Fun Fact:Two sets of brothers (three in each family) qualified for the CrossFit Semifinals in North America — Scott, Spencer and Saxon Panchik, and Ben, Alec and Dane Smith.
Fatboigang Fundraiser: Fatboigang is selling limited edition t-shirts to benefit the Green Beret Foundation. The t-shirts and tanks are available now through April 27.
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Two-Time Fittest Woman on Earth, Katrin Davidsdottir, is Joining the beam Team
As an athlete, you are always looking to gain an edge. That’s why Katrin has decided to join the countless elite and everyday athletes using beam to ensure restful sleep and strong recovery.
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The Inaugural CrossFit Games Quarterfinals has come and gone, and while the stories to be told are many, there are five quick, key takeaways that deserve immediate recognition.
1: Missed The Cut
The first place I’m drawn after a competition like this is the cut line, specifically I want to know if any big names missed the cut. Being the first year of Quarterfinal competition, just how difficult qualifying for the Semifinals might be in each continent was somewhat of an unknown. Below is a list of notable names who were relatively close to qualifying. Many of these are people most would have put down as Semifinalists one week ago.
2016 CrossFit Games Competitor Christian Lucero Shifts Focus to Serving Others
On March 6, Christian Lucero announced that he would be skipping the CrossFit Open after first competing in 2012. He explained at the time that he had a new pursuit, one that would take advantage of the years spent bettering himself.
Now Lucero has revealed that he will be pursuing a career in the military in order to serve others and his community. Although he is keeping his chosen branch under wraps for the time being.
Remind me: Lucero has been a prominent figure in the CrossFit space, competing at Regionals five times as an individual and once on a team. His 2016 season was one for the ages as he competed with Josh Bridges, Rasmus Andersen, Marcus Filly, Dan Bailey, and Jason Carroll among others, ultimately finishing fourth and booking his trip to the CrossFit Games. Lucero ended the Games weekend in 18th place after turning in a performance that included a second-place finish in The Separator.
Making major moves: Walking away from CrossFit was not a simple decision for Lucero. The sport has played a major role in his life and in his relationships, but it became less important as he felt a “bigger calling toward service” at this point in his life. He had some “hard conversations” and then came to the decision that a military career was the right move for him and his family.
With gyms remaining shut down through the early months of spring, CrossFit expanded the Open in the interest of inclusion. The 2021 Open featured several new divisions, including a foundations division for beginners and a new masters age bracket, as well as an equipment-free option.
One big thing: The purpose of the equipment-free division was to give athletes training at home with minimal equipment the opportunity to participate in the Open.
While the division received positive feedback at first, Open participation in the division did not reflect a great interest.
The average participation across all workouts in both the men’s and women’s division totaled 1.04% with the greatest amount of participation coming from workout 21.2 where 1.3% of men participated in the equipment-free division.
Redemption Road CrossFitter Nicholas Wells Seeks Clemency and Release From Prison, Finds Support in CrossFit Community
It all started with a workout. Now, Nicholas Wells could be released from a 48-year prison sentence largely because of CrossFit.
His story: At the age of 12, Wells moved to Colorado Springs and fell into a life controlled by drugs and alcohol.
After first trying marijuana and beer with his friends, he slowly began experimenting with harder drugs which led to an addiction to methamphetamines. This addiction pushed him to steal so that he could pay for more drugs.
Wells was arrested many times for his property theft crimes, but in 2008, his mother and sister were worried about a possible drug overdose and cooperated with the police to take Wells back into custody. They were unaware of the half-century sentence that would soon unfold.
Because Wells had been arrested so many times for non-violent crimes related to his addiction, he was deemed a habitual offender, which meant the judge could sentence him up to life in person.
One big thing: While serving time at the Limon Correctional Facility for the last 12 years, Wells became one of the first inmates to join Redemption Road CrossFit, the first ever CrossFit affiliate inside the walls of a prison. He has lost over 200 pounds since he began CrossFit and has become one of nine inmates in the country to earn a CrossFit Level 2 certification.
Does the barbell revolve around you, or do you revolve around the barbell? Learn to increase the speed and accuracy of your clean by pivoting around the bar.
After 15 years of research and development with elite athletes and cadets at the Citadel AIRWAAV created the Performance Mouthpiece. By optimizing your tongue and jaw positioning, the mouthpiece increases oxygen flow to help you go longer, faster, and recover better.
Most of us automatically reach for an ice pack when sore or injured. But could this temporary pain relief actually be slowing down your recovery rather than helping speed it along?
The new course from Brent Fikowski and the Train Your Weakness team will build your endurance to get ready for those summer runs, swims, and bike rides. There are just three easy-to-follow workouts a week for eight weeks that easily fit in with your regular programming.
Morning Chalk Up founder, Justin LoFranco, was a guest on the Obstacle Racing Media podcast. He spoke about niche sports reporting, why he started Morning Chalk Up, and where he sees CrossFit going in the future.
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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