CrossFit Masters Games by Legends Brings New Opportunities

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. 

In today's edition:

  • Talking with CrossFit Masters Games by Legends' organizers, Joe Linton and Bob Jennings

  • Victor Hoffer looks to build on strong 2023 Games season

  • Why Thirdzy might be the recovery solution you need for the CrossFit Open 

Editor's Note: The Morning Chalk Up has moved its content to BarBend, which you can find here going forward. We have also moved our newsletter to a new mailing platform. Please bear with us through the transition and know that some things will look different temporarily, but rest assured, we're still here to deliver all the best news and highlights from the sport and community of CrossFit.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Like any athlete who loves their sport and dedicates their life to it, winning the CrossFit Games."

- Victor Hoffer, on his long-term CrossFit goals

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @jasongrubb_fitness / Instagram

The CrossFit Masters Games by Legends Brings New Opportunities for Athletes and Brands

Details about the Masters Crossfit Games by Legends were recently announced via social media, and we now know dates and location of their end-of-season championship. 

These season changes, while maybe met with some initial resistance, are being seen as overwhelmingly positive. 

The details:

  • The event will take place over Labor Day weekend, August 29 - September 1, 2024, in Birmingham, Alabama.

  • There will be three categories of Teams:

    • 20 teams, ages 35-44

    • 20 teams, ages 45-54

    • 10 teams, ages 55+

    • To be eligible for the new community team event, you must qualify for and register for the CrossFit Quarterfinals.

  • In addition to the current age groups, there will be a 70+ individual age group trial division.

Some background: CrossFit announced some big changes after the 2023 Games, including the masters, teens, and adaptive divisions having their own separate events in 2024. Each of these divisions will be run independently, with the support of CrossFit. 

Masters CrossFit Games by Legends: The Legends Masters Championship has been a successful event for years, showcasing some of the best in the sport aged 35 and up. Co-founders Joe Linton and Bob Jennings believe that with CrossFit’s support, they can create an even better Games experience for masters. 

The location choice of Birmingham, Alabama, made sense for the Legends crew, citing the thriving CrossFit community there and the proximity to the Atlanta airport, one of the busiest in the world. Linton weighs in on the decision to host the event at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center.

  • “The focus was on athlete experience. Factors that came into play included a big enough space to handle three fields of play indoors, a city that would roll out the red carpet for us, and easily accessible for athletes in the US and other countries,” Linton says. 

The change does not come without challenges, but Jennings believes the positives far outweigh any negatives, and that the outcome will be well worth it.

  • “Maybe from a spectator perspective it is nice to be able to see all the divisions at one venue during one weekend, but these are the trade-offs that need to be made to give the athletes their own ‘center stage,’” Jennings tells Morning Chalk Up.

The Masters Games by Legends will be held on the same weekend as the Pit Teen Throwdown. On a recent episode of Talking Elite Fitness, Jennings mentioned that this was not their intention, but was the only option this year, having limited time to secure a venue. 

  • “It wasn’t the desired date, but when you take into account all the other factors that go into deciding on a venue, unfortunately, it was the date we settled on. We do not plan on sharing a date next year, if possible,” Jennings says.

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In The Heart Is the Strongest Muscle, Tia shares how she reached elite levels by focusing on her “why”—and shows you how to build your own unstoppable mindset. Whether you're an established athlete or seeking new challenges, you’ll be able to use her methods to keep winning.

SPEED READS

🎟️ 🎟️ Syndicate Crown / North America East Semifinal Spectator Tickets: Want to check out the top 40 men and women, and top 30 teams in the North America East region early this summer? Spectator tickets are available now.

"Unpolished," a Six-Part Series: Watch Danish stand-out Rebecka Vitesson's new six-part YouTube series, "Unpolished." Rather than focusing on training and day-in-the-life videos, Vitesson plans to highlight and explore her background and upbringing, her inspirations and mindset. 

✍️ 💪 Need to get your L2 for affiliation? The Affiliate University will pay for your L2 when you enroll with them.

  • Affiliate University is a comprehensive and results-based Business Mentorship program.⁠ They seek to help you create a thriving business and develop your coaches at the same time.

Help Katarina Fight Leukemia: The Morning Chalk Up's Julia Papworth has organized a GoFundMe campaign for her friend Maddy Curley, a former CrossFit Games team athlete. Curley's daughter, Katarina, was diagnosed with a particular form of Leukemia called "B-Cell ALL" and is undergoing heavy chemotherapy.

Working with Larger Bodies Seminar and PRVN Fitness: Athena Perez and Scaled Nation will be joining PRVN Fitness at their new headquarters in Nashville, TN to present the "Working with Larger Bodies" seminar. The event will occur on April 21, 2024, beginning at 9 AM. Register now!

ICYMI: Get to know Emma Lawson, the teen sensation and 2023 Second Fittest Woman on Earth.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: Ava Kitzi

More Than a Gymnast: Getting to Know Victor Hoffer

Victor Hoffer, the 21-year-old athlete out of France, had an interesting 2023 season.

After qualifying to Quarterfinals, he finished 10th in the world, coming out as the third-ranked male out of Europe heading into Semifinals.

At Semifinals, he had three top-five event finishes, including an event win, but ultimately ended up missing out on Games qualification by just 19 total points.

During the offseason, Hoffer was selected as one of the members of the CrossFit Games Demo Team, where he made the gymnastics course in the event “Inverted Medley” look easy.

Now, with the 2024 CrossFit Open beginning in less than two weeks, we caught up with Victor Hoffer to learn about his past and his future goals.

NUTRITION

Thirdzy Could Be Your Secret Recovery Sauce for the CrossFit Open

If there’s one thing that we know about the CrossFit Open, it’s that it’s likely going to feature a whole lot of eccentric contractions that will leave you suffering from DOMS.

Oh, and then if you’re one of the crazy ones who repeats the workout a second, even a third time, then you might find yourself with DOMS on top of DOMS.

To make matters worse, you can’t turn your brain off at night for the three weeks of the Open as you’re carefully strategizing each workout and then dissecting your performance. So, add bad sleep to the list of recovery challenges.

And so begins your search for sleep and recovery tools to get through. 

From cooling down on the bike to cold plunges to fish oil, CBD, melatonin, and foam rolling, most CrossFit athletes are prepared to try as many recovery protocols as they can to reduce the soreness and improve recovery.

Speaking of which, the number one tool you should probably consider this Open season might just be Thirdzy, an all-natural product for sleep and recovery.

THINGS TO…
…READ

A Few Tips on Fasted Cardio

Meredith and Alex from Tactic Nutrition share some insight and some advice on fasted cardio, as well as some myth-busting. New data is supporting new ideas. Give it a read and see if there are any tweaks you need to make to your training.

…TRANSFORM
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Kipping Chest-to-Bar

Check out this video from Ben at WOD Prep, where he dissects the kipping chest-to-bar, sharing some examples of inefficient movement patterns. Great advice, just in time for the Open, so make sure you're fine-tuning all those skills!

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 💪Congratulations to Jamal from Core City CrossFit in Detroit, MI, on all the hard work and progress. 

  • Congratulations to Alijah from CrossFit Next Fight in France, on the 76 unbroken chest-to-bar pull-ups. 

  • Great work to Martin of CrossFit GTPS in the Czech Republic on the three 250-kilo/551-kilo deadlifts. 

  • Congratulations to Maltese weightlifter and Olympian Yazmin Stevens on her first bar muscle-up. 

  • ⭐️Congratulations to Parker from Red Wolf CrossFit in Huntington Beach, CA, on his very first ring muscle-up. 

CrossFit 401 is raising money for members Vidal and Lisa DeMedeiros, who tragically lost their home and their beloved pets in a fire on February 13th. The fire resulted in a total loss, and long-term needs are piling up. Vidal is a non-commissioned officer in the US Marines and has been a CrossFit athlete for over 15 years now. Visit their GoFundMe page to donate if you can. 

LOCAL COMPETITIONS

3/2: The LKW Games (Lake Waccamaw, NC)
3/9: The Valkyrie Fitness Competition (Tampa, FL)
3/16: Upper Hunter Strongest Novice (Muswellbrook, Australia)
3/16: Oceanside CrossFit 1st Annual Shamwod & Shenanigains (Oceanside, Ca)
3/16: Shamwod & Shenanigains (Oceanside, Ca)
3/23: CFL Teen Take Over (Lorton, VA)
3/23: Masters Distinguished Games (Fort Wright, KY)
3/23 - 3/24: Beach Brawl (Spring) (Pensacola Beach, FL)