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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
Read the story of Zac Bradley, who is wearing a 20kg vest for the entire month of June to bring awareness to the burden that people fighting cancer carry with them every day.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I cannot believe God put us on this earth to be ordinary.” — Lou Holtz
17.3
WHAT’S GOING DOWN?
The Fittest Man in the World, Mathew Fraser is throwing down next to Scott Panchik and Cole Sager at Alamo City CrossFit in San Antonio, Texas. The action starts at 5PM Pacific.
WHAT’S THE WORKOUT?
Who knows, but Dave Castro offered this hint and a few Games athletes shared their predictions. The consensus, there is no consensus.
But if you’re playing CrossFit Bingo, here are a few fun facts for you:
FUN FACT #1: There has been a repeat of one previous Open workout every year except for 2015 (and 2011 because it was the first Open).
FUN FACT #2: There has only been one movement to be repeated in the same year; bar facing burpees in 16.1 and 16.5. Although, in 2011 both the squat clean and the clean were prescribed.
FUN FACT #3: In the six years of the Open, there have been an average of 12.6 movements per year. So depending on how you count the burpee box jump-overs, we’re half way there.
FUN FACT #4: There have been thrusters and chest-to-bar pull-ups in EVERY Open. They’re like gravity, there is no escaping.
HOW DO I WATCH LIVE?
CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX
Beyond the Whiteboard released their 17.2 workout analysis and 84% of athletes ended in Rounds 3 and 4, AKA the muscle-up rounds. CrossFit HQ has written a “doctor’s note” to anyone needing to get out of work or any other obligations tomorrow night for the live announcement. Mission6 is giving away some free supplements each week of the Open to the best Open posts on social media (US contestants only). Brenda Castro hits a 176 pound snatch + overhead squat complex. In the Maryland and D.C. area, female members of USA Weightlifting have grown from four in 2007 to 383 as of 2017. Meet Brian Cottrill, the only guy to complete 17.1 under ten minutes.
THINGS TO…
WATCH: Mikko Salo
It’s really just a promotion for Mikko’s training template, called The System, but for fans of the legend who’s known for some pretty grueling and intense workouts, there’s some great WOD scenes and Jonne Koski joins in halfway through.
MIKKKKKOOOOO.
MIKKKKKOOOOO.
HEAR: Julie Foucher Hits 50
No not years old, but episodes of Pursuing Health, Julie’s podcast on the intersection of CrossFit and healthy lifestyles. As a tribute, she compiled some of her favorites guests’ answers to the question “what does a healthy life look like to you.”
I’M LISTENING.
I’M LISTENING.
KNOW: This Is How Your Forearm Grabs a Bar
Science is really cool sometimes. Have you ever wondered how the tendons in your forearms actually work to grab onto a barbell? We hadn’t until we saw this video. WARNING: It’s a little bit graphic.
I WANNA KNOW.
I WANNA KNOW.
EAT: Almost Spring Time!!
What better way to celebrate (almost) Spring than with an orange strawberry avocado salad with citrus poppyseed dressing.
IT’S LUNCH TIME.
IT’S LUNCH TIME.
DO: CrossFit Open After Party
After Sara Sigmundsdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir throw down in 17.5, FitAid is throwing the official CrossFit Open after party in downtown Madison. If you’re in the area, you should probably buy a ticket fast.
PARTY TIME.
PARTY TIME.
CHALK UP AFFILIATES
AFFILIATE STORIES — 9 Officium CrossFit | Brownsburg, Indiana
“The name OFFICIUM CrossFit was born of an innate desire to serve. In our eyes it’s much deeper than corporate citizenship or a business plan.
“As owners/coaches, OFFICIUM represents our desire and our duty to serve our Crossfit community with an all-encompassing approach to coaching and teaching – to meet each athlete where they are mentally, physically, and emotionally and help them get to where they desire.
“In sum, OFFICIUM CrossFit is about so much more than becoming better athletes or getting in better shape. In addition to those things, we are about helping one another be better husbands, mothers, fathers, wives…it is our duty, as a family, to help each other become stronger, better people in every capacity. We teach and learn from one another. It’s an unrelenting pursuit.”
CHALK UP READS
A revolution is bubbling under the veneer of traditional female beauty. Women are celebrating what their bodies can DO, rather than how they look. It’s easy to get sucked into the body comparison game – we’ve all had moments where we feel inadequate. But it doesn’t have to be that way. ‘Hockey butt’ – one of the many things that bonded us together as one during our ice hockey season year after year. It’s what we all gained from hours of grueling on- and off-ice drills. Our butts and thighs strained the seams of our ‘skinny’ jeans and made us curse at the mirror as we struggled to buy pants that would fit. We complained to each other plenty, but inside, we all secretly loved it. That big butt made us strong and fast and fierce.Women are unfairly comparing themselves to these cropped, filtered and retouched women – bemoaning every lump, bump, bulge and dimple on their own bodies. Not surprisingly, 1 in 8 women will suffer from anorexia, bulimia or another type of eating disorder – and it starts early. A study by a University of California professor found that nearly 80% of San Francisco fourth grade girls are watching their weight.*
“My Journey Into CrossFit” by Bryan Phil, Forbes
I love working out. I love breaking down my muscles to the point of failure. I love the day after a good workout where my legs hurt so much that walking down a flight of stairs is a chore.Even though it hurts, I love it. I look forward to the next workout. I’m a firm believer that exercise is as close to the fountain of youth that we are going to get.
I signed up for a free WOD (Workout Of the Day) at my local Crossfit Box (another word for a gym). I researched some of the workouts and came across these things: Today’s WOD is an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) or an EMOM (every minute on the minute) workout. Most of the workouts are named after people, like Angie or Fran. It is almost like Crossfitters speak a different language.
I made it 3 rounds before I noticed everyone else was done. I had a pool of blood, sweat and tears at my feet and I felt like my heart was literally going to explode in my chest. The coach walked over to check on me. Apparently I said something to him, but I could not tell you what. I was just trying to not die at this point.