Who Earned a Games Ticket at Wodland Fest?

April 28th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Wodland Fest is a wrap! See who topped the leaderboard and earned a spot at the Games.

  • Amanda Barnhart embraces balance over burnout.

  • Deadlifts don’t fry your brain — here’s what’s actually making you tired.

  • Nine-time Games vet Travis Mayer talks prep, mindset, and balancing family life ahead of the WFP Tour.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

Every time I would go hard, I would just feel tired all day. Or I would feel grumpy, drained. And I was having trouble controlling what I was eating because I just felt like I was craving sugar.”

Amanda Barnhart, six-time Games athlete, on her body fatigue during the 2024 season
WODLAND FEST LEADERBOARD

Elite Men (Qualifiers in bold)

Elite Women (Qualifiers in bold)

1. Roman Khrennikov — 662

1. Lucy Campbell — 606

2. Moritz Fiebig — 606

2. Elisa Fuliano — 582

3. Jonne Koski — 555

3. Seung Yeon Choi — 548

4. Calum Clements — 555

4. Tayla Howe — 521

5. Bronislaw Olenkowicz — 546

5. Bergros Bjornsdottir — 503

6. Colin Bosshard — 544

6. Andra Moistus — 499

7. Aniol Ekai — 526

7. Margaux Masset — 484

8. Fabian Hermans — 514

8. Linda Keesman — 484

9. Sven Geens — 487

9. Veslemøy Kollstad — 480

10. Anestis Artemis — 463

10. Vår Thurmann-Moe — 479

Full leaderboard at Competition Corner.

PROFILE

Amanda Barnhart Launches LIIT Program and Sees Big Gains by Dialing It Down

Credit: @joeandacamera / Instagram

Last season, after six consecutive appearances at the CrossFit Games, Amanda Barnhart failed to qualify for the 2024 Games, finishing 14th at the North America East Semifinal.

A big part of her was relieved.

  • “I was really, really beat up… I was surviving, but it was not good,” Barnhart told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. “The thought of training for the Games all summer sounded terrible… I didn’t want to admit that out loud, because I loved training for the Games.”

At the time, Barnhart’s shoulder wasn’t fully healed, and she felt mentally exhausted. Additionally, she was on antibiotics for an infection in her armpit that had returned for the third time, indicating to her that she was overly stressed and that something was wrong with her body.

  • “Every time I would go hard, I would just feel tired all day. Or I would feel grumpy, drained. And I was having trouble controlling what I was eating because I just felt like I was craving sugar,” the 33-year-old said.

After Semifinals, Barnhart returned home and went back to training, but still didn’t feel like herself.

A MESSAGE FROM THIRDZY

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SPEED READS

🇨🇦 🥇 Jeff Adler is Unbreakable: The newest WFP minidocumentary dropped last week, Unbreakable — The Jeff Adler Story. Check it out.

🌎 🏆 WFP Tour Event I Challenger Division Roster: Have you checked out the World Fitness Project Tour Event I Challenger Division roster? Take a look here.

🗣️ 🎙️ Castro’s Athlete Interviews: In case you missed it, Dave Castro brought back his Games athlete interview series for 2025. His most recent guest was Mayhem Classic's men’s winner, Austin Hatfield.

🥩🥦 Eat Like the Second Fittest Man: Curious about what an elite CrossFit athlete eats in a day? Follow Dallin Pepper, the second fittest in 2024, as he shares a full day of eating while training for the CrossFit season. Watch now. 

📋✍️ Join the BarBend Forum: The BarBend Forum is live now. Join the conversation about all things CrossFit and training.

ICYMI: After the 2024 Games fallout, CrossFit hires “athlete-first” safety leader.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Why Heavy Lifting Isn't Frying Your CNS

Credit: @welcome_to_the_mill / Instagram

Have you ever finished a heavy set of deadlifts and felt completely drained, as if your brain itself was somehow damaged?

You're not alone.

For years, gym culture has perpetuated the idea that heavy lifting "fries your CNS" – your central nervous system – and that you need extensive recovery time between heavy lifting sessions to avoid some kind of neural damage.

But what if I told you this widely accepted gym wisdom is misguided?

PROFILE

Interview: How Games Veteran Travis Mayer Is Prepping for the World Fitness Project Tour

Credit: Frank Nguyen

The World Fitness Project (WFP) is a competitive fitness league launched in 2025 by five-time Individual CrossFit Games athlete and 2024 Fittest Man in the 35-39 division, Will Moorad, along with Isabella and Jackson Terry, co-founders of GoodLyfe. 

  • The WFP offers a structured, multi-event season format that aims to provide athletes with consistent competition opportunities and financial stability through guaranteed contracts.

With the first Tour Event approaching – scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, IN, from May 9 to 11 – we reached out to Travis Mayer, a nine-time CrossFit Games athlete, entrepreneur, and father of four, to discuss how he’s preparing. Over the past decade, Mayer has built a reputation as one of the most consistent competitors in the sport. 

Check out our Q&A below.

HIGHLIGHTS

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