Under Cotler’s tutelage, Shadburne started to learn that sometimes less training is more. It was scary to train with less intensity than in previous years, she admitted, but it quickly paid off.
After one season with her new coach, Shadburne won the West Coast Classic Semifinals, easily qualifying herself to the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games, but tested positive for COVID-19 the week of the Games and was forced to withdraw.
Since then, Shadburne has hunkered down even more by following an uncharacteristic training program, where she essentially trains hard for three weeks and then takes a week off to deload and recover.
“I definitely took more deload (weeks) than normal last year, but it wasn’t to this extent,” Shadburne explained.
This doesn’t mean she’s sitting around on what she calls her “off week,” but it means she spends about 30 percent less time in the gym that week and will often “go really really light on everything,” she said.
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SPEED READS
Today is the announcement of the final Open workout, 22.3, and don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on our landing page.
Morning Chalk Up‘s 22.3 Live Pre Show is ready to roll with some amazing guests. Mark your calendar, March 10 at 11am PT, hosted by none other than our amazing Lauren Kalil, with Tommy Marquez. 🤩
Congratulations to Tiffany C. the week two winner of the Born Primitive x Assault Fitness Open Giveaway. Be sure to enter for week three for a chance to win a $500 Born Primitive gift card, an Assault Runner and a pair of coliseum tickets for the 2022 CrossFit Games. Plus, every single person who enters will receive a $20 Born Primitive gift voucher on us! Enter here. 🥳
Previous CrossFit Games campers will have the opportunity to buy their 2022 passes and select a spot starting Tuesday, March 15 at 10am PT. Make sure to add this date to your calendar. Camping spots will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, March 17, at 10am PT.
Why did CrossFit ban Russian names and flags from competition? Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to sports and politics expert Simon Chadwick about where CrossFit fits into the global conversation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Seven Takeaways From Open Workout 22.2
Week two of the CrossFit Open is done with scores from 22.2 reviewed and verified. With just one week left of the Open here are seven takeaways from the second workout and the leaderboard.
1. Teenage Open Champion?
Before the start of the Open, Brian Friend, Tommy Marquez and myself each selected their picks to win the Open in the men’s and women’s divisions. For the women I chose 18-year-old Mallory O’Brien based on her fifth place finish last year and also her now being coached by Mat Fraser as a HWPO athlete. The question with O’Brien is how much potential she has and how soon would we see it now that she’s under the tutelage of Fraser? After just two workouts it looks like Fraser and his team has tapped into that potential sooner rather than later.
CrossFitter Jusan Hamilton Makes NASCAR History During Daytona 500
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season began on February 20 with the 64th running of the Daytona 500, which rookie Austin Cindric won over Bubba Wallace in a stunning finish. Jusan Hamilton, 31, who regularly trains at a CrossFit box, became both the youngest person to serve as race director for the season-opening race, as well as the first African American.
One big thing: The Daytona 500 is the first race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but it is the biggest event of the year. It has the biggest crowd at more than 100,000 attendees, a full week of festivities leading up to the race, and it is one of the sport’s four coveted Crown Jewels.
Hamilton’s job during the race is to make important decisions about penalties, caution flags, and race procedures without creating controversy. He decides when to send cleaning crews out onto the track, whether to penalize drivers for a wide variety of infractions, and whether to throw the red flag during poor weather conditions.
Hamilton has experience as a race director in the top-level Cup Series, theCamping World Truck Series, and the Xfinity Series. He has called previous races at Auto Club Speedway in California and Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. One of his wildest races was the 2020 trip to the Charlotte Roval – part oval, part road course – that took place under a torrential downpour.
To prepare for the biggest moment of his career, Hamilton spent the past six Daytona 500s watching another race director work from the scoring tower. He also took copious notes throughout the years while embracing his new role.
Hamilton was a key figure in the first-ever NASCAR race held inside of the LA Memorial Coliseum, the home of the USC Trojans. He made six cross country flights to figure out the logistics of a unique event featuring special concerts, a quarter-mile short track, and the debut of a new car.
Hamilton is only the third person in the past 30 years to serve as race director for the Daytona 500. He currently shares duties with Tim Bermann, who called the 2020 and 2021 races while David Hoots previously enjoyed a 31-year run as race director.
High speeds and heavy weights: There has been a significant crossover between NASCAR and CrossFit in recent years. Drivers, executives, pit crews alike have incorporated the training style into their routines in order to prepare for grueling races inside cockpits ranging from 120 to 140 degrees.
CrossFit Mayhem sponsored Austin Dillon for an Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International and covered the No. 23 Our Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro with a Mayhem Athlete scheme.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a two-time winner in the Cup Series, is an avid CrossFitter. He regularly trains with drivers younger than him but beats them in workouts, whether they are altered versions of Murph, Filthy 50, or any number of other fan-favorites.
Chris Rice, the president of Kaulig Racing, has lost more than 50 pounds while attending CrossFit classes. He puts clips of himself doing WODS on social media with the goal of inspiring others to focus on health.
Why this matters: Successfully serving in this high-pressure role is an incredibly difficult task, but Hamilton successfully balances his role with raising two daughters, helping his wife Charis open a maternal pelvic physical therapy practice in Port Orange, and managing NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program that provides opportunities in racing to minority and female drivers and pit crew members. He also puts an emphasis on his health with CrossFit.
Two Ways for CrossFit Athletes to Support Ukraine Through Fitness
Nearly two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, CrossFit athletes around the globe are beginning to come up with small ways to both show support and raise money for Ukraine.
Johnny Hunka, a long-time CrossFit athlete whose father is first generation Ukrainian, and Nicholas Worley, a member of CrossFit Asphodel in Hong Kong, are two of them.
Hunka created a workout called Ukraine Unbroken, which he and his Bluenose Fitness community in Truro, Nova Scotia, are doing this Saturday, along with seven other affiliates in Atlantic Canada, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, Worley created an event called Burpees For Ukraine, which seeks to raise funds for Doctors Without Border in Ukraine and runs from March 11 to April 16.
Even though it makes you sleepy, it probably comes as no surprise that alcohol has a negative impact on your sleep quality. Mike Stone, MD, shares why alcohol and sleep don’t mix and offers strategies to minimize the negative effects.
The R.A.D® team designs all their products with three criteria in mind – Performance, Aesthetics, and The Future. Meaning everything they do helps you protect the planet, perform better in your WOD, and look damn good while doing it. Stay in the know on all things R.A.D on Instagram to hear about new drops and big announcements.
Do you feel insecure with your jelly arms during your jerk? You need to stop just falling under the bar and hoping the weight will stay there. Follow these tips to become a pillar of strength and solidify your form.
Whether you're Games bound this year or not, everyone can finish the Open in style with a new pair of Nano's at half price. Use code "NANOSTEAL" at checkout to save 50% off a new pair of X's or X1's.
Weeknights will never be the same again with this super simple shrimp scampi recipe. Delicious, easy to make, and takes about 10 minutes from getting the pan hot to serving on a plate.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.
🎂 Happy birthday, Melissa Doss and Morning Chalk Up’s own Tommy Marquez.
Thank you Cameron Gray for submitting these jelly legs— way to hit the Uppsala 2022 comp hard.
2021’s Fittest Seated Woman on Earth Andrea Wilson hit a seated strict press PR of 105 pounds/47.5kg.
🔥 Congratulations to 58-year-old Tammy Simonton on completing 140 reps on Open workout 22.1.
Lindsey Webber, Tammy’s Coach at CrossFit Reveille in Arlington, TN: “What you see is a woman who works hard and pushes. Who smiles and is always kind. What you don’t see is that Tammy is blind. What you don’t hear is complaints. What you don’t know is that movements that may seem simple for you and I, are unbelievably scary and difficult if you can’t see what you are doing.”
🤩 Congratulations to 8-year-old Stella Wexler from CrossFit DBP in Ocala, FL on taking on Open Workout 22.2 with the 14-15 age group weight of 95 pounds, and finishing 6 rounds + 1 rep.
Congratulations to Nicola Weber from Florida on this snatch PR of 150 pounds/68kg.
Nicola shared: “I was working 16hr days at a job I love, but was seeing my health deteriorate. After a poor placing in a local CrossFit competition, I was very disappointed and finally gave myself permission to start taking care of myself again. A few short months later, I’ve PRd my snatch for the first time in 5 years, my hair has grown back, I’m getting 7+ hrs of sleep every night, and I’m having more success at my job than ever before. It pays to take care of yourself!”
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