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Is This the Most Unpredictable Men's Field at the Games Ever?

July 29th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 👑 No clear king: Who takes the men’s crown in 2025?

  • 🧠 Mechanics over momentum — the kipping pull-up problem.

  • 🔁 Classics or flukes? Ranking our fav “new” CrossFit Games movements.

  • 🚨 Episode three of the Not For Time podcast premieres today at 9:00 a.m. ET!

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

[B]y winning this test, by winning the…several to dozen events that they're going to go through. It's a comprehensive and complete measure of testing fitness.”

Did Dave Castro reveal the total number of 2025 Games events on his Week in Review yesterday?
CROSSFIT GAMES

A New Era? Why the CrossFit Games Men’s Field Feels Different This Year

Credit: Carlos Fleury

The CrossFit Games begin in a few short days in Albany, NY, and the men’s field is arguably more balanced and competitive than it’s ever been. 

The men’s roster features 30 elite athletes, including seasoned Games vets, former Fittest Men on Earth, and a talented up-and-coming rookie class.  

  • Similar to the women’s division, we think that about a third of the field are legitimate podium contenders. 

And, this year has a different vibe from what we're used to. 

Following the Froning and Fraser eras, and back-to-back championships by Justin Medeiros, we’ve seen fresh names at the top of the podium in each of the past two years, and the field in Albany has more parity than probably any year since 2011. 

So, as we head into the final moments before “3…2…1…Go!,” we break down some predictions and guesses as to who will stand atop the podium.

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SPEED READS

🚨🎙️ New Not For Time Episode Today: Catch the new episode at 9 a.m. ET on the Morning Chalk Up YouTube channel — featuring Games veteran and Tactical Games Jacob Heppner with hosts Sean Woodland and John Wooley.

🔬📉 CrossFit Calls Out Flawed Injury Data: CrossFit LLC. and Dr. Zach Long are pushing back against misleading studies claiming high injury rates, spotlighting biased research methods and misrepresented findings. Get the facts and see how the data really stacks up.

⚡️🌍 World’s Heaviest Deadlift — 505kg: Hafthor Bjornsson just shattered the all-time deadlift record with a jaw-dropping 505kg (1,113-pound) pull. Watch the lift and dive into how he made history.

🙏🏋️ Lazar Ðukić Memorial Workout: The crew at Training Think Tank posted this workout as a way to honor Ðukić around the anniversary of his death at the 2024 CrossFit Games. Learn about it here and join the leaderboard.

💙🧠 Support for Coach Chris: Co-founder of C4 CrossFit and a pillar of the community for 14 years, Coach Chris Baughman was diagnosed with glioblastoma just days after Murph this year. He’s now in treatment and facing huge medical bills. Learn how to help.

🎯💪 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.

ICYMI: 🥇 Tia's the favorite, but who takes second and third? Check out our women’s division preview.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Kipping Pull-Up Problem, Explained

Credit: @b.a.w_media / Instagram

Should kipping pull-ups be removed from the sport of CrossFit? 

Let’s talk about it.

If you've been part of the CrossFit community for some time, you may have heard that Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, once publicly expressed regret over how the kipping pull-up was promoted — especially as a way for beginners to get their first rep.

  • In a 2016 interview with Lewis Howes, “Glassman said he would ‘devalue the kipping pull‑up’ if he could do it all over again. He explained that many athletes were using the kip shortcut to get their chin over the bar quickly, bypassing the necessary strength development.”

Some Background

The CrossFit methodology is built on the “mechanics, consistency, intensity” charter. To add intensity to a more anaerobic movement, such as pull-ups, the kip was introduced.

Now, using the word “invented” is a bit of a stretch, as gymnasts use a kip swing to learn the fundamentals of a skill called a giant.

  • The arch and hollow, when used together, generate force, and when that force is applied, it builds speed.

CrossFit improves athletes’ fitness by emphasizing more work in less time.

CROSSFIT GAMES

How to Watch the 2025 CrossFit Games

Credit: Carlos Fleury

The 2025 CrossFit Games are scheduled to take place on Aug. 1-3, 2025. 

The top 30 Individual men and women, and the top 20 teams, will throw down in Albany, NY, for the first time, in a battle for the title of Fittest on Earth. 

The 2025 CrossFit Games will be streamed live on the CrossFit Games website, DAZN, and YouTube.

  • Read on for schedule, rosters, event details, and a prize purse breakdown.

TRIVIA

🏋️🏆 How many athletes have competed -- as an individual -- in every CrossFit Games since 2021?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Last week we asked: Which man in the 2025 CrossFit Games field has the most career event wins?

  • Roman Khrennikov

  • Jeffrey Adler ✅

  • Ricky Garard

  • Jonne Koski

  • Justin Medeiros

The correct answer was Jeffrey Adler with six career event wins at the Games — 40.7% of you got it right. Both Roman Khrennikov and Ricky Garard have five so far in their careers, although two of the Australian’s came in 2017, the year he was ultimately disqualified.

CROSSFIT GAMES

Our Top 5 “New Movements” in CrossFit Games History

Credit: @crispydudes / Instagram

Some new movements at the CrossFit Games become instant staples. 

Others appear once and vanish. 

And a few are tested and retested before being placed on the “maybe” shelf in the vault.

As we count down the minutes to Albany, we decided to rank our five favorite new movements introduced at the CrossFit Games over the years.

The criteria:

  • Entertainment Value: Is it fun to watch? A great test should keep fans on the edge of their seats.

  • Difficulty: If it’s easy, what’s the point? The CrossFit Games have always been about pushing limits. Surprise and struggle are part of the equation.

  • Repeatability: Did it come back? Should it come back? How difficult is it to repeat, logistically?

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