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Happy Friday and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition was chalked up while on our way down to San Diego, CA…back on the road again.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” — Simon Sinek
CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX
Puori is giving away two free tickets to the CrossFit Games, including $500 airfare credit, hotel and a little hang time with Julie Foucher. Here’s how to follow all your favorite 2017 CrossFit Games athletes on Instagram. Carly Fuhrer trains for open water swimming in this gorgeous Oregon river. Jared Enderton overhead squats 405 pounds. Chelsey Grigsby joins the Xendurance team. Twenty-year-old Jessien Bradley clean and jerks 265 pounds.
WHAT TO TELL YOUR FRIEND WHO KEEPS GETTING CALLED MANLY…
Yup, that’s still a thing and it’s definitely still a thing for young high school CrossFit athletes. Just ask Anna Weigand from Route 33 CrossFit in Marysville, OH, who’s heading to the CrossFit Games this summer. While she’s been challenging stereotypes of how a young lady should look, not everyone is ready to accept it. “I’ve gotten called a man a lot of times and at first I cried, it would really bring me down. They were shaming my muscles, shaming the way I looked. I love my muscles.” And you should be proud of them Anna, you’ve earned ’em.
WHAT TO TELL YOUR FRIEND WHO’S LOOKING FOR MORE RESOURCES FOR A FUNCTIONAL LIFESTYLE…
CrossFit is about so much more than just lifting weights. It’s the bedrock for functional movement in our community. But what about nutrition and medicine, and not just for you but your whole family. Julie Foucher-Urcuyo, Brigid Titgemeier and Daniel Urcuyo have teamed up to create the Functional Feed, a monthly subscription-based newsletter that provides a functional approach to nutrition, movement, and medicine. Each issue features articles, recipes, meal plans, shopping lists and workouts to help you on your journey toward optimal health. Basically taking the guess work out of a lot of our most basic questions about medicine, nutrition and movement. Oh and they start delivering on July 1st so sign up.
THINGS TO…
HEAR: How To Do It All, With a Smile
Thirty-eight year old Val Voboril can seemingly do it all. Full time teacher and mom who’s getting her Masters degree and just qualified for her fifth CrossFit Games. So how does she this real life Wonder Woman do it all?
TUNE IN.
TUNE IN.
EAT: Mustard Dill Tuna Salad
This is one of those there’s nothing healthy left in the kitchen except canned tuna kinda recipes, and let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. So instead of grabbing the chips and salsa, try this one instead.
TUNA TIME.
TUNA TIME.
BUY: Caffeine and Kilos, Back in Stock
Their new camo gear went fast but they got these camo muscle tanks and racerbacks back in stock just in time for summer pontoons and throwing steel at the box.
ADD TO CART.
ADD TO CART.
CHALK UP AFFILIATES
STORY SERIES: How has CrossFit helped you achieve a goal?
“In 2012, I set a goal to lose weight by running 12 half marathons in 12 months. Halfway through, due to weaknesses, I injured myself. IT Band Syndrome. I began researching how I could get myself back to running as quickly as possible in order to reach my goal, and that is when I came across CrossFit and CrossFit Endurance. After a month off and 2.5 months of CrossFit and endurance intervals, I completed 5 half marathons in less than 3 months injury free to reach my goal. Been a CrossFitter ever since.” — Brant McAdams of Tobin Hill CrossFit in San Antonio, TX.
WHAT TO FORWARD TO YOUR DAD WHO JUST RETIRED AFTER 40 YEARS AT NASA…
Meet George Hubbard, the 74-year-old who’s still playing racquetball and lifting weights at CrossFit Hanover in Hanover, PA. Here’s a fun fact about George, he worked on the first rocket to land a man on the moon. Despite having double knee replacement surgery in 2016, he’s been CrossFitting for the past three and a half years and loves it. “”CrossFit is very intense, you have to be a little crazy, and I’m a little crazy. By keeping fit I’m able to keep doing things to help make the community better,” George said. Well George, keep on keeping.
CHALK UP READS
“Stay Tight! How to Breathe, Brace and Save Your Spine” by Athlete Daily
Do you remember the first time someone cue’ed you to stay tight? It’s a common expression in weightlifting and CrossFit but unfortunately, most novice (and intermediate) athletes have no clue what that actually entails.
But not breathing correctly and creating the proper tightness under heavy weight can lead to back pain, poor midline stability, weak glute activation, tilted pelvises and a host of other issues.
We talked last month about the importance of midline stability, urging people to re-think their core routine beyond sit-ups. But, assuming you’re working on midline stability, how does that carry over into a heavy squat session? How do you avoid overextension on a press or know how to use a belt properly (no, it doesn’t just keep you tight by itself) for a max deadlift?