2024 CrossFit Games Preview: Team Division

August 2nd, 2024

POWERED BY:

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • In just under a week, the Fittest on Earth will throw down in Fort Worth, TX, at the 2024 Crossfit Games. Check out our preview and predictions for the Team Division today.

  • Have you found paid digital advertising to be unsuccessful in finding and closing leads for your affiliate? Maybe there are ways to improve and sharpen your approach. Find out more below.

  • For those headed to Fort Worth in person next week, we’ve got a guide on where to eat and drink at the CrossFit Games.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The CrossFit Games are like Christmas morning!” - Matt O’Keefe, HWPO Training CEO, on his excitement leading up to the 2024 CrossFit Games

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @alextrobough / Instagram

2024 CrossFit Games Preview: Team Division

In a few short days, the 16th Affiliate Cup competition will kick off at the 2024 CrossFit Games. 

  • Teams representing the seven Semifinal regions will take the floor in Fort Worth, TX, to determine the Fittest Affiliate on Earth.

Since its inception in 2009, we’ve seen the growth of the team competition and an increase in overall skill and level of competition throughout the division. 

  • What first started off 16 years ago as a side event has blossomed into a massive piece of the Games experience as teams are now backed by major sponsors and feature some of the biggest names in CrossFit.

In fact, the road to the team competition at the Games this year was more competitive than ever. 

  • With a field of only 30 teams, this year represents the smallest team competition since 2019 and the second smallest field in the history of the CrossFit Games. 

Beyond the size, we’ve also seen some big names enter into the team competition, including multi-year veteran team athletes and former individual Games athletes. 

So, let’s dig in.

Teams to Watch at the 2024 CrossFit Games

Top Contenders 

Last year, fans witnessed an upset for the coveted top spot on the podium when CrossFit Invictus beat out CrossFit East Nashville PRVN, which was comprised of veterans Andrea Nisler, Taylor Williamson, Tola Morakinyo, and Tim Paulson.

  • This year, CrossFit Invictus is back stronger than ever and stands a solid chance of continuing its winning streak.

A MESSAGE FROM LUMEN

Understand Your Unique Metabolism With Lumen

If you’ve been dieting, hitting your PRs, and faithfully performing your WODs without seeing the results you want, you might be missing out on one key piece of the puzzle: your metabolism. And with Lumen, you can get a better understanding of your metabolism right at your fingertips. 

Lumen is the world's first portable device that measures your metabolism with a single breath. By tracking the CO₂ concentration in your breath, Lumen determines whether you are burning fat or carbs as fuel and provides tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and stress management.

Breathing into the Lumen before a workout will tell you whether you are burning fat or carbs as fuel. This helps you determine if you need to carb up before a training session in order to get the most out of your time at the gym. 

There’s more to it than that, though. Lumen also provides you with a personalized nutrition plan for the entire day based on your measurements. If your body needs a low-carb day, Lumen guides you in the right direction, complete with a macro breakdown. This leads to improved metabolic flexibility, which is your body's efficiency in shifting between using fats and carbs. 

The result of all this data? More sustainable muscle growth and fat loss tailored to your individual needs and goals.

If you want to unlock the potential of your metabolism and start crushing your fitness goals, read more about Lumen here. And right now, Morning Chalk Up readers will get an exclusive 15% discount on their purchase.

SPEED READS

💪🙌 B.Friendly Breaks It Down: In case you missed them, Brian Friend and Patrick Clark from B.Friendly Fitness invited frequent MCU contributor and Known & Knowable creator Mike Halpin for a discussion of Brian’s CrossFit Games leaderboard predictions. Check out the men, women, and teams.

🧊😎 YETI Named Presenting Sponsor of CrossFit Games ESPN Coverage: In a press release earlier this week, CrossFit LLC announced that YETI will be the presenting sponsor of the CrossFit Games telecasts across ESPN and ESPN2 in the United States.

  • YETI is also producing limited-edition 2024 CrossFit Games signature cups that will be available for purchase on-site at concession stands inside the CrossFit Experience at Will Rogers Memorial Center and Dickies Arena.

🏃🚨HYROX Update: Last week, HYROX announced a new structure to its Elite 15 Series in the 2024/25 season.

ICYMI: Records are broken and milestones are hit every year at the CrossFit Games, and this year will be no different. Take a look at these 13 records that might fall in the Lone Star State.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: @femfit_redding / Instagram

Digital Advertising Isn’t Helping You? Here's How To Improve

It might be a surprise, but according to the 2023 Two-Brain Business State of the Industry Report, just under 50 percent of gyms relied on paid digital ads in 2023.

  • That said, 80.9 percent of the 13,444 gyms—more than half of which were CrossFit gyms—included in the report also said they have tried paid digital ads at some point, but they no longer do.

Two of the main reasons for abandoning paid digital ads, according to the report included: “[O]rganic campaigns and referrals are more effective,” and that advertising in the past has led to “poor quality leads.”

Here’s the thing, though: The report also found that more profitable gyms run paid ads, so it could be that gyms not succeeding with them might just be missing the mark.

  • In light of this, we found three gyms that are having serious success with paid advertising, not only in bringing them leads, but bringing them high-quality leads (aka people looking for and willing to pay a premium for coaching).

What They’re Saying

Tommy Allen, District H Strength and Fitness

Last month, we reported on Tommy Allen’s gym District H Strength and Fitness in Houston, TX, and how he’s successfully charging as much as $6,000 for his three-month onboarding program that goes beyond fitness to include lifestyle and nutrition mentorship, one-on-one personal training, and in some cases individual design.

  • He also offers a middle ticket membership that costs between $400 and $600 a month, as well as a group class-only membership for between $185 and $225 a month.

What we didn’t mention is that Allen is finding these high-ticket clients predominantly through paid digital advertising.

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @joetgarcias_  / Instagram

10 Top Places to Eat and Drink in Fort Worth During the CrossFit Games

When you think of Texas, you think of food and beer, and there are plenty of options in Forth Worth to delight any palate. Spectating at the CrossFit Games is a marathon, not a sprint, so you will have to refuel. 

Here is a non-exhaustive list of great options to grab grub if you’re in town for the Games.

Heim Barbecue 
Address: 1109 W Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth, TX

BBQ and Texas go hand in hand, so we needed at least one joint to make our list.

  • Heim is the original home of bacon burnt ends, and the owners have been smoking meat since after college.

They opened their first restaurant on Magnolia in 2016 and now have two locations in Fort Worth, both open seven days a week. They also serve homemade seasonal cobblers, draft beer, craft cocktails, and wine.

Woodshed Smokehouse 
Address: 3201 Riverfront Dr., Fort Worth, TX

Woodshed Smokehouse is the brainchild of local celebrity chef Tim Love and is more than a restaurant in Fort Worth. 

  • Visiting the Smokehouse, patrons will experience pit-smoked meats blended with innovative dishes like Love’s 16-hour smoked beef shin. There is a casual bar, dining room, and a courtyard, so there are many dining options.

Woodshed boasts three smokers, two rotisseries, two wood grills, and a rotating variety of woods they use to cook on. An added bonus? They serve breakfast on the weekends from 8:00–11:00 a.m.

HIGHLIGHTS

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