“Recognize the nature of life and accept it. Embrace the mess. There is no painless path. Imperfection is the only way through. Don’t try to avoid it. Use it.”- Brian Kight
CROSSFIT GAMES
Quarterfinals Preview: Africa and South America
This year, the Quarterfinals gives the CrossFit community a unique opportunity to showcase the fittest athletes of each continent, giving them the opportunity to move forward in the season to the Semifinals.
Remind me: This year, 10% of the top athletes in each continent will move on to Quarterfinals happening this weekend.
In Africa, 302 women and 437 men will move on.
In South America, 474 women and 725 men will move on.
From the Quarterfinals, 300 athletes worldwide will advance to Semifinals.
In Africa and South America, the top 30 men and women will advance from the Quarterfinals.
From the 10% of men and women advancing to the Quarterfinals from Africa, there are a number of athletes to watch, as well as a handful of new up-and-comers. Here are the athletes to watch from Africa.
The battle-tested: These men are seasoned Games and Sanctionals veterans who have a real shot to move not only to Semifinals, but potentially to the Games.
Willy Georges, the four-time Fittest Man in France,had surgery yesterday to repair his scapular tendon. He’s out now and on the road to recovery.
ICYMI: The Wall Street Journal profiles several Community Gyms Coalition members taking on activist roles lobbying Congress for financial relief through the GYMS Act, amid sweeping closure restrictions crippling independent gyms.
“Brooklyn fitness-studio owner Katie Muehlenkamp’s duties expanded during the pandemic to include tech support for her online classes, scouting for outdoor workout locations and extra scrub-downs of ballet barres and yoga mats. There was also a new job she didn’t expect to have, and where success has been elusive — that of a de facto lobbyist….Ms. Muehlenkamp and other gym owners are now waging what they see as a make-or-break campaign while there is still some momentum in Congress for helping small-business owners. About 75 Republicans and Democrats have co-sponsored House legislation to provide up to $30 billion in aid to the struggling industry.”
CrossFit LLC is hiring multiple senior-level positions in the Education and Training Department, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, and more.
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The Scaled Nation CrossFit Spring Classiconline/virtual competition kicks off tomorrow. The event is designed as an LGBTQ+-friendly, individual beginner/scaled competition that will run through May 15. Their goal is to remove traditional barriers like advanced movements and gymnastics so that everyone has the opportunity to experience the thrill of competition.
The Drop In Doc, Adam Schulte, released his second Clinical CrossFit Case Study, this time reviewing Dr. Julie Foucher’s Achilles tendon injury at the 2015 Central Regional.
Speaking of Dr. Julie Foucher, she was baptized during Easter Service this weekend.
Fun Fact: Team CrossFit Mayhem Freedom had the lowest score possible of 3 points going into 21.4, having won each of the first three workouts. They would go on to take eighth in 21.4 for a final score of 11. The second-place team, Invictus, finished with 26.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Who Are the Open Elite?
For the last three seasons I’ve been tracking a group of athletes who excel at all Open workouts.
The Open is such a unique entity because so many people participate, and there’s a high likelihood week to week that certain workouts are going to be really good for a certain demographic, even though some of the people who excel in that particular workout may not be competitive on some other tests, or in the Open as a whole.
A couple notable examples from the past three seasons are 19.1 (the couplet of wall balls and rowing), which saw a considerable advantage for taller, heavier athletes, 21.1 which did pretty much the opposite, being mostly advantageous for shorter, lighter athletes, and 21.4, the lifting complex, which favored athletes who specialize in weightlifting or strength.
A few years ago, Mark Targett attended a conference held by CrossFit Games pioneer and long-time gym owner Chris Spealler.
One of the gyms in attendance revealed they had always kept their gym closed on Thursdays, creating a gym-wide rest day that saved their business a lot of money in labor and other variable costs.
Though Targett considered doing the same, he thought it would “be challenging to implement” without receiving “flack” from his clients at Clamtown Fitness & Nutrition in Tuckerton, NJ, he explained.
SoftBank to Invest More Than $100 Million in Barbell-Based At-Home Fitness Startup Tempo
Japanese holding company SoftBank is set to invest more than $100 million in fitness startup Tempo, “The Information” reported. The two-year-old company has a goal of challenging Tonal, Mirror, and Peloton in the at-home fitness market, and it will attempt to do so with exercise equipment and a touchscreen.
One big thing: Tempo sells at-home workout tech that range in price between $2,500 to $4,000. The element that makes the Tempo system stand out from others is that it features actual barbells and dumbbells, along with the touchscreen that plays workout instruction videos and holds live classes. There is a required 12-month membership commitment at the cost of $39 per month.
According to “Fast Company,” the touchscreen device sits inside an armoire that also holds a mat, weights ranging from 7.5 to 100 pounds, a foam roller, a heart rate monitor, and other pieces of equipment.
Users can attend one of several live classes per day and virtually compete with other athletes as part of the subscription. They can also access hundreds of pre-recorded classes that range in length.
An American Ninja Warrior Swimming Beneath Three Feet of Solid Ice
Grant McCartney travels to Alaska to complete his lifelong dream of ice swimming in the sub-zero temperatures. Completing two swims for a combined 60 meters and one and a half minutes in the 30-degree water, you’ll need a warm drink just watching.
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If you’re striving to conquer a nine-minute 2k row, or just want some help with pacing, then give this video tutorial from Dark Horse Rowing a try. Put the video playing, jump on the rower, and follow along to nail your timings.
Sign up for ButcherBox today and receive two pounds of pork chops, three pounds of free-range organic chicken breasts, and two pounds of grass-fed ground beef for free in your first box.
Whether it’s from working out or working from home, neck pain is a constant for a lot of us. The key to alleviating this pain is keeping everything moving with solid mobility work. Try these three stretches you can do at home and feel the tension leaving your neck.
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to tips@morningchalkup.com to be featured.
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