- Morning Chalk Up
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- 🥇🥇 Lucy McGonigle & Chandler Smith Claim ATHX World Titles
🥇🥇 Lucy McGonigle & Chandler Smith Claim ATHX World Titles
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
🏆 Lucy McGonigle and Chandler Smith take the top spots as the inaugural ATHX season wraps in Birmingham, UK.
🧪 New research shows how ultra-processed foods affect how much we eat, how our metabolisms respond, and even how our brains regulate mood and cravings.
🏁 In the conclusion of his HYROX mini-doc, Cole Sager breaks down missing his sub-60 goal, the shock of compromised running, and the respect he gained for the Elite 15.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I was respectable at the stations, as one would assume, given my CrossFit Games background, but…the Elites in HYROX are doing the stations just as fast, or even faster.”
COMPETITIONS
Lucy McGonigle, Chandler Smith Crowned ATHX Games World Champions
Credit: ATHX Games
The first ATHX season has officially wrapped, with athletes traveling to Birmingham, UK, on Saturday, December 6, for the finals.
To compete in the event, athletes had to qualify earlier in the season at one of six competitions in their division – Pro, Individual, Pairs, or Age-Group.
From January through October, close to 6,000 athletes participated in the season.
Remind me: The ATHX Games is a UK-based hybrid fitness competition, backed by Adidas, that combines strength, endurance, and speed through a series of high-intensity events.
Designed for athletes of all skill levels, the program features challenges such as barbell lifts, cardio machines, functional movements, and tactical workouts that assess both strength and endurance.
The 2025 ATHX competitions have showcased an expanding lineup of professional hybrid and CrossFit athletes, including Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, James Sprague, Ty Jenkins, Ella Wilkinson, Jen Muir, Graham Halliday, Lucy McGonigle, and Chandler Smith, among others.
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SPEED READS
🏋️♂️🔧 Inside the Fittest Man on Earth’s New Rogue Home Gym: In the final episode of the three-part build series, Jayson Hopper’s “Hop Shop” goes from construction zone to fully outfitted training sanctuary — complete with a Rogue rig, cable tower, machines, storage, and every accessory an elite season demands.
🌍💊 WHO Weighs In on GLP-1s: The World Health Organization now conditionally endorses GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for obesity treatment, but emphasizes they must be paired with long-term lifestyle change — not used as a quick shortcut. The guidance signals a significant shift in global obesity care while warning that access, cost, and long-term support remain the biggest hurdles ahead.
💪⏳ Train for Life, Not Just Today: Drs. Dustin Jones and Christina Prevett lay out why consistent strength and conditioning, as prescribed by CrossFit, matter more as you age, not less — and how training now builds the “reserve” you’ll rely on decades later.
🏋️♂️🔥 Josh Bridges in His 40s: The former Games standout shows how he trains now — simple strength work, hard conditioning, and Operation LFG structure that keeps him consistent, competitive, and motivated without beating himself into the ground.
ICYMI: 🇬🇧 Brute Strength expands its coaching roster with the addition of UK coaches Will Kane and Fraser McKenzie, marking a major push into Europe.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
What the Latest Research Reveals About Ultra-Processed Foods on Metabolism and Mental Health
Credit: Shutterstock
Walk down any grocery aisle, and you’ll see bright packaging, bold claims, and convenience everywhere.
From protein bars to frozen meals and flavored yogurts, ultra-processed foods have become a regular part of daily eating. So regular, in fact, that most people don’t give them a second thought.
And honestly? You can’t blame anyone. They’re easy, cheap, and reliable.
In recent years, a wave of new research has brought ultra-processed foods, often called UPFs, into the spotlight. Scientists are starting to understand how much these foods influence our metabolism, cravings, and even mental health. And the more we learn, the clearer it becomes: the body handles ultra-processed foods very differently from whole or minimally processed foods.
Let’s break down what the latest science says, what it means for your health, and most importantly, how you can use that information without feeling overwhelmed or deprived.
PROFILE
A New Arena: Cole Sager Takes on HYROX, Part II
Credit: @djfalconnn / Instagram
Last week, we highlighted Cole Sager’s recent HYROX experience, as he and his fellow CompTrain coaches Bryce Chambers and Jamison Price participated in their first race in Chicago. Chambers and Price competed in the Pro Doubles division, while Sager competed in the Men’s Pro division.
In the second part of the YouTube episode, Sager starts by reflecting on his 12-year career as a professional CrossFit athlete, which also provides insight into why he pursued a new goal in a different sport.
“It’s the pursuit of things that help refine you in the process. Me at 24, had I won the CrossFit Games, I wouldn’t have won that with grace. I spent 12 years of my life pursuing the same thing. Do you know how many times I hit my target? Zero.”
Sager continued:
“I had more letdown in the process than grand success. Maybe in the refinement process of pursuing that for so long, it (turned) me into someone who could handle hardship well. And help someone else. I want to be a well-rounded human being for the rest of my life.”
Sager’s goal heading into the race was sub-60 minutes, a time that Sager deems “competitive.” For comparison, this would be between 4-5 minutes off the Elite 15 men, finishing between 53 and 55 minutes.
HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
🙌Congratulations to Mirjam Von Rohr and Tommaso Pieri, winners of the IF3 World Championships.
Congratulations to Eric and Analy Castaños, who were married on 12/6.
😮💨Well done to Kaiden Hogan, who PRed his deadlift, er I mean squat clean, at 167 kilos/357 pounds.
Watch masters athlete Ruta from the UK clean and jerk 150 kilos/231 pounds.
🏆Congratulations to teams It’s a WODerful World and Don’t Coach Me from Ada Valley CrossFit in Ada Valley, MI, who both won at the Benchmark Battles Competition last weekend.