We Asked and They Delivered. Just How Big Are Games Athletes' Legs?

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Learn more about the “comeback kids” of the 2024 CrossFit Games. These 11 athletes missed out on Madison’s swan song but are fully loaded for Fort Worth’s first rodeo.

• How much is too much for a gym membership? For some people, the answer might be surprising. Find out more below.

• How big are CrossFit Games athletes’ legs? We asked for the measurements…

Do you think your affiliate should be featured as our Affiliate of the Month for August? Send us a quick note explaining why.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“My legs are not big enough for this article.” - Sam Cournoyer on denying Emily Beers’ request for measurements

CROSSFIT GAMES

11 Athletes Looking for a Big Comeback at the 2024 CrossFit Games

Every year, the CrossFit season features a number of inspiring and epic comebacks that keep fans on the edge of their seats.

In 2023, Bethany Flores made her highly anticipated return to the CrossFit Games after sitting out in 2021 due to COVID and missing 2022 after injuring her back. 

Katrin Davidsdottir was another athlete who missed qualifying at the 2022 Strength In Depth Semifinal but returned in 2023 to take seventh place at the Games. 

This year’s Games roster features plenty of comeback athletes who are primed to create moments that will go down in history. Here are the ones to keep an eye on.

The Women’s Field

Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr

After taking home the title of Fittest on Earth for the sixth time in 2022, Toomey-Orr announced she and her husband, Shane Orr, were expecting a child. 

• She took the 2023 season off for her pregnancy and childbirth, then returned to competition for the 2023 Rogue Invitational, where she finished second. 

She won the 2024 Syndicate Crown and is most fans’ pick for the top of the Games podium this August. 

Brooke Wells

While competing at the North America East Semifinal last spring, Wells battled a foot injury that caused her to finish the weekend outside of contention for the Games. 

Her twin sister, Sydney, however, qualified and competed in Madison.

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SPEED READS

🎖️❤️ Chad 1000X: Last week, Jocko Willink announced that “Chad 1000X” (1000 weighted step-ups for time) would be tested at the CrossFit Games in August. Check out the announcement and join in the conversation here.

🎟️📈 Known and Knowable Games Ticket Tracker: Mike Halpin, the mind behind Known & Knowable, is keeping an eye on the 2024 CrossFit Games ticket resale prices on StubHub, Vivid Seats, and Ticketmaster. If you are still hoping to get your hands on a couple, find the best available deals here. 

🔬⚗️ Broken Science Initiative Upcoming Tour: The Broken Science Initiative is kicking off its “Evolution of the Revolution Tour" on July 11 with a networking event in New York City. Learn more here.

💪 METCON Rush Incoming: This mid-Atlantic event has been gaining momentum every year, and later this month, elite athletes will burn it down in Hagerstown, MD. Find out more about this up-and-coming event and check it out on July 20-21.

ICYMI: Brazil’s Julia Kato is one of the “comeback kids” of the 2024 CrossFit Games. Find out more about her battle back to the Games this summer.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

$1,000 a Month for a CrossFit Membership? Meet Three Gym Owners Who Are Making It Happen

When it comes to setting membership prices at a CrossFit affiliate, there are no rules. 

Yet somewhere along the way, the large majority of gyms started charging about $135 a month for unlimited group classes.

Over the years, this has increased a bit, and today, the going rate for group classes sits at $165 a month. This is according to the 2023 Two-Brain Business State of the Industry report, which presented data from 13,000-plus gyms. 

At the same time, gym owners know increasing their average client value or average revenue per member can only benefit the business. But how much is too much? 

At some point, won’t members just quit because it’s too expensive?

Well, the limit might just be higher than you think.

Meet three gym owners who offer, and are successfully selling, memberships for $1,000-plus a month:

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CROSSFIT GAMES

Are Your Legs Big Enough to Be a CrossFit Games Athlete?

As CrossFit enthusiasts, we love numbers. 

One-rep maxes, three-rep maxes, personal best times, reps, and rounds. 

And when we watch the top athletes in the world, it helps put our own numbers into perspective. 

• Or, in other words, it’s a great way to humble us into the ground because it becomes evident that we're very, very far off the mark. 

But what about our bodies? How do they stack up? Specifically, our legs. How do our quads and hamstrings measure up compared to some of the best CrossFit athletes in the world? 

We set out to gather the data, and here’s what we discovered: 

• Although those competing at the CrossFit Games this summer are of different heights and bodyweights and have different overall physical builds, their thigh sizes are oddly very close to one another (at least of our admittedly unscientific sample size of 11 women and seven men who diligently measured their thigh circumference at the widest part of the leg for us).

The women’s sweet spot: Eight out of the 11 Games-bound women we spoke with measured in at 23 to 24 inches. They included:

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• Check out this warm-up from Sonny Webster. Try it out if you’re short on time! 😜

• 💪Great work to Brian of CrossFit Liberate in Athens, GA, on the power clean complex.

• Great work to Guðbjörg of CrossFit Reykjavik in Iceland on taking first place in the 71KG category at her weightlifting meet last weekend.

• Congratulations to everyone who podiumed at The Crown competition in Spain last weekend.

• Check out this 6-year-old’s double-under skills! He’s already a master. 😎