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CrossFit Open 24.1 Livestream Viewership Crushes 2023's Numbers

March 4th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • CrossFit Open livestream viewership continues to grow year over year

  • Everyone loves a comeback story, and we’ve seen some great ones in CrossFit. Austin Heaton breaks down some of the best ones from recent years

  • It’s at the center of CrossFit folklore and remains a strong mystique in the community—the garage gym—and it’s getting its week in the Open spotlight

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Your garage is begging to become a gym. There is within your garage more than enough space to develop a gym that will rival just about any commercial facility,” - Greg Glassman, “The Garage Gym,” The CrossFit Journal, September 1, 2002

CROSSFIT OPEN

Photo Credit: CrossFit LLC

24.1 CrossFit Open Livestream Numbers Surpass 2023 Figures

The 2024 CrossFit Open kicked off at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET, on Thursday, February 29, with the announcement of 24.1. The livestream continued to show significant growth in viewership year over year and peaked during Dave Castro’s unveiling of the workout. 

One big thing: Both maximum concurrent views (how many people were watching at once) and overall livestream views (after 24 hours) for 24.1 increased from last year. The total views after 24 hours for 24.1 surpassed the average views (after 24 hours) for all three announcements from 2023. 

The details: The 24.1 announcement recorded a maximum concurrent viewership of 161,127 and a total view count (after 24 hours) of 872,651.

How does this compare?

24.1

23.1

23.2

23.3

Max Concurrent

161,127

113,624

120,336

128,658

Total Views (at 24 hours)

872,651

619,894

649,779

588,000

  • The max concurrent average for the 2023 Open was 120,873, well below what we saw this week with 24.1. We typically see viewership increase each week of the Open, so the next two weeks are expected to provide even higher numbers. 

  • The total views per week average for the 2023 Open was 619,224, while total views (after 24 hours) for 24.1 came in at 872,651. A substantial difference of 253,427 views. 

SPONSORED

EMOM SONGS: Album Released on Spotify & Apple

Tabata Songs Releases 20-Song EMOM Album.

As a CrossFitter, chances are you have seen, heard, or air squatted with Tabata Songs, the New England-based project that combines the 20/10s timing of the Tabata protocol with covers of popular songs.

"We've taken our idea to EMOMs!" says Tabata Songs co-founder Jay Driscoll. "As a musician and CrossFit lover, this was such a fun project to create."

Each EMOM song lasts exactly one minute and includes a countdown to the start of the next minute.

"20 MINUTE EMOM" is the first album release of the EMOM Song series.

SPEED READS

🚨🚨 New Film: “Identity,” a documentary film following Tim Paulson through his final season as a competitor in the CrossFit season in 2023 just dropped. Check it out now.

Games Athletes Take on 24.1: Here’s a quick round-up of some of your favorite athletes taking on 24.1, in case you missed them over the weekend:

Emma Cary Out: Eighth Fittest Woman in 2023, Emma Cary, announced yesterday in an Instagram post that she would be sitting out the 2024 season to devote herself to her faith and consider her future, competitively and otherwise.

The Mayhem Athlete’s Everyday Hero Games are back! This year, the top two athletes from each division on the online portion will be invited to compete at Crossfit Mayhem for a one-day in-person team competition where they will name The Fittest Everyday Heroes.

  • The online competition will run May 1-6, and the in-person competition takes place on June 22. Full details will be released following the Open

🚨🚨 Syndicate Crown Community Event: Sweat before you spectate! The Syndicate Crown (North America East Semifinal) announces a new Community Event that will take place concurrently with the Semifinal Event on Friday, May 31 through Sunday, June 2.

  • Community divisions will compete outside on Mary Costa Plaza located directly in front of the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.

  • Registration will go live on Wednesday, February 28, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

  • Pick your format (Solo, Team of 3, Pair) and division (Rx, Scaled, or Intermediate) and get signed up now. Each format is scheduled to compete on a different day, starting with “Solos” on Friday.

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:

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: Jonathan Ortega

Can Time Away From Training Improve Performance? Some Recent Examples of CrossFit Games Comebacks

In a sport like CrossFit, which requires athletes to excel in so many areas, it might seem like taking a year off from competition would be detrimental to success. But there are a few recent examples that prove otherwise. 

In the list below, we highlight four athletes who proved that taking a year off can benefit performance, along with three who could do the same in 2024. 

This type of success after a yearlong layoff doesn’t apply to every athlete or situation, and training during the year off is necessary. However, these top athletes have made leaps in their progress by taking the time to recuperate from injuries and focus on eliminating individual weaknesses.

One last caveat: There are more examples than this throughout the history of the sport, but these are some of the most relevant and recognizable.

CROSSFIT OPEN

Photo Credit: Instagram @justinmedeiros34

An Ode to the CrossFit Garage Gym

In one of his first orders of business after CrossFit.com went live in February 2001, coach Greg Glassman programmed and published the site’s first workout. Though it originally went unnamed, the workout later became known as “Fast and Heavy” and consisted of dumbbell thrusters and quarter-mile runs.

  • As more and more athletes began to check in on this new website and use the “dot com” workouts to train, many did so from their basements, in their backyards, in their driveways, and in their garages. 

In September 2002, Glassman penned an article in The CrossFit Journal titled “The Garage Gym.” In it, he guides his readers through “outfitting a world-class strength and conditioning facility in your garage.” He gives equipment shopping lists, and how to create the ideal space on a budget. 

Glassman’s article came out before CrossFit affiliates began multiplying throughout the world. Today, CrossFit.com reports that there are currently over 12,000 affiliated gyms, which makes it easier for athletes to find a space that suits their needs and goals. 

However, many individuals still opt for the humble garage gym, perhaps due to convenience, accessibility, schedule, or just a personal preference.

  • Games athletes Arielle Loewen and Brent Fikowski post videos regularly of their at-home training and the facilities that they have built to fit their needs.  

In a sport where the garage gym is at the heart of its history, it’s always meaningful when the CrossFit Games crew gives a nod to these athletes and their often impressive spaces. 

THINGS TO…
…RE-DO

Squeezing in Another 24.1 Run?  

You still have time to submit your score, and in case you haven't tried it yet, or if you're re-running the workout, here are some helpful tips from Michele Letendre at Deka Comp. Hopefully, you like burpees.

…SHOP
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2POOD Giveaway 

Enter to win an exclusive 2POOD Morning Chalk Up belt as well as an RX subscription to our newsletter for one year. Every weekend of the Open, a new winner will be announced, so you have three chances to win. 

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HIGHLIGHTS

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