HYROX Hits 5000 Training Clubs, Reports 260-Percent Growth in 2024

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• HYROX hit a major milestone of 5,000 Training Clubs worldwide. The total number of clubs increased 260%, year-over-year. Get all the details below.

• How much protein is too much, and what is the right amount for regular folks just trying to stay fit and strong? Learn more from EC Synkowski today.

• We are getting into the holiday spirit, and that means holiday movie binges with the fireplace roaring. Check out some of your favorite athletes’ favorite Christmas films.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You can go ahead and put mine down as Die Hard.” - Dallin Pepper on his controversial favorite holiday movie.

COMPETITIONS

HYROX Hits Milestone of 5,000 Training Clubs Worldwide

HYROX, which is taking over the global fitness race scene, just celebrated its 5,000th global training club and is announcing the launch of a HYROX training floor plan for gyms to follow. 

One big thing: HYROX 365 is the training, coaching, and education side of HYROX and has recently updated its metrics, which reveal a global affiliation annual growth rate of 260% and over 2,300 new club affiliates in 2024. 

The details: HYROX and CrossFit have many crossovers when it comes to what they ask of athletes and the addictive nature of competition. 

Many elite CrossFit athletes have started competing in HYROX races, and many affiliates have also started to introduce HYROX 365 programming into their schedules, embracing the sport as a supplemental training modality for their athletes. 

• “As we continue the global build-out of the sport of HYROX, developing exceptional training and coaching offerings is key to the long-term success of the sport,” HYROX CEO Christian Toetzke said in a press release.

How it works: HYROX 365 is a three-tiered affiliation model, coupling training floor plans with affiliation and coaching. 

• The first tier is comprised of HYROX Performance Centers. These are specially designed (or retro-fitted) gyms focused entirely on HYROX training with a floor plan that is adaptable and multi-functional for gyms to use. 

• The second tier is made up of the HYROX Training Clubs. This is the standard affiliation model. A CrossFit or other functional fitness gym can affiliate with HYROX, and then they get to market as a HYROX training facility. They also receive early access to race tickets and the performance hub. 

• The third tier is the HYROX Performance Academy. This includes online and in-person certification opportunities where coaches can complete the HYROX Academy program led by performance experts.

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SPEED READS

🐻🏆Northern California Classic — Clash of Camps: Athletes from Mayhem, Invictus, and PRVN will go head-to-head at the 2025 NorCal Classic.

• Each camp will have a four-athlete roster and will face off in a series of individual and team events. The winner-take-all prize purse is $20,000.

🥇🗣️ CrossFit Games Champ Reviews HYROX Dallas 2024: Jason Khalipa, winner of the 2008 CrossFit Games and multiple-time podium and top-five athlete, took on HYROX Dallas recently and gave the race a glowingly positive review on his podcast. Give it a watch.

😎🌴 2024 TYR WZA Miami Beach The Gauntlet: Throwdown on the beach at TYR WZA! Registration for the 2025 TYR WZA Gauntlet, powered by the U.S. Army, is LIVE.

• How It Works: After choosing a time slot, athletes battle through three stations in one hour. Each station provides a different workout style, and the top athletes in each division move on to the finals. Available Individual divisions include Scaled, Intermediate, and Rx. Register now!

• So far, the TYR WZA elite athlete roster includes:

  • Team: “Yeti OutKasts” (Danielle Brandon, Emma Lawson, and Shelby Neal), “The OGs” (Sara Sigmundsdottir, Katelyn Van Zyl, and Victoria Campos), “Relyte Salt Baes” (Arielle Loewen, Alex Gazan, and Emily Rolfe), “PJ’s” (Jeff Adler, Jayson Hopper, and Pat Vellner), “the Boys” (Noah Ohlsen, Chandler Smith, and Travis Mayer), and “the Broadway Girls” (Haley Adams, Brooke Wells, and Sydney Wells).

  • Individuals: Jeffrey Adler, Brooke Wells, Travis Mayer, Anikha Greer, Nick Mathew, Laura Horvath, Gui Malheiros, Alexis Raptis, Ricky Garard, Pat Vellner, Dani Speegle, James Sprague, and Arielle Loewen. Many more to come.

📨💰PushPress Giveaway for GymHappy Clients: Want to win $500? GymHappy clients can check out the details.

ICYMI: The International Functional Fitness Federation’s “Super Worlds” are taking place this weekend in Budapest, Hungary, with more than 800 athletes on the competition floor. Get the lowdown and our event preview here.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Protein Paradox: Balancing Satiety and Satisfaction

As CrossFitters, we're no strangers to the power of protein. It helps us build muscle, recover from tough workouts, and stay lean.

• But when it comes to feeling satisfied with our diets, more protein isn't always better.

In fact, overemphasizing protein can actually work against us.

Understanding Satiety vs Satisfaction

Satiety is that feeling of fullness we get after eating. It's influenced by the volume of food we eat (think fiber-rich fruits and veggies) and its protein content.

• Protein is well-known for its satiating effects, thanks to its impact on hormones like GLP-1 and peptide YY.

But here's the thing – satiety isn't the whole story. There's also diet satisfaction to consider.

This is the mental and emotional side of eating. It's about enjoying our food and not feeling deprived. 

And it's critical for long-term adherence to any nutrition plan.

INDUSTRY

Dani Speegle Announces New Partnership With INOV8

“Mommy’s home,” Dani Speegle posted to Instagram yesterday, announcing her return to shoe brand INOV8.

• “Welcome back, Dani,” INOV8 posted in response.

The details: The post, set to Hall & Oates’ “Maneater,” features Speegle in a leopard-print bodysuit holding an all-black INOV8 trainer. It references the five-time Games athlete’s previous relationship with the brand as an ambassador and sponsored athlete.

• “INOV8 was one of my very first sponsors when I went all in on being a professional CrossFit Athlete in 2018. Those details have always mattered to me. In parallel, the INOV8 brand and my own have evolved so much since then, and as we know, evolution is not always linear but necessary,” Speegle told Morning Chalk Up in an interview. 

Speegle explained that the brand and the people behind it have remained important to her, and once their conversations turned to “getting the band back together,” the Titan Games champ was all ears.

• “Bottom line, we all know that the reunion shows are some of the best moments in any reality TV series, right?  So stay tuned,” she laughed.

Looking ahead: We couldn’t help but ask about her plans for the 2025 season, but Speegle is holding the cards close to her chest.

• “It’s gonna be a big one. For a lot of reasons. My team and I have been working very hard to address a lot of big goals and dreams in competition and out,” Speegle teased. 

And while there aren’t a lot of details to report yet, the fan-favorite is stoked:

• “Taking a look at the rollout for the next year gets me really excited, and there are opportunities where I will be able to add my own twist on some projects.” 

CROSSFIT — JUST FOR FUN

A CrossFit Christmas Special: Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, Brooke Wells, and More Share Their Favorite Holiday Movies

The holiday season is in full swing, and with that comes one of our favorite traditions: the Christmas movies.

While many of us have tried-and-true staples that we watch every year, others have some rather, let’s say, unique choices that are part of their annual Christmas viewing habits.

We wanted to know what some of the best CrossFit athletes in the world are watching this time of year, so we reached out to get some answers. Here’s what we found.

Beginning With the Classics

First off, Elf, starring Will Ferrell, was an overwhelmingly popular choice among the athletes we polled. 

Emma Lawson: “I watch Elf every year. My all-time favorite Christmas movie.”

Tia Clair Toomey-Orr agreed with Lawson, saying, “Oh man, this is hard. I love so many, but Elf is a good one that we watch every year.”

Arielle Loewen responded by saying, “I always love the Muppets’ Christmas Carol, Klaus, and Elf. But honestly, any Christmas movie, LOL. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a great family one we always watch.”

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• 🤩Congratulations to Thuri Helgadottir, who competed at the World Weightlifting Championships in Bahrain, snatching 82 kilos/180 pounds and clean and jerking 105 kilos/231 pounds.

• Check out this 180-kilo/396-pound squat clean from Willy Georges.

• Nice work to The Greatness Fit Fest champion Lucia Piedra of Costa Rica on this 81-kilo/178-pound snatch and overhead squat.

• Check out this clean wave from Erica Folo ending in 97 kilos/215 pounds.

• 💪Amazing job to Gabi from Renegade Fitness in New Zealand on this 100-kilo/220-pound squat clean + thruster PR.