“My life is based on pain, passion, and purpose.”- Elijah Cummings
NEWS
Morning Chalk Up Staff's Favorite Stories of 2021
Our cache of writers had a think and came up with their favorite stories of 2021, ones that were close to their hearts and brought out the best in their journalistic talent. As we welcome in 2022, they’ve shared those pieces with you and why they were so important to them last year.
“As Editor-in-Chief, I either don’t write at all or I write the stories no one wants to so the options are slim. Looking back over 2021, one story I didn’t write, but spearheaded through publication, was Annie Thorisdottir’s personally penned reflection on her postpartum fall and recovery. It was very brave and honest, and spoke to a lot of mothers out there who have also struggled through depression. It’s the kind of raw, emotional piece you wish, as an editor, you could work on every week but seldom have the chance, or have athletes willing to be that brave. Annie is a total badass and my admiration for her only grew through that process.”
“So often when we interview CrossFit Games athletes it’s about their performance on the competition floor. And while I love digging into things like how an athlete’s programming helped them add 20 pounds to their clean, what I love even more is getting a chance to learn about the human beings behind superhuman fitness. These articles gave me a chance to do just that. To dig into emotions about something that matters even more than the competition: the very real struggles and joys that go along with pregnancy and motherhood.”
Today, thousands of athletes around the world start jumping in support of brighter futures for youth. The 10k Challenge: 10,000 double-unders in 30 days.
Will you accept the challenge?
Log your jumps, find your friends on the worldwide leaderboard, earn rewards from 10k Challenge sponsors, and join virtual classes coached by Pat Barber with unlimited access to RPM’s Atom platform.
All proceeds from the Challenge go to the Iron Compass, the charitable arm of RPM Training Co., and partner charities working to empower underserved youth through fitness, mentorship, and opportunity.
SNEAK PEAK: Clips from Justin Medeiros’ first commercial for Sleep8 shot in New York City.
MUST WATCH: This is the 60-second clip that every CrossFit athlete needs to share on their social today.
Reasons why The Guardian columnist Owen Jones started doing HIIT: Any of these sound familiar?
“It reduces stress and improves emotional wellbeing…”
“When I’m working out, I have to concentrate – not something that comes easily in my case – so I can forget all the people who’ve loudly decided I’m the socialist Antichrist on Twitter.”
“There’s the satisfaction of learning and mastering new skills – particularly those you always believed you were simply hardwired to never acquire.”
“Everyday physical tasks become easier, turning you into a more helpful resource.”
“You lay a healthy foundation for later years to build on. It’s undeniably rewarding, too, to put significant effort into something and see results…”
Congratulations to Matt O’Keefe and Kristen Chandler on successfully completing 100 burps a day for 365 days, totaling 36,500 burpees over the year.
CROSSFIT GAMES
2022 CrossFit Open Workouts Finalized, “Will be Very Painful” Castro Promises
Over the weekend, CrossFit announced that the tests for the 2022 CrossFit Open are now complete and ready to go. The Open kicks off February 24 with a total of three or four workouts over the three weeks.
One big thing: Open workouts will now be released at 12:00 PM PT, a full five hours earlier than in previous years, which will give international athletes and affiliates the convenience of seeing the workout before heading to bed.
12:00 PM PT is 8:00 PM in England, rather than the 1:00 AM that workouts were previously released.
What they said: “The workouts for the Open this year are going to be something special. I think they’re going to be tests everybody enjoys and the reason why we’ll enjoy them as a community, is because they’re going to test you and push you further than I think we’ve pushed and tested people in the Open in the past.”
“They will be very painful, and there might even be a new element or two in one or two or tests.”
“The 2022 Open, it’s ready to go. I hope everyone out there is ready to go cause this one is going to be stiff yet rewarding once you’re done with the three weeks.”
For what it’s worth, we’ve charted every movement that’s been programmed in the CrossFit Open.
Only three movements have been programmed in every Open: toes-to-bar, double-under, and thrusters.
Key Open dates: For a complete season schedule, use our calendar.
From Toe Spacing to WHOOP to Wall Walks: What Trended in 2021
Remember Skins?
If you were around CrossFit in 2010, you probably do. The compression gear promised to improve our Fran times by 10 percent (or something like that), and every CrossFit athlete had some.
Skins, of course, aren’t the only trend that have come and gone in our community in the last decade. In fact, the CrossFit athlete from 2009 is hardly recognizable today. You know, the one who showed up to the local competition with their Buddy Lee skipping rope and Vibram FiveFinger shoes, diligently counting their Zone blocks between workouts.
Fast forward a couple years, and Inov-8s suddenly dominated the shoe game, which we wore with long bacon-clad socks shaking my head 🤦♀️, before the classier Stance sock craze of 2015 took hold.
The CrossFit ecosystem is unique in the sense that a vast majority of its favorite brands are built for and consumed by the CrossFit community. And as such, new recovery trends, food, beverages, footwear are constantly emerging. Here’s a look at what trended in 2021 and some predictions for 2022.
Trending in 2021
1. WHOOP
“What’s your recovery score?” Our community has become obsessed with WHOOP, the wearable technology that helps us track our sleep quality, quantity, and most importantly our recovery.
Jamie Simmonds Trains for 2022 Games Season After Shoulder Injury and Prepares to Launch Coaching Program
The 2019 CrossFit Games may have been the last time you saw her compete in person as she stood on the podium as the third fittest woman on Earth — but the past two years have been anything but downtime for five-time Games athlete, Jamie Simmonds.
The New Zealand native moved to Cardiff, Wales at the start of the 2021 season after spending about seven years living in the United Arab Emirates with her husband and fellow CrossFit Games athlete, Elliot Simmonds. As Jamie worked to make a return to Madison after finishing 12th in stage one of the 2020 CrossFit Games, her 2021 season was cut short after week two of the Open.
“I literally was just doing some accessory work on one of the sessions between [2021] Open workouts like a dumbbell pull-over and it just dislocated (her shoulder)…I felt really fit that year but obviously my body disagreed with that,” Simmonds told me during an interview.
“From there, I just tried rehabbing it for three or four months…I could then do all of the gymnastics stuff again, I was lifting again, and I went and did a snatch, maybe it was the tenth one and it just went a little bit behind me and dislocated again.”
At that point, Simmonds decided her best option was to have surgery if she wanted to continue to compete and potentially stand on the podium at the Games again.
Fast forward four months post-surgery, Simmonds says she has full range of motion back and plans to compete in the 2022 season — especially knowing that she doesn’t necessarily need be at 100 percent by the Open to make it through and advance.
“Maybe during the Open I don’t need to be as fit as I was or pushing the boat out early, and just waiting to trust my coach and trust myself and build up properly and get to the Games in top form.”
As Simmonds prepares for the 2022 season and continues to let her shoulder heal — something working in her favor is the decision to become a full-time athlete…atleast “mostly” full-time. Simmonds, her husband Elliot, and partners Andy Edwards and Antony Monks are getting ready to launch their new training program come the new year, Quintessential Health and Performance.
For years, the team has been creating their own programming and nutrition for people — but with more downtime since moving to the UK, the Simmonds duo decided to put their skills into a coaching company.
“For years working at CrossFit Yas just teaching people about health and fitness who have never been involved in that before was just so rewarding so we just want to give more information about what we know and just get it out to people. The more we can help the better.”
Tired of toes to bar or regular muscle-ups when you want to make gymnastic gains? Here are three exercises that will definitely give you an extra boost to your progress...or some good goals for 2022.
Be in the know on the latest shoes that are going to be hitting your box soon, The R.A.D ONE. Meet the developers and learn about the unique design process that makes R.A.D...well...RAD. Launching at Wodapalooza on 13th January.
The single-arm plank hold is an excellent core and shoulder stability drill. But are you cheating yourself out of some progress with poor form? Check out these tips to ensure your getting the most from your time.
Start the year strong with a new attitude, new goals, and a new wardrobe. Grab an extra 50% off sale right now with code "GETDOWN" at checkout. Act fast to grab the Nano's included.
Started a new diet but already have cravings? This is guaranteed to hit the spot. Peppers stuffed with thinly sliced steak, mushrooms, peppers, red onions, and topped with a creamy sauce that is a great cheese alternative. This recipe is a banger even if you're not on a diet.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.
Congratulations to Brandon Romanos from Valitus Strength and Fitness in Chamblee, GA hit a 1002 pound/455kg CrossFit Total including two PRs.
Congratulations to Justin Vaughn from Skylab Fitness in Webster, TX completed his first CrossFit Total at 1105 pounds/501kg including a PR back squat of 405 pounds/184kg.
Congratulations to Jacob Tozier from CrossFit Cabarrus in Concord, NC on the 405 pound/184kg back squat PR.
Sola Sigurdardottir put up a new snatch PR at 194 pounds/88kg.
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