Teen sensations Emma Cary and Mal O’Brien sit atop the women’s leaderboard heading into the final week of the Open.
How much fitter are we? 21.2 provided a clue.
Patrick Clark correctly predicted that 21.2 would be a 17.1 retest. How much has the Morning Chalk Up staff improved since 2017?
Samantha Thaxton found the gym and found herself.
Do you know someone who has done an exceptional job embodying and capturing the essence of the CrossFit community? Find out how you can nominate them for a Morning Chalk Up Community Choice Award.
We love seeing your story tips, quotes and PRs roll in. Keep sending them to [email protected].
“Discipline strengthens the mind so that it becomes impervious to the corroding influence of fear.”- Bernard Law Montgomery
CROSSFIT GAMES
Teen Beat: 16- and 17-Year Old Sit Atop the Women’s Overall Leaderboard After 21.2
If you were among the people that thought the performances of the athletes in the teen division during the opening workout of the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open were flukes, a look at the unofficial leaderboard after scores were submitted for 21.2 on Monday will make you think again.
Again the results are unofficial as the leaderboard will not be confirmed and finalized till all scores have been verified on Wednesday evening.
Girls 16-17 Division: Two huge storylines have now developed after Monday’s score submission 1) Two teens sit atop the overall leaderboard and 2) Emma Cary becomes the youngest athlete ever to win an Open workout (unofficially until her score is validated).
The Fittest Athletes on Earth Joined the beam Team and So Can You
At beam, we’re committed to helping you feel your best every day.
Enter: the best-selling dream powder. Try three free nights of this delicious blend of sleep-enhancing vitamins, minerals, and nano cbd to help your body and mind wind down for restful sleep and strong recovery.
21.3 Scheduling Update: Sam Briggs will be joining E.Z. Muhammad for Thursday’s live Open announcement kicking off a 12:00 PM PT. They two will be squaring off after all three Panchik brothers duke it out. Ben Smith, who was originally scheduled to compete, had to withdraw.
PRVN Fitness 21.3 Giveaway: To celebrate the final week of the Open, PRVN Fitness is giving away some NOBULL gear. To enter, tag them in your stories while wearing a PRVN Open t-shirt during an Open workout (or any workout). The offer ends on March 31, and winners will receive DMs on Instagram with more info.
Win Awesome Gear Concept 2 Contest: Win Awesome Gear seeks to make fitness accessible by reducing the financial constraints of living a healthy lifestyle, through giveaways and contests and any proceeds from them are donated to charities that are focused on making fitness accessible (they donated to Project Onyx, VETWod and will be donating to Catch a Lift Fund next month).
Win Awesome Gear is currently hosting a Concept 2 Giveaway. The cost to enter is $25 per chance, and it is limited to 75 total slots. The winner will get the choice of either a Concept 2 Rower, SkiErg, BikeErg, or a Rogue Echo Bike.
Torian Pro Spectatortickets are on sale now. Torian Pro is the CrossFit Games Oceania Semifinal, one of the ten Semifinal events in the 2021 season.
MUST READ: What is the minimum amount of training you need to stay fit? This article in Outside Magazine Onlinereviews a study by the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine on the “minimum dose” literature in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
What did the reviewers find? “The overall conclusion of the new review, then, is that you can get away with as few as two sessions a week as long as you maintain volume and intensity of your workouts. But they caution that maintaining your VO2 max isn’t the same as maintaining your ability to perform long-duration endurance activities. Don’t expect to run your best marathon after a few months of twice-a-week training: your legs, if nothing else, won’t be able to handle it.”
Speaking of studies, researchers at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA and Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA are conducting a study on the impact of COVID-19 on CrossFitters training habits outside of and during the pandemic. Anyone 18 years and older with any CrossFit experience in the past two years is eligible to complete a survey and 40 participants will be selected to receive a $25 Amazon gift card for participating.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
How Much Fitter Are We: 17.1 vs 21.2 By the Numbers
One of the best things about the Open is that since the second year there has always been a repeat workout. The reason this is so cool is because it’s one way to test and prove the Crossfit method. Be consistent in making good decisions day in and day out with regards to exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle, and over time you build a more resilient human. At least that’s the theory. The Open puts that theory to the test.
When talking about the Open we must always remember that there are two very distinct things happening: first, the fittest on earth are embarking on the first part of their journey towards realizing their potential for the CrossFit Games season; and second, the rest of us are participating in the largest global sporting event of the year.
The Open Repeat, Revisited: MCU Staff Performances
The 2021 Open repeat workout has come and gone, and the community has had the chance to see where their fitness stacks up to their former selves in 2017. Kudos to Patrick Clark, who correctly predicted the oncoming tsunami of pain.
The community has shown tremendous improvement across the board comparatively, with even the elite athletes at the top of the leaderboard showcasing improvements of 10% or more. In total the number of RX athletes that managed to finish under the timecap relative to the total number of submitted scores improved by 32.2% over 2017.
Samantha Thaxton: From Fear of the Gym and Secret Bedroom WODs, to Full-Time Coach
Samantha Thaxton honestly didn’t know the gym was a place she could go to improve her health.
“I thought that people who went to gyms were just born like that. Like, they’re athletes, so that’s why they go to the gym. Seriously, I didn’t realize you go to the gym to get healthier,” said 28-year-old Thaxton, laughing at the memory.
Thaxton’s background: Now a full-time coach at CrossFit Novato in California, Thaxton grew up in a “dysfunctional family” that included a certain amount of abuse, including molestation as a young child.
“I just didn’t have any role models in my life who took health seriously,” she explained. As a result, by the time she was 21, the 5-foot-7 Thaxton weighed more than 300 pounds, although she isn’t sure the exact number because she avoided the scale.
Back then, Thaxton experienced daily anxiety attacks and was “so self-conscious and didn’t know how to handle stress,” she said.
If the bar gets away from you or if you body breaks the vertical plane of the bar, you will have a difficult time receiving your lifts in a stable, strong, and balanced position. In this video from Catalyst Athletics, coach Greg Everett explains how to recognize the vertical plane and how to diagnose problems related to breaking that plane.
Imagine enchiladas mixed with fajitas and crossed with a tamale. The Mexican fusion meal of your dreams? This Chicken Enchilada Casserole ticks all the boxes. Get access to hundreds more macro-friendly recipes like this with Macrostax. Use code "CFOPEN2021" for 50% off your subscription.
Believe it or not, pain and weakness in heavy lifts often comes from instability in the midline and core. That's why learning how to breathe and brace when you are lifting heavy is so critical. Following the tips in this video from Squat University will help you lift more weight safely.
These easy, healthy ground turkey tacos made on the stovetop or in your slow cooker. And you can use a DIY homemade taco seasoning that’s perfectly spiced and flavorful and you control the sodium. It's an easy go-to weeknight healthy taco recipe that's sure to become a family fav!
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to [email protected] to be featured.
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