Cale Layman's Story

June 30th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Cale Layman breaks his silence.

  • New dad, new rules — fatherhood meets fitness.

  • Injury myths busted, again.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

In eight years, when I get out of the Army and someone Googles my name, the first thing they see now will say, ‘he was the biggest cheater in CrossFit.’”

Cale Layman, in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up.
PROFILE

Credit: @mitsufujimedia / Instagram

Exclusive: Amid Accusations, Cale Layman Seeks to Set the Record Straight (Part 1)

Six months ago, few people knew who Cale Layman was. Then, he crushed the 2025 CrossFit Open.

And he didn't just perform well for an unknown — Layman ranked fifth overall, beating longtime Games athletes, including Jayson Hopper, Ricky Garard, and Justin Medeiros.

What should have been a moment to celebrate and possibly be the start of a viable CrossFit career soon turned into something else. 

  • Following his performance a few weeks later at the Mayhem Classic Invitational, Layman’s CrossFit Open performances faced scrutiny online, with some outspoken voices suggesting that he had cheated or otherwise fabricated his scores.

There are many complexities to this story, and the Morning Chalk Up reached out to Layman for a series of interviews. 

This is his story.

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SPEED READS

🏋️‍♂️📬 Lift Smarter: Olympic lifting is a global sport—the Weightlifting House newsletter brings it all to your inbox every Friday. Get the latest industry news, read exclusive interviews with top athletes, and see the biggest lifts happening both on and off the competition platform.

📝❤️ Good Reads: Morning Chalk Up contributor Athena Perez has been dropping a wealth of knowledge, packaged in thoughtful and personal stories, over on her blog. Check out her recent pieces on self-advocacy and MetFix.

🏆 📊 United Grid League Mid-Season Standings: The next event, scheduled for July 12-13 in Dallas, TX, will conclude the 2025 United Grid League regular season. Check the current standing here.

🧠⚖️ B.M.I. is Bad: While this is something that many folks already understood, a new study published in The Annals of Family Medicine has revealed just how much better body fat percentage is than B.M.I. at measuring mortality risk.

🇺🇸🏆 USAFF Masters: The USAFF Online Qualifier for the Masters World Championships kicks off July 1. The top three men and women in each age group will represent Team USA at the IF3 Worlds in Brisbane, Australia, on November 21–23, 2025. Learn more and register here.

ICYMI: Gluck, Kanyo, and Ibarra are back — stronger, focused, and seeking a “more normal” Games in 2025. 

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Redefine the Grind – When Fitness Meets Fatherhood

Credit: @benbergeron / Instagram

You used to be the guy who never missed a workout. Two-hour gym sessions were your normal routine.

Your friends knew you as the fitness enthusiast who prioritized sleep, ate clean, and had energy to spare.

  • Then fatherhood hit like a freight train, and suddenly you're questioning everything, including whether you should have more kids.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. A listener of Chasing Excellence recently asked us for advice on this very issue.

  • Here's what we told him: You don't have to choose between being a great dad and staying fit. You just need to reframe the game entirely.

INDUSTRY

Is CrossFit Dangerous? The Data Says No

Credit: @welcome_to_the_mill / Instagram

The question of whether or not CrossFit is “dangerous” has existed almost as long as CrossFit itself. It has served as the basis for reports by The New York Times and 60 Minutes, along with countless other articles, op-eds, online videos, and academic studies. 

  • A 2013 National Strength and Conditioning Association study falsely claimed a 16% injury dropout rate for CrossFit, but the NSCA later retracted the findings after a successful lawsuit by CrossFit. 

Every so often, CrossFit HQ releases a new summary of recent data on the topic, including earlier this month. 

The new video, “Clearing Up Misconceptions in CrossFit Injury Data,” featuring Dr. Amy West, clarifies common misconceptions about injury rates in CrossFit, providing coaches with a clear, data-backed understanding of actual injury statistics among practitioners. 

  • West is a member of the CrossFit Games medical team and a physician at Northwell Health in New York. 

Key Takeaways:

  • The injury rate for CrossFit is consistent with other types of training.

  • The most common injuries in CrossFit are to the spine, shoulder, knee, or wrist and often result from weightlifting.  

  • People should educate themselves on the origin of data and understand that author bias is a possibility.

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HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 😮Check out this throwback to the 2011 CrossFit Games, where athletes took on a max effort L-Sit hold.

  • Travis Mayer is looking snappy on these snatches, ending on 120 kilos/265 pounds.

  • Here’s another throwback to the 2016 CrossFit Games California Regional with Jason Carroll, Josh Bridges, and Dan Bailey.

  • Take a look at a lifting session with Justin Medeiros. Anyone else training with a Tsunami Bar?

  • 🔥With just over a month left to Games prep, Claudia Gluck is locking in! C’est parti, Claudia!