July 15
POWERED BY

Happy Tax Day and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. The Future of CrossFit Summit begins today as stakeholders from various parts of the ecosystem meet in Boulder, CO. And, Syn Martinez, founder of AfroBrutality Sports and former owner of CrossFit Harlem has helped to organize a joint workout between the NYPD and Harlem youth, the first in what will hopefully become a series of positive community events. Today:

• The Future of CrossFit begins today.
• A joint workout between law enforcement and Harlem youth seeks to build bridges.
• VIDEO: Niki Brazier talks with Adam Klink about conquering the Castro Challenge.
• Patrick Clark recaps this week’s episode of the Titan Games. SPOILERS BELOW.

We’re hiring! The Morning Chalk Up is looking to add a growth hacker to our ranks. Key perks include remote work, a competitive salary and unlimited burpee breaks. Job description details and how to apply available here.

Don’t forget to send us your story tips, quotes and PRs at tips@morningchalkup.com!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We’re gonna try and make this as beautiful as possible, really set the stage so that my community and the police community really show up big for each other.” – Syn Martinez, On bringing Harlem youth and NYPD officers together for joint workouts.

Future of CrossFit Summit Kicks Off Today

For the next three days, top athletes, industry stakeholders, Sanctional organizers and CrossFit HQ staff will meet in Boulder, CO for a future of CrossFit summit. The in-person meeting of the minds comes after several weeks of zoom calls between the incoming owner and CEO Eric Roza and various groups within the sport and community.

• Due to travel restrictions and limitations, zoom links will be provided for those unable to attend, according to several individuals invited.

The big picture: The summit comes at a pivotal time for the future of the sport. Just last week, all 60 qualified 2020 Games athletes formed the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association (PFAA), spearheaded by athletes like Brent Fikowski, Tia-Clair Toomey and Patrick Vellner.

• Sanctional organizers have also had near-weekly calls with top HQ brass to discuss how next season will be structured but few hard details have been revealed.
• Loud & Live became the first to announce their plans for next year. All five of their events have dates and will exist outside of CrossFit’s ecosystem for the time being.

Go deeper:

• “Athletes Assemble! The Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association Is Born”
• “Loud & Live Sports Moves Forward, Announces 2021 Event Dates”

Work Hard & Recover Light with 20g of Clean Protein On-The-Go

No preparation needed – just grab and recover. Ascent’s Recovery Water is the easiest way to end your workout strong. 

Packed with 20g of clean protein & 0 artificial ingredients, Recovery Water is now available in 3 amazing flavors – Fruit Punch, Watermelon, and Pineapple Coconut.

You’ll never have to slow down with Recovery Water. This ready-to-go beverage is boosted with electrolytes to keep you hydrated as you finish a workout. No hassle, just clean protein that is ready to drink.

Buy Recovery Water directly online and receive free shipping on all orders, or purchase on Amazon.

New York Police Join Forces with Harlem’s Youth

It’s shortly after lunch in Upper Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, and already there’s a collection of police vans and vehicles parked and huddled around an area of the Morningside Park, a public park that sits at the western border of Harlem. A collection of NYPD officers, and local youth from the area prepare for a struggle, but as a photographer snaps photos of the group unloading bumper plates, and medicine balls out of the police vans, it becomes clear that the nature of the event about to take place is much different than the ones typically seen under these circumstances.

A joint workout between police and the Harlem youth community is about to unfold in the park, with players from the Harlem Jets youth football team, and roughly 40 police officers from every precinct in Harlem along with the housing authority, and Chief of Counterterrorism.

• The struggle this time is purposeful, and shared, as both come together under the umbrella of exercise and use sweat equity as a means to build meaningful bridges in a current social climate that would otherwise place the two groups at odds.

Syn Martinez, former owner of CrossFit Harlem and founder of Afrobrutality Sports, helped organize the event. Martinez has long been a proponent of fitness and the CrossFit methodology in the Harlem area as a means to educate and unify people of all walks of life; the workout in the park is the result of his latest efforts to bring people in the community together.

• During CrossFit Harlem’s formative years, Martinez and his Afrobrutality crew trained a collection of NYPD officers that included current Chief of Collaborative Policing Lori Pollock. The time in the gym helped build trusting relationships that set the foundation for events like the park workout.
• Martinez: “It was always about a banner of brutal workouts that were a platform for the development of relationships that otherwise might not happen in the streets. All walks of life were welcome, and the only thing that mattered was that you showed up, and worked hard.”

Continue Reading…

Video: Sub 5 Mile + 500lb Back Squat. Adam Klink Conquers Castro Challenge | The Bottom Line

Watch Now…

The Titan Games East Regional Starts, Kareem Brinson Debuts

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

On NBC’s The Titan Games, the East Region kicked off competition to crown its Titan on Monday evening. CrossFit coach and DJ Kareem Brinson was center stage in the competition as he represented his home state of New Jersey with a chance to face Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s hand-picked Titan, five-time UFC champion Tyron Woodley on Mount Olympus.

Event 1, “Nuts and Bolts:” Brinson would face high school teacher and basketball coach William Sutton for that chance to claim Titan status on Mount Olympus starting with “Nuts and Bolts” in the opener of the best-of-three eliminator.

• Sutton got off to a fast start and held a slight lead over Brinson as he was able to clear the top-row of weights on his wall. He then elected to take a shot of lowering his wall with over 1,000 lbs still attached. That strategy proved costly as he underestimated how heavy the wall remained, barely budging it on his attempt. Meanwhile, Brinson kept working on shedding weights from the wall. Brinson made his move and easily pulled it down, then pulled the lever for the event win. Brinson – 1, Sutton – 0.

Event 2, “Lunar Impact:” Brinson had the advantage heading into the fan-favorite event, “Lunar Impact.” Sutton needed a win to keep his Titan dreams alive.

• Brinson stumbled on the ladder from the start while his counterpart made it up onto the elevated platform and built up a full head of steam as he attacked the wall and had all the momentum. Brinson was greeted by the wall and had little chance against Sutton. The school teacher easily pushed Brinson off the platform with a resounding win in record time. Brinson – 1, Sutton – 1.

Continue Reading…

THINGS TO…

…WATCH

The Buttery Bros Take on Glute Day with Whitney Simmons

Back in Salt Lake City following their road trip through the CrossFit community, Marston Sawyers and Heber Cannon are joined by YouTube fitness influencer, Whitney Simmons for a glute workout and some epic tights. Don’t miss this one!

RISE AND SHINE, GLUTES!

SPONSORED

…VIEW

Free Nutrition Business Workshop

Is nutrition the missing piece of the puzzle in your gym? HSN Mentoring hosted a virtual workshop to help gym owners and coaches build successful nutrition programs. You can access the replay including the presentations, application videos, and a workbook for free. Topics discussed: Marketing, Member Retention, FAD Diets, and Corporate Partnerships.

FREE NUTRITION WORKSHOP.

…EAT

Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal

Wait a second, this delicious peanut butter zucchini bread baked oatmeal that tastes exactly like a peanut butter oatmeal cookie! This easy, dairy-free recipe is packed with protein, freezer-friendly and perfect for breakfasts meal prep during the week. Serve warm with a dollop of peanut butter on top.

PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE FTW!

…HEAR

Armen Hammer’s Analysis of the PFAA

In this episode of his vlog, Armen Hammer discusses the creation of the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association. Check it out to hear his take on four big questions surrounding the organization.

TEASERS AT THE END TOO!

TRIVIA

Congratulations to James R., who was the first to correctly answer who has won the second-most Games medals (from all divisions). The correct answer was either Mathew Fraser or Mary Beth Prodromides. Both have won six Games Medals: Mathew with six Individual – four Gold and two Silver; Mary Beth with 6 Masters – four Gold, two Silver. This was the fourth time that James was the first person to correctly answer the trivia question. Also, honorable mention to Sergio H. for being the only one to pick Prodromides.

• Today’s question: Which two CrossFit Invitational athletes competed on and coached their team in the same Invitational?

Submit your answer.

HIGHLIGHTS…

• Happy Birthday Chandler Smith.
• Adam Klink runs a 4:56 mile and squats 500 pounds in one day.
• Happy Birthday Meredith Root.
• Allison Kindle back squats 190 pounds for 3.
• Happy Birthday Patrick Vellner.
• Jimmy Almeter front squats 245 pounds.
• Happy Birthday Brooke Wells.