The case of the missing reps

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by SteadyMD, the world’s first online medical practice pairing you with a doctor who does CrossFit.

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15 days until Regionals starts.

“Success without Integrity is failure.” — Unknown

THE CASE OF THE MISSING REPS.

Background.

The Age Group Online Qualifier wrapped up last Monday, where the fittest 200 athletes in each of the teen and masters divisions worldwide tackled another four WODs to determine the top 20 who’ll go to the CrossFit Games.

So what happened?

Haley Adams, the 2017 Second Fittest 16-17-year-old on Earth, absolutely crushed Event 3: a 20 min AMRAP of wall balls, handstand walks, double-unders and rowing.

Her 1052 rep score on Event 3 is 120 reps more than the second place finisher in her division, Kaela Stephano. It’s also the number one score worldwide across all age divisions. Pretty darn impressive.

So what’s the issue?

Double-under reps are notoriously difficult to count, but upon reviewing the video, we counted 96 missing reps (P.S. if that video is taken down, here’s a backup). Not ‘no reps’ like missing the line on handstand push-ups or not reaching full extension on deadlifts. We’re talking double-unders that were never completed but counted anyways. At the box, this is commonly known as “rep shaving.”

Athletes were required to complete 100 dubs each set. But by our count, here are the number of dubs actually completed each set: 90, 90, 90, 87, 86, 86, 90, and 85.

Let’s recap.

Are there missing reps. Yes. There are 96 reps unaccounted for, by our count, and we’re willing to be off here.

Couldn’t they have just miscounted? By 96? Hard to believe. Maybe 1- 3 reps per round, but stopping on 90 and calling it a day is not a miscount.

Did Adams cheat? That’s not our call. Proving intention over a video can be difficult but not impossible. Last year, Trevor Bachmeyer was disqualified and banned for doctoring his 17.5 video, but there’s no doctoring here — just missed reps.

What does the rulebook say? For the Online Qualifier, “The submitted video(s) will be reviewed and the score(s) for the requested workout(s) either validated, modified or invalidated.” But it doesn’t detail what constitutes an invalid submission is.

In the Open, however, a video is invalid if “the athlete fails to complete the workout as required, a significant and unacceptable number of reps performed are ‘no-reps’ or the video does not contain the criteria listed in the video submission standards.”

In all fairness, 96 reps does appear to be “significant” and having not completed even one full set of double-unders appears to be failing “to complete the workout as required,” but that definition is for the Open.

So what happens next?

We reached out to CrossFit HQ and the video is under review. They said she’s going to receive a score adjustment, but we likely won’t know by how much for a few days. HQ has until May 8 to conclude the video review process of the top 40 athletes in each division.

We’ll update you once they finish the review and make a final decision. This is why there’s a video review process to begin with.

EXCLUSIVE: SARA SIGMUNDSDOTTIR PART 6

THINGS TO…

WATCH: The Brute Showdown Ep. 2

What happens when you pit an olympic weightlifter, bodybuilder, strongman and CrossFit athlete in a competition for supremacy? In episode 2, they tackle the 1RM clean and benchmark WOD Grace. 

WHO’S GONNA WIN?

HEAR: Let’s Not Be Perfect

Emily Abbott joins the Barbell Shrugged crew down in San Diego, CA as she’s training for the West Regional, for an episode on perfection and how not to be perfect or try and live perfect and instead find balance in what you’re trying to achieve. 

TUNE IN.

EAT: Savory Chicken Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffins

Delicious savory chicken sausage, egg and cheese muffins that are perfect for breakfast meal prep. Top these low carb, keto egg muffins with avocado, salsa, or hot sauce!

LOVE BREAKFAST SANDWICHES.

BUY: 2lb Free Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

This deal from ButcherBox won’t last long. Order your first box of grass-fed beef and free range organic chicken, and you’ll get two pounds of wild caught Alaskan salmon for free. 

GET THIS DEAL.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Cameron Pernich hits a 285 pound snatch double • James Townsend hits some 54 inch box jumps • Sixty-five-year-old Atilio Casanova hits 455 pound deadlift for six reps • Tennil Reed-Beuerlein and Colleen Fotsch are training at 10,000 feet to prepare for the elevation in Salt Lake City, Utah.

…and no, you should not try these plate push-ups at home. You will probably break something. 

TL;DR What are Natural Flavors? — HealthyWay dove into what those “natural flavors” ingredients are in your food. The piece is pretty long, so we clipped the best parts.

— “As long as the original source of a chemical was a plant or animal product, it can typically be called a ‘natural flavor,’ according to the FDA. Natural flavors also have close cousins, known as artificial flavors—a term that has its own strict definition.

— “Artificial flavors do not need to be derived from plant or animal materials. In many cases, natural flavors are more expensive.

— “Artificial and natural flavors both contain chemicals. Surprisingly, natural flavors often come from obscure sources that are harder to come by than their artificial counterparts, which has led to environmentally conscious criticisms of natural flavors, and the assertion that “consumers pay a lot for natural flavorings. But these are in fact no better in quality, nor are they safer, than their cost-effective artificial counterparts.

— “Food companies are not required to disclose exactly which natural or artificial ingredients are in their products.

— “The one thing that the representative at the smoothie company did let me know was that because the product was certified organic, all of its ingredients (including natural flavors) came from organic sources.”

“This Is Supposed To Be Hard” by Paige Sousa, Breaking Muscle

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great. “

This Tom Hanks quote from A League of Their Own has become a cliché. But here’s the thing about clichés: they’ve become such because they are true.

So call it cliché if you like, but “the hard” is what makes CrossFit great. It is also why it’s not for everyone. As much as the diehard CrossFit Kool-Aid drinkers like to say CrossFit is for everyone, that workouts are infinitely scalable, and that your 98-year-old grandmother can do it—it’s not for everyone. Yes, CrossFit is all-inclusive in the sense that the movements and ideology can make all bodies physically strong and functional. Yes, your 98-year-old grandmother can scale CrossFit enough to make her body stronger and more functional.

But success in CrossFit mostly relies on the mental fortitude of said grandmother. The scaling possibilities are only effective if the individual has the willpower to greet the challenges of the workout with moxie.

5/4 – 5/5: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)5/4 – 5/5: No Gutz No Glory (Denver, CO)

5/4 – 5/5: Throwdown in Joe Town (St. Joseph, MO)

5/4 – 5/6: European Masters Throwdown (Budapest, Hungary)

5/5 – 5/6: Tribal Clash (Quarteira, Portugal)

5/5 – 5/6: Barbell de Mayo (Woodbridge, VA)

5/5 – 5/6: Manila Throwdown (Manila, Philippines)

5/5: Cinco de Mayo Classic (San Antonio, TX)

5/5: The Locomotive Games III (Youngstown, OH)

5/5: Granite Games Throwdown (Southaven,  MS)

5/5: Battle of the Boro (Goldsboro, NC)

5/5: New WODs on the Block (Grand Rapids, MI)

5/5: The Crawfish Challenge (Columbia, SC)

5/5: Masters of the Shed (Roxbury, NJ)

5/5: Never Forgotten Games (Redding, CA)

5/5: Burpees de Mayo (Phoenix, AZ)

​5/5: Cinco de Rowing Half Marathon (Sikeston, MO)

5/11 – 5/12: Beast Mode Games (Greenville, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Midwest Monster (Joplin, MO)

5/11 – 5/12: Reebok’s Ready for Action – Fittest in Israel (Israel)

5/12: Barbells for Bullies (Danbury, CT)

5/12: The Mountain Meltdown (Park City, UT)

5/12: The 5th Element (Bedford, NH)

5/12: Soho Brawl (Tampa, FL)

5/12: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/12: Unfinished Business – The Lift Off (Pottstown, PA)

5/12: Masters of the Universe (Horsham, PA)

5/18 – 5/20: East Regional (Albany, NY)

5/18 – 5/20: Europe Regional (Berlin, Germany)

5/18 – 5/20: South Regional (Salt Lake City, UT)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)

5/19: Barbells in the Burbs (Carol Stream, IL)

5/19: Gladiator Games (Concord, NC)

5/19: The Pillage of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor, FL)

5/19: Spring Fling Partner Throwdown (San Anselmo, CA)

5/19: SilverFox Masters Competition (San Clemente, CA)

5/19: Ultimate Fitness Championship (Kennewick, WA)

5/19: Warriors Hope 2018 (Greenwood, IN)

5/19: T-Town Throwdown (Tifton, GA)

5/19: Murph for Muts (Peachtree Corners, GA)

5/19: Firehawks Scorch Trials (Rio Rancho, NM)

5/19 – 5/20: GameDay Mankato (Mankato, MN)

5/25 – 5/27: West Regional (Del Mar, CA)

5/25 – 5/27: Central Regional (Nashville, TN)

5/25 – 5/27: Latin America Regional (Rio de Janiero, Brazil)

5/26: Beauty is a Beast 2 (Indian Rocks Beach, FL)

5/27 – 5/28: 24 Heroes in 24 Hours (Southborough, MA)

6/1 – 6/3: Atlantic Regional (West Palm Beach, FL)

6/1 – 6/3: Meridian Regional (Madrid, Spain)

6/1 – 6/3: Pacific Regional (Sydney, Australia)

6/2: Kegs and Kilos (Manhattan, KS)

6/2: Long Island Masters (Hauppauge, NY)

6/2: Texas WOD Fest (Houston, TX)

6/2: Tacos and Tequila Throwdown (Highlands Ranch, CO)

6/2: Meshugge CrossFit Summer Melee (Overland Park, KS)

6/3: Summer Sizzler Individual Masters Competition (Burlington, MA)

6/9: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

6/9: Gulf Coast Games (Mandeville, LA)

6/9: WOD Wars 6 (Humble, TX)

6/9: Big Orange Brawl (Knoxville, TN)

6/9: Heroes of the Platform (Meridian, ID)

6/9 – 6/10: The Heartland Games 2018 (Chicago, IL)

6/9 – 6/10: Alaka’i SUPER Summer Slam (Kapolei, HI)

6/16: Battle on the Creek (Johns Creek, GA)

6/16: Full Battle Rattle (Robinson, IL)

6/16: East Coast War (Wilmington, NC)

6/16: Showdown at the Swamp (Greenville, SC)

6/23: Garage Girls CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

6/23: 2018 Summer Swolestice (Gresham, OR)

6/23: HAMCO Heat (McLeansboro, IL)

6/23: The Burn Out (New Bern, NC)

6/23 – 6/24: Asbury Park Summer Games (Asbury Park, NJ)