Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition was chalked up while booking our AirBnB in Melbourne, Australia for the CrossFit Invitational. We’ll be seeing ya down under soon Australia.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Make clearer lines. Define who you are and what you do. Free up your energy for other considerations. Let your discipline be set in stone.” — Unknown
SURF FITNESS…WHERE CONCRETE MEETS THE SAND.
WHAT’S THAT?
For those of you wishing you could catch sunrise paddling out to ride a few waves before heading into the office, you’re in luck.
There’s a new surf-inspired fitness methodology called Surf Fitness popping up in major landlocked cities across the U.S. Walk into a studio like City Surf Fitness and you’ll see a row of surfboards balanced on top of medballs, strapped down with bands that secure the board while giving it the freedom of movement to challenge the rider.
After all, Greg Glassman’s prescription for CrossFit is “constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement,” and it’s good medicine to take a break and try something new.
I’M IN.
City Surf offers about a half dozen different types of classes featuring movements like push-ups, pop ups, squat jumps, paddle outs, lunges, and kick-backs. With classes like the Big Kahuna, Ripcore, and Buddha Board, you can go hard or zen out on your board.
Try something new and step outside the box (see what we did there?). Book your board, hang ten and get pitted, dude.
CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX
ROUNDUP — Wodapalooza is now accepting applications to volunteer at the January fitness festival. A British strongman dragged a car that was deliberately blocking his aunt’s driveway. Thuri Helgadottir gets dressed up all fancy. Here’s the 60 second version of Tia-Clair Toomey’s wedding video. Mattie Rogers unofficially bests her previous American Record with a 297 pound clean and jerk. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet’s shoulder mobility is improving but she still cannot snatch yet. Rich Froning, Mathew Fraser, Katrin Davidsdottir, Camille and Ron Ortiz are all up at Trek HQ getting outfitted for new CrossFit bikes. Hafthor Bjornsson hits a 2 rep max back squat PR at 881 pounds. Alessandra Pichelli goes unbroken on chest-to-bar Jackie to PR her time at 5:51.
PRE-ORDER — Tia-Clair Toomey is releasing a book “How I Became the Fittest Woman on Earth” which is due out mid-January and available for pre-order as an e-book or limited edition signed copy.
THE NANO 2.0 RETURNS — It appears the Reebok Nano 2.0 is making an official comeback today. We’ve seen confirmation that it will be available in Germany and the U.K. but not the U.S. (yet). However, Reebok’s Senior Product Manager for Reebok CrossFit tweeted this photo captioned with “Tomorrow” which kinda makes us believe it will be.
LISTEN UP…
Katherine Henderson of Menomonie, WI wants to make sure all you Masters athletes out there understand something…“I’m 70 and been in CrossFit for about a year. Badass meant something different to me a year ago. Now. It’s my goal to be gramma badass. A secret goal but still a goal. The Badass women at my gym, Machine Shed CrossFit 325, are wonderful role models encouraging kind and helpful.”
We’re tipping our glasses to you grannie Katherine.
FOR WHEN YOUR FRIEND NEEDS A SWIFT KICK IN THE BUTT TO GET UP OFF THE FLOOR…
“Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows kid.” It certainly wasn’t for Kate Foster, who went from aspiring gymnast to leukemia patient, to amputee, to a gymnast coach to a CrossFitter. That’s a lot to fit into one sentence and it didn’t all happen overnight. No way. But the lesson is still the same. Never give up.
THINGS TO…
WATCH: Speak Lounder
Meet Shaikha Al Qassimi, a female Emerati CrossFit athlete who’s breaking down barriers for female athletes in the UAE.
FREEDOM TO FITNESS.
HEAR: How To Not Channel Your Inner Mean Girl
The Nasty Girls Podcast tackles all things mean girls — yes, just like the movie — and how we can start listening to others and giving them the benefit of the doubt before we judge. Also, gossip. What’s the deal with it and how do you know the difference between full on s$&t talking and simply complaining.
TUNE IN.
TRY: Become a Pull-Up Queen
Still looking to get your first strict pull-up? Or maybe a first set of five or ten? Pull-Up Queen is a 12 week program to build you a solid foundation in your back and get you doing pull-ups.
YOU GOT THIS.
EAT: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
It’s getting colder outside and with the sun going down earlier, it feels like you’re coming home later. When the last thing you want to do is work after work, that’s why you own a crock pot.
GET COOKING.
CHALK UP AFFILIATES
CROSSTOWN COMPETITION — Two local Medford, OR CrossFit boxes squared off for a little throwdown over the weekend. CrossFit The Den and Steelhead CrossFit raised $3000 for Youth For Christ.
A 20,000 POUND SLED DRAG — Eight teams of four gathered at CrossFit Backward Arrow in Abilene, TX Saturday morning for something a little different — to pull a big rig. Each team of two men and two women pulled a semi-truck 250 feet, stopping every 50 feet to do five burpees each, before pushing the 20,000-pound truck cab back to the starting line. The event raised more than $2240 for Feeding Texas, a nonprofit that helps supply food to food banks across Texas.