Remembering Games Champ Will Powell

January 9th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • The Masters CrossFit community lost one of its pillars last week when 4-time Games champ Will Powell lost his years-long battle with cancer. Today, his friends and fellow competitors celebrate his life and legacy.

  • The new year is a great time to get back to basics on your fitness and nutrition journey. EC Synkowski shares 5 basic health markers and how to master them.

  • New research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine provides more evidence about the importance of cardiovascular fitness over BMI or body composition. Get the details today.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“He had a quick laugh, was humble, and did not take himself too seriously…Will was the epitome of down to earth, despite his accomplishments.” - Masters athlete Dave Hardie, remembering his friend and fellow competitor Will Powell.

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @williampowell39 / Instagram

Remembering Four-Time CrossFit Games Champion Will Powell

On January 5, after more than seven years battling cancer, four-time CrossFit Games champion Will Powell passed away.

Remind Me

Powell was a mainstay in the Masters CrossFit Games divisions for a decade, winning four titles along the way.

  • He won the men’s 50-54-year-old division in 2014 and 2015, the 55-59-year-old division in 2016, and the 60-64-year-old division in 2021. 

  • Powell’s last CrossFit Games appearance was in 2022, five years into his battle with lung cancer. At the age of 62, he placed fifth.

  • In 2023, Powell underwent yet another cancer surgery followed by chemotherapy and still went on to compete one last time in the 2024 CrossFit Open.

While the community mourns a CrossFit legend, we had the chance to catch up with a few of his fellow competitors and close friends to share their thoughts on the legacy Powell will leave in the sport and the impact he had on them.

What They’re Saying

Everyone who competed against Powell described him the same way: humble, genuine, and a kind person who made a lasting impact on everyone he met.

  • “He had a quick laugh, was humble, and did not take himself too seriously…Will was the epitome of down to earth, despite his accomplishments,” Dave Hardie, a close friend and fellow CrossFit athlete, said.

Four-time Masters Games competitor Del Lafountain described Powell this way: “Will was larger than life. His demeanor was unlike anyone I’ve ever competed with. His genuine care for those around him was always evident.”

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SPEED READS

🐻 🏆 Northern California Classic Online Qualifier: The Northern California Classic, the recent addition to the 2025 CrossFit Games season’s slate of In-Person Qualifying Events, launched its online qualifier today. Check out the workouts and register now.

  • In case you missed the news, the in-person event will take place June 6-8 in Sacramento, CA, and two men and two women from a field of 50 each will earn tickets to the Games (provided they also placed in the top 1% in the Open).

  • Thirty-five of the 50 athletes on each side will come from the online qualifier; the other 15 will receive at-large invitations based on their 2025 Open performance.

🏃💪 PRVN HQ is now a HYROX Training Club: PRVN HQ, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr’s Nashville home, is now a HYROX Training Club. To celebrate, PRVN is hosting its first-ever HYROX event — the HYROX Physical Fitness Test. It’s free and open to the public. Learn more here.

😎🌴 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 and the workouts were just released.

  • How It Works: After choosing a time slot, athletes battle through five 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!

ICYMI: With the 2025 competitive season almost upon us, we decided to check in with top coaches and training camps about their rosters, plans, and expectations for the new year. First up is Brute Strength, home to the 2025 Games Champ, James Sprague, and the Second Fittest Man, Dallin Pepper.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: @optimizemenutrition / Instagram

The Basics Aren't Basic: Mastering Fundamental Health Markers

Today's health and wellness landscape is inundated with complex advice and trendy biohacking techniques. But what if I told you that amidst this noise, 93% of Americans fail to meet just five core health markers?

It's a crazy statistic that reveals how, in our pursuit of "optimal" health, we may be losing sight of what really matters.

5 Key Indicators of Metabolic Health

According to a 2022 study by O'Hearn et al., only 6.8% of U.S. adults have optimal metabolic health based on meeting five key biomarkers without medication:

  1. Waist circumference (less than 40 inches for men, less than 35 inches for women)

  2. Fasting glucose (less than 100 mg/dL)

  3. Blood pressure (less than 120/80 mmHg)

  4. Triglycerides (less than 150 mg/dL)

  5. HDL cholesterol (greater than 40 mg/dL for men, less than 50 mg/dL for women)

Meeting these benchmarks is foundational for preventing chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Yet the vast majority are falling short.

RESEARCH

Credit: @scaled_nation / Instagram

Fit Over Fat: When it Comes to Health, Fitness Beats BMI and Body Composition, More Research Suggests

Although using body mass index (BMI) is no longer the end all, be all as an indicator of your health, we still tend to look at general body composition as a visual way to measure our overall fitness.

  • In other words, we assume being overweight means we are probably less healthy and have a greater chance of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses.

However, new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests there might be a better way to measure a person’s overall health and susceptibility to disease than either BMI or body composition: Your VO2 max.

  • Fun fact: According to his BMI in 2023, Mat Fraser, the five-time Fittest Man on Earth, was considered obese.

What Is VO2 Max?

A VO2 max test measures how much oxygen a person can utilize during intense or maximal exercise. It is considered an effective way to measure a person’s aerobic endurance and overall cardiovascular fitness.

  • A traditional VO2 max test is done on a treadmill, but it can also be done on a rowing machine or stationary bike. The test begins at a comfortable pace, and the intensity increases incrementally until you can no longer hold on.  

HIGHLIGHTS

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