March 31
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. CrossFit HQ provided more details about the “Support Your Box — ‘At-Home Open'” and it’s set to begin on April 3, the same day as the United in Movement competition and fundraiser. And, Patrick Clark offers up his second of eight age group qualifier profiles, this time focusing on the 40-44 bracket. Today:

• “The Open” at home.
• What to look for in the 40-44 division.
• Tommy Marquez reminds us of the DIY roots of CrossFit equipment.

Keep those outdoor highlights and PRs coming. Hit us up at tips@morningchalkup.com.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Some people feel affronted when something they thought to be true doesn’t happen. If that’s the case, then your sense of risk is much higher, and that leads to risk aversion. You need to be able to be comfortable in uncertainty.” – General James Mattis

“The Open” At Home Edition

2019 saw an unprecedented two Opens in one calendar year and now, as a result of COVID-19, we could see a similar season schedule in 2020.

Well, sort of.

Last Thursday, Crossfit announced the “Support Your Local Box” fundraiser and has now provided details of the at-home competition set to begin on April 3.

But wait? Yep, that’s an awkward date clash with the United In Movement campaign, also set to kick off on April 3.

• The “Support Your Box” Fundraiser will announce 3 workouts over the next three weeks while the United in Movement initiative will see a more fast-tracked timeline with 7 workouts in 7 days.

How it’ll work:

• Similar to the Open, there will be a workout announced each week for three weeks with scores displayed on the worldwide leaderboard.
• Registration opens on Wednesday, April 1, however, it will remain open for the entire three weeks. The first workout will be released on Friday, April 3.
• It’s free, however, you can choose to donate any amount — between $20 to $1,000 — to register. That money will then go to the affiliate of your choice.

“The temporary closures and distance between us cannot keep this community apart. Affiliates around the world have demonstrated this through their actions over the past few weeks. Now, the entire CrossFit community has an opportunity to come together in support of our affiliates,” HQ said.

“Not only do we have an opportunity to raise funds for affiliates and trainers in need, but we can use this charitable event to bring CrossFit into the garages and living rooms of our loved ones.”

Check out the full announcement.

What could we see pop up in the programming? Will CrossFit stick to bodyweight movements or continue it’s living room antics from CrossFit.com with jug thrusters and dining chair step-ups?

Continue Reading…

Ex-Under Armour Execs Designed Jeans for Athletes

Revtown was born when a few Under Armour guys took everything they knew about workout clothes and used it to make jeans that fit comfortably, are worn-in just right, and reasonably priced.

Designed with athletes in mind, Revtown jeans are built to keep up with you on go. Made from Italian milled, premium denim and infused with the perfect amount of stretch and the same stuff used in football uniforms and yoga pants, these jeans are the perfect balance of structure, support, and comfort. AKA, perfect for when you’re working from home and trying to sneak in a few squats between conference calls.

Shop now for Free Shipping and Free Returns.

2020 CrossFit Games Age Group Preview: Men and Women Ages 40-44

Today we preview the second of eight divisions of the 2020 CrossFit Games Age Group as it stands currently. These standings are unofficial after the Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ) scores were submitted and could change due to score adjustments. The top-25 athletes in each division must submit videos to CrossFit HQ for review.  The video review period concludes on April 13 and the top ten athletes in each division receive an invitation to the Games.

Chad Schroeder dives deeply into the numbers of the AGOQ, breaking down all the divisions with his statistical analysis.

Men’s 40-44 division: The men’s division features a newcomer from France who dominated in the AGOQ. The division also features seven athletes from the United States four of whom will be making their Games debut.

1. Alexandre Jolivet makes his debut in the 40-44 division after competing at the last three Games in the 35-39 age group. Last year he just missed the podium, finishing fourth after finishing as the runner-up in the division in 2018. The French national won his new division’s AGOQ with 21 points, the second-lowest point total across all Masters divisions. His 64-point margin of victory was the largest throughout all the AGOQ divisions. Jolivet’s worst finish in the AGOQ was tenth, as his average placing was 3.6. He was the only athlete in his division to win multiple events, winning event two (chest-to-bar and overhead squats) and event six (deadlifts, deficit handstand push-ups and front squats).
2. Tony Kurz was able to recover from a slow start in event one to secure his second-straight Games invitation. A member of the Army Warrior Fitness Team and an Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel, he finished eighth last year at the Games in this division, after winning the AGOQ. Kurz recorded his first career event win in the final event of the Games, winning the second portion of the “Bi-Couplet” workout. Kurz has collected two Sanctional titles this year in the 40-44 Masters division, winning at Strength in Depth in London, England before taking the title at the Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival. He dominated in Miami, Florida with five event wins en route to winning by 122 points. This year in the AGOQ, Kurz recorded three top-ten finishes including an event win in workout three.

Continue Reading…

No Equipment, No Problem

A long time ago in a (CrossFit) galaxy far, far away….

Well before the emergence of companies like Rogue Fitness who made world-class equipment accessible to the masses, there were very few options for CrossFit athletes and gyms looking for equipment to outfit their space for training. Instead, they took to finding ways to create their own equipment — sourcing inexpensive materials and the CrossFit message boards to build their own training gear.

A DIY renaissance: In the current climate where most people are confined to their homes and personal spaces, there’s been no shortage of creative solutions for training. Fortunately, companies like Rogue continue to provide equipment options, but the financial burden of the quarantine and isolation restrictions means that not everyone can afford to purchase new equipment, and have opted to multi-purpose things as gear or build their own instead.

• Dust off those old textbooks because they can easily double as a kettlebell, and let’s be honest, for how much they cost they should be multi-purpose.
• A couple buckets, some scrap wood, and concrete, is all it takes for you to have your very own squat rack at home for less than $40.
• A dry sack, duct tape, garbage bags, and some filler, are the four simple ingredients to building yourself a custom weighted sandbag.
• For a homemade medicine ball, there are a ton of available tutorials, but this one came complete with a cute baby in it.
• Who needs bumper plates when you’ve got a few perfectly good logs lying around? Extra points for the gym name pun.

But wait, there’s more: The possibilities are endless really, and there are ways to build your own parallettes, gymnastics rings, plyo boxes, pull-up bars, and even reverse-hypers. You heard that right, you can build your very own reverse-hyper.

Continue Reading…

THINGS TO…

…TRAIN

Five Stretches You Can Do Anywhere with Kristi Eramo O’Connell

In this quick video, Kristi Eramo O’Connell shares a few of her daily stretches from GOWOD. These stretches do not require any other equipment and you can do them anywhere, anytime, for stress relief, at home. When we are at the gym, you just naturally start to stretch. But who does that when we are at home. Try these out while you are watching tv, taking a 5-minute work break or just winding down for the night.

FLEXY.

…EAT

Sesame Green Bean Stir Fry

This healthy sesame chicken green bean stir-fry is made with gorgeous veggies like fresh green beans, carrots and red bell pepper, all cooked in a flavorful sesame ginger sauce. Best of all, it takes just 30 minutes to make this paleo-friendly, protein-packed weeknight dinner (that’s great for meal prep too). Enjoy as-is or with rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN (STIR_FRY) DINNER.WINNER WINNER CHICKEN (STIR_FRY) DINNER.

HIGHLIGHTS…

• Tom Coppe cleans 220 pounds for a PR.
• Happy Birthday Garret Fisher.
• Talen Rashad does 2 touch-and-go snatches at 235 pounds. 
• Tyler Gould does 2 touch-and-go push jerks at 305 pounds.
• Happy 34th birthday Kristin Holte.
• Aaron Williams front squats 355 pounds for a PR.
• Daniel Doubleu deadlifts 485 pounds.

COMMUNITY

Community Fundraisers and More

Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, the CrossFit community continues to donate time to a variety of causes, while simultaneously supporting one another through these tough times. Here are a few examples:

• The $#%! Did Your Race Get Canceled Virtual Run (or Walk): Explicit CrossFit in Sturgis, MI is hosting a virtual race for everyone whose spring races got canceled. The details: pick your distance (5k, 10k or half marathon), pick your route (road, trail or track), do it alone of with a friend (6ft apart, obviously) and post your time and picture to the Facebook event page between May 1-31. Register now.
• Made 4 Greatness CrossFit: The M4G CrossFit community came together to build 25 plyo boxes, which they sold to members of the community for $50 each to help them maintain their fitness throughout the quarantine. All of the proceeds went to the “Made 4 Greatness” team for the Out of the Darkness Indianapolis Walk to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 
• The Quarantine Games: Freedom Calorie Nutrition and CrossFit Wingman have partnered to create the Quarantine Games, an online, at-home, community event where the prizes get donated to the athlete’s box of choice. Also, every athlete who registers will also receive a face mask with the Quarantine Games logo. It’s happening during the weekend of April 17, so register now.