The end is finally here

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by NOOMA, makers of the organic, simple-ingredient sports drinks available at Whole Foods stores and CrossFit boxes nationwide. Every bottle has 30 calories, no added sugar, and a light, refreshing taste. Never tried NOOMA? Sample all 4 flavors for $5 & free shipping. Click here to claim yours.

4-packs sell out fast, so take advantage of it while you can! US residents only, limit one 4-pack per customer.

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” — Albert Einstein, who was obviously talking about your effort on 18.5.

EXCUSE ME, BUT THERE’S A WORM IN MY MEATBALL.

The story.

We’ve been given plenty of internet gold over the years poking fun at Ikea and its DIY style, but there’s something even more interesting coming down the pipeline.

Some details.

The popular furniture store is already known for their food cafeterias. In fact, about 30% of it’s customers come just to eat. They even announced last year that they’re looking to develop a chain of stand-alone cafes, but the big news today is their Space10 lab concept— “a future-living lab on a mission to design a better and more sustainable way of living”.

The main goal? To serve up healthy and sustainable food. That sounds like something we can totally get behind.

Yes, but.

The menu certainly sounds spacey. We’re talking concoctions like dog-less hot dogs with micro-algae buns, bug burgers, and meatballs made from mealworms. Talk about giving cricket protein a run for its money. Some of this stuff looks down right gnarly.

Eating bugs for sustainability really does make sense, and many companies have been experimenting with new products. Maybe this is a totally insane and crazy concept, or maybe this is just the food of the future.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who isn’t getting any younger…

Have you tried face yoga yet? You guessed it. That would be yoga just for your face, and if you haven’t started LOLing yet you will after watching this. It sounds silly but in all seriousness, researchers at Northwestern University found that middle-aged women looked about three years younger after doing face yoga for several months. Regularly try new things right? 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: The Redeemed and the Dominant

The newest CrossFit documentary following the fittest athletes as they battle to be crowned Fittest Man and Woman on Earth at the 2017 CrossFit Games. 

NOW ON iTUNES AND AMAZON.

DO: The Brute Body Program

Just cause the Open is done doesn’t mean you should stop training. Take your fitness to the next level with Brute Strength’s 90-day intensive training program.

REGISTRATION OPENS TODAY.

SUPPORT: Kings of Grit 

If you haven’t heard of Kings of Grit then watch this. For everyone else, WOD Prep will match dollar-for-dollar every donation until the end of 18.5 (that’s tonight), so get supporting.

$5 EQUALS $10.

HEAR: Training during Pregnancy and Healing Diastasis Recti

Julie Foucher sits down with former Valley CrossFit’s Regionals athlete, Lisa Ryan. When she became pregnant with her first child shortly following Regionals, she continued to exercise with modifications as she “listened to her body” and followed the advice of her doctor and her coaches. But months after giving birth, doctors discovered a separation of the abdominal wall. 

POSTPARTUM RECOVERY.

EAT: Sesame Garlic Roasted Asparagus

Flavorful sesame garlic roasted asparagus is deliciously seasoned and cooked to crunchy perfection. This easy asparagus recipe comes together in just 20 minutes for the best Spring side dish.

NO MORE SOUP FOR 9 MONTHS PLEASE.

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• REGIONALS TICKETS — Looking to go to one of the nine Regionals across the globe? Tickets are now on sale with some upgraded options like suites, floor seats and reserved bleachers. 
• PROGRAMMING FOR MASTERS — As a masters athlete, you can’t expect to run around with the 20-year-olds twice a day, wakeup the next day and feel completely recovered. Your body just doesn’t work that way any longer. So how do you know if it’s time to start following a specific Masters programming?

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

18.5 Feels — BK Gudmundsson basically passed out after 18.5 • CrossFit Northern Soul in England COMPLETED 24 STRAIGHT HOURS OF 18.5, LIKE WTF PEOPLE??!! All in all, they finished 18.5 more than 250 times and raised more than $1700 for charity • Sheila Barden said, “I LOVE this workout, so I’m hitting it again tomorrow, for no other reason than to find the pain cave and live there for just a few more minutes before we officially close out the CrossFit Games Open Season” • On Saturday morning at 6:00 AM, Jason Khalipa completed all five 2018 CrossFit Open WODs
back-to-back with only five minutes rest in between.

…and this is basically what was going through everyone’s mind during 18.5.

Movie Night: Watching the Fittest on Earth with the Fittest on Earth — Saturday night, we got together for a special movie night in Hollywood, CA to watch the Redeemed and the Dominant with some of the fittest ladies on Earth, literally. Jamie Hagiya, Val Voboril, Maddy Curley, Tennil Reed-Beuerlein and Kris Clever took 14-year-old Maddy Espinoza (who was 9th in the world and 1st in the West after 18.4) out for a movie night. 

“When To Quit” by Justin Lind, Breaking Muscle

Giving up is counter-productive. Let’s examine when quitting is actually the most productive option, and how to determine the difference between productive quitting and simply hanging it up.

I walk a thin line to even suggest that “quitting” might actually be a viable, dare I say, positive option. Lack of motivation, commitment, and follow-through is the primary reason that most people fail to achieve their fitness goals. But the reciprocal problems of bullheaded commitment, tunnel-vision, and overreaching bring up a very close second place.

These latter issues manifest in myriad ways. Hyperfocus on strength or performance goals can easily overshadow the holistic needs for rest and recovery and obscure the otherwise clearly visible signs of a pending injury. Imitating the routines of your favorite Instagram fitness guru is often an exercise in frustration. Continuing a program or style of training that is ineffective or contrary to your goals simply from a perceived sense of commitment is the fastest way to come to resent your training.

3/30: Last Day to Sign Up for Northern Italy w/ VoyEdge RX4/7: Battle of the Badges (Anaheim, CA)

4/7: The Revolution (San Antonio, TX)

4/7: GenX Masters Comp (Salem, MA)

4/7: Lt Col William “Wild Bill” Schroeder Memorial Competition (San Antonio, TX)

4/13 – 4/15: The Railyard Games (Albuquerque, NM)

4/14: Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/14: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

4/14: Deuces Wild by Warrior Affiliate League (Baldwin Park, CA)

4/14: Atlas Blarney Stone Competition (Denver, CO)

4/14: RISE of the Masters (Statesboro, GA)

4/14: CrossFit Forte FORCE For Families (Nashville, TN)

4/14 – 4/15: Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge (Columbia, MD)

4/14 – 4/15: WOD Wars Fitfest (Dunedin, FL)

4/14 – 4/15: Funky Town Throwdown (Ft. Worth, TX)

4/19: Teens and Masters Qualifier (Invitation Only)

4/20 – 4/22: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/21: Festivus Games (Nationwide)

4/21: Mayhem for MSR (Cookeville, TN)

4/21: Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/21: FoxWOD (Panama City Beach, FL)

4/21: Swamp Challenge (Gainesville, FL)

4/21: Mucctown Throwdown (Winnemucca, NV)

4/28: Battleground SoCal (Wimington, CA)

4/28: Girls Gone Rx (Cincinnati, OH)

4/28: Salem Slaughterfest (Salem, OR)

4/28: 3rd Annual Appletown Throwdown (Cornelia, GA)

4/28: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

4/28 – 4/29: Walter’s Cup Throwdown (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

4/28 – 4/29: Battle of the Bluffs (Council Bluffs, IA)

4/28 – 4/29: King City Throwdown (Tupelo, MS)

5/4 – 5/5: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/4 – 5/5: No Gutz No Glory (Denver, CO)

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: 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)

5/11 – 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)

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

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