WHOOP Says We’re Having More Sex

December 28   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Guy Fieri does CrossFit.
• Final payouts for the Dubai CrossFit Championship.
• WHOOP says we’re having more sex and it’s affecting our sleep.
• For many gym owners, Christmas isn’t really time off like it is for the rest of us.

“Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.” - Stanley McChrystal

2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship Final Payouts

The 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship concluded last week with Roman Khrennikov and Laura Horvath walking away with the DCC titles and a handsome paycheck for their efforts over the three days of competition. The event organizers had a total prize purse of $333,000 to distribute to the 37 athletes who finished the competition. Included in that purse was more than $84,000 awarded to the top three finishers in each of the seven events with the winners getting $3,000 followed by $2,000 for the runner-up and $1,000 for third place.

One big thing: While the podium prize purse remained consistent over the past several years ($50,000, $30,000, and $20,000), there has been a noticeable decrease in payouts further down the leaderboard.

• Sixth place took home $3,500 less than in 2018 when the base payout was $6000, plus additional money earned for finishing top three in an event.
• The minimum payout was also reduced from $1000 to $500.
• Dubai is still one of only two major off-season events that actually pays out all athletes. The other is the Rogue Invitational.

How Rich Froning Optimizes Breathing for Peak Performance

Optimizing breathing was a major focus of Froning’s going into The Games. Froning’s choice to improve his breathing? The AIRWAAV™ Performance Mouthpiece.

“I’ve felt the most benefit in breathing during heart-rate-focused workouts like metabolic conditioning.”

The AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece is clinically proven to help you:

• Increase Endurance: Reduce respiratory rate by 20%.
• Increase Strength: Improve muscular endurance.
• Recover Faster: Reduce cortisol by up to 50%.

Try the AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece in your next WOD to breathe like a champ.

Lukas Esslinger, four-time individual Games athlete, announced he’s retiring from CrossFit.

• “I am happy to announce that I have officially retired from professional sports. I am proud to say, that I do this on my own terms.”
• “Besides sports I have always put a lot of effort into school and am happy that as of last July, all the work outside has paid of. I managed to start a career in a field that I am genuinely passionate about.”

👨‍🍳 Guy Fieri, the host of the Food Network hit show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” does CrossFit.

• “CrossFit and HIIT training is super important to me. I don’t have a lot of time so I need to get that heart rate up, keep it up and make the workouts count.”

Emma Lawson joins the Picsil Sport team, her second major endorsement along with WIT at just 16-years-old.

MUST WATCH: “Behind the Rune” a behind-the-scenes mini doc following Sara Sigmundsdottir, Emma Lawson, Jeff Adler and Elliot Simmonds as they compete at the 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship.

Own a gym and heading to Wodapalooza? There’s a special gym owner weekend experience for affiliate owners who sign-up and attend.

DISCUSSION POINT: Who’s the top female CrossFit Games athlete to never podium?

WHOOP’s Year-End Review Highlights New Activities, More Sex

WHOOP has released its year-end review, providing an in-depth look at data generated by members around the world. There were several takeaways, headlined by an increase in new activities and a correlation between stress and the amount of days spent working late.

One big thing: WHOOP generated the anonymous data from its global membership base. This data took into account the eased COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom in April, as well as other countries moving forward into May and June.

• The changed restrictions around the world had an impact on rest and recovery. May 15 had the second lowest average recovery score at 53% as the CDC updates guidelines about mask-wearing and social distancing.
• The global data showed that members had the worst average sleep during the month of June. Some of the factors that played a role in poor sleep were sickness, late meals, alcohol, sharing a bed, injuries, stress, sex, and anti-inflammation medication.
• The WHOOP data also revealed that female members experienced the biggest deviations in heart rate and respiratory rate the night after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. The deviations were larger after the second dose than after the first.

Emily Capodilupo, VP of Data Science & Research: “We found a positive correlation across the year between stress and sleep duration which further supports our covid resilience project research, highlighting the impact that sleep can have on mental health. It’s a powerful reminder as the very stressful pandemic continues on with the new Omicron variant that sleep can not only help bolster our immune systems and keep us healthy, but also helps keep us resilient to the stressors we’re all experiencing.”

Getting outside: According to the WHOOP data, 37% of members chose to broaden their horizons in 2021 by trying a new activity. Popular activities included hiking, rucking, and swimming. By comparison, WHOOP members took less of an interest in parkour, diving, hurling, and circus arts.

Fitness Trends: A key piece of data provided by WHOOP in the year-end review focused on exercise. A multitude of members logged an impressive array of moments, which varied based on country.

• Members in the United States listed Functional Fitness as the top movement with running and cycling rounding out the top three. Australian users had the same top three, but cycling took over the second spot behind Functional Fitness.
• Members in the United Kingdom and Germany both reported cycling as the top movement, followed by running. Members in Ireland listed running as the top movement ahead of walking.

Stress, Sex, and Overtime: While June had the lowest average sleep performance, the data showed a considerable change in July and August. These two months featured a decrease in days spent working late, a considerable increase in the amount of sex, and the least amount of stress all year.

• Members in the United States reported having the most sex during the month of July, followed by January, June, and August. On average, members in the United States reported having the most sex while members in the United Kingdom reported the least amount.
• July featured the fewest reports of stress from members in the United States while August had the fewest number of days spent working late.

Bottom line: WHOOP provides a staggering amount of data about recovery, performance, and the impact of outside influences. 2021’s year-end review only further showcased this by proving how alcohol, sex, work, and other outside factors have a direct effect on recovery and performance.

Go deeper:

• CrossFit in the Snow: Breaking down Jeffrey Adler’s WHOOP data from the 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship
• Foucher, Thorisdottir Named to WHOOP Women’s Performance Collective
• WHOOP Data Reveals Users Increased Sleep, Reduced Tobacco and Alcohol Amid Lockdown
• WHOOP Unveils the Bright Future of Wearable Trackers, WHOOP 4.0 and WHOOP Body
• Sleep, Carbs, WHOOP and Rich Froning: How Haley Adams Prepared for the MACC

Minimal Holiday Rest Days for Many a Gym Owner

If you’re a CrossFit athlete, the time between December 24 and January 1 can feel like a luxurious one: You have days off work, more time than normal to train, and are eager to get into the gym and burn off the five rum and eggnogs you took down the night before.

This, of course, also means the gym owner doesn’t always get their much needed rest and time off during the holidays, as they want to continue to provide their clients their daily dose of fitness.

How much time does the average gym owner take off during the holidays? We put out a survey to affiliate owners to find out exactly what their holiday down time, or lack thereof, looks like.

...SEE

How Affiliates Are Giving Back This Holiday

Toy donations, supporting veterans, straight-up cash donations. Affiliates around the world give back to the larger local community in various creative ways. Check out some of their traditions and see which ones you can steal for your box.

SPONSORED

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Beam's Dream Powder

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How To Stretch Your Middle Back Like Never Before

Stretching the middle of your back can be a bit like vacuuming in the crevice between your seat and the center console in your car...hard to get at and ultimately unrewarding. Instead of struggling, try this method out for quick release.

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Your Free New Year Bundle From ButcherBox

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Potato Sausage Breakfast Bites

Some things just are meant to be together. These yummy muffin-cup bites incorporate all of the elements of a hearty breakfast—bacon, homemade turkey sausage, eggs, and shredded potatoes—in one mouthful.

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.

• 🎂 Happy birthday, Kelli Heppner.
• 💍 Congratulations to Bethany Shadburne and Randy Flores on their engagement.
• Morgan Porter from CrossFit WildWood in Wildwood, MO hit a 175 pound/79kg snatch PR.
• 17-year-old Matt Ovenden got a new split jerk PR at 300 pounds/136kg.
• Congrats Kristi Eramo on pulling a new 380 pound/172kg deadlift PR.
• Tiana Ittner hit a 205 pound/93kg hang clean PR at the 2021 Reindeer Rumble in Anthony, FL.
• James Newbury crushed his first powerlifting competition with a 473 pound/215kg squat, 286 pound/130kg bench, and 572 pound/260kg deadlift.
• Congratulations to adaptive athlete Morgan Clendennin of Connecticut on your first bar muscle up.

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