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Mayhem, Kriger, Invictus — Is This the 2025 Team Podium?
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
🔥 Small field, big firepower: The 2025 team lineup is small but savage.
💡 What made Katrin Davidsdottir a legend? Chasing growth, not medals.
🧪 They test the chaos before anyone else. Meet the 2025 Demo Team.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
If I'm not hurting, if I'm not uncomfortable in this position, I'm not going hard enough. The time is gonna pass either way.”
CROSSFIT GAMES
Mayhem, Kriger, Invictus – Top Teams to Watch in a Balanced 2025 CrossFit Games Field
Credit: @domos.media / Instagram
The team division at the CrossFit Games is always full of grit, chemistry, and chaos – and 2025 looks to be no different.
From veteran squads with Games hardware to hungry newcomers ready to shake up the leaderboard, this year’s roster is stacked.
It is a compressed Games this year, with only 20 teams traveling to Albany.
Here’s a breakdown of the contenders to watch in Albany.
Remind me: Every team member participated in the Open, and any licensed affiliate in good standing that registered a team was eligible to compete in the Semifinals.
Once the Semifinals started, the team chose two men and two women from their “Competition Team roster” to compete throughout the Semifinals.
Five workouts determined which teams received invites to the CrossFit Games.
Worth noting: The 2025 CrossFit Games Rulebook stipulates that an affiliate is only permitted to qualify one team per gym for the Games. That adjustment should make this one of the most competitive years yet for the team division.
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SPEED READS
🛠️💪 Grip Strength Meets Raw Power: The axle-bar deadlift will be featured at the 2025 Games in “Event 4,” but check out this article first to learn how this implement builds brute strength, grip dominance, and pulling power. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to master the axle.
🌍💥 HYROX Expands: With over 100 races now on the calendar, HYROX is going global in 2025/26 — adding 47 new events to meet massive demand. From Phoenix to Paris, 1.2 million athletes are expected to hit the floor in what’s shaping up to be the sport’s biggest season yet.
🚴♂️🤸♀️ “Event 8” Revealed: The CrossFit Games released “Event 8” yesterday, featuring yoke carries, Echo bike cals, and deficit handstand push-ups. Check out the evolution of the workout here.
🎬 📺 The Legend of Down Under: From Sean Woodland’s booming intro to Tia’s emotional final lap on her home turf, this new doc from Frog Grips delivers goosebumps and grit in equal measure. Don’t miss it.
📍☕ From Idea to Espresso: STRONG Coffee started as a dream fueled by grit, early mornings, and calloused hands. Now the team has a coffee truck in Austin, TX — built for the bold, the tired, and the curious. If you’re local, swing by and grab a cup.
🧠🏋️ Now Hiring: Want to coach at one of the most respected gyms in the game? Training Think Tank is looking for a full-time coach to lead classes, build community, and keep the vibes high in Roswell, GA. Think you've got what it takes? Learn more and apply now.
ICYMI: 💸 What it really costs to chase the CrossFit Games dream.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Discomfort Is the Goal, Not the Enemy (And Other Lessons from Katrin Davidsdottir)
Credit: @benbergeron / Instagram
When two-time CrossFit Games champion Katrin Davidsdottir joined her former coach, Ben Bergeron, and me on the Chasing Excellence podcast, she provided a masterclass in the mindset that shaped one of the sport's most successful careers.
After announcing her retirement in December 2024, she reflected on nearly a decade of elite competition with remarkable clarity and perspective.
Katrin's career reads a bit like a CrossFit fairy tale — moving in with the Bergeron family for what was supposed to be a weekend training camp, then staying for three years.
That "one semester off" from school turned into consecutive Games victories in 2015 and 2016, along with two more podium finishes.
But maybe even more impressive than her trophy collection are the lessons she learned along the way.
These lessons go beyond CrossFit, of course.
Here are eight insights from Katrin's career from our conversation.
THINGS TO…
…GET
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Train with Rich
Earlier this month at CrossFit Mayhem, athletes packed the barn for classic Froning-style fitness — partner Metcons, swim-run grinders, pump sessions, and even a Sunday sermon. From handstand drills to rope climbs, the vibe was equal parts grit, sweat, and community.
…WATCH
Real Athletes Get Their First Ring Muscle-Up
Coach Ben Dziwulski from WODprep breaks down the exact progressions to help you get your first ring muscle-up — with real athletes hitting theirs live. From transition tips to kip fixes, this comprehensive seminar provides a step-by-step blueprint you can apply immediately.
CROSSFIT GAMES
Meet the 2025 CrossFit Games Demo Team
Credit: @crossfitgames / Instagram
On Thursday morning, CrossFit announced the demo team for the 2025 CrossFit Games, which start on Friday, August 1, in Albany, NY.
Remind me: The CrossFit Games Demo Team is an exclusive group of elite athletes who get the unique opportunity to test Games workouts, demonstrate them for the field, and learn how Castro and the Games team operate.
Get to know the insanely talented 2025 Demo Team, after the jump, and check the rosters from years past.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
🎂Happy birthday to Justin LoFranco and Wykie Estebeth.
Congratulations to Bruna of Brazil on this 80-kilo/175-pound snatch PR.
Well done to Paulina Haro on these clean and jerk singles at 114 kilos/250 pounds.
Great work to Henrik Haapalainen on this 200-kilo/440-pound back squat. Back in the two-hundo club!
🔥Congratulations to Braden of CrossFit Krypton in Chesapeake, VA, on this 129-kilo/285-pound snatch PR.