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  • 🚐 Justin Medeiros Hits the Road for 3-Day Road Trip to Celebrate CrossFit Community

🚐 Justin Medeiros Hits the Road for 3-Day Road Trip to Celebrate CrossFit Community

September 12th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 🚐 Justin Medeiros and crew set to hit the California coast for affiliate road trip.

  • 🥗 Food shapes mood: Omega-3s, B-vitamins, and magnesium matter.

  •  🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rogue returns to Scotland — 2025 roster could be bigger than ever.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

Every day amazing people are doing amazing things in CrossFit gyms. They all have stories that led them there that we want to share.”

Two-time Games champ, Justin Medeiros, on reviving the “Relish Project” and traveling the California coast by van to stop at gyms on his way to TYR WZA SoCal.
COMMUNITY

Justin Medeiros and the “Relish Project”: A CrossFit Road Trip Along the California Coast

Credit: Scott Freymond

Ten years ago, three friends – Sun Chang, Zacq Hale, and Bob Daniels — set out on a road trip to connect with others in the CrossFit community. 

  • They called it the “Relish Project,” an opportunity to blend culture, travel, and CrossFit. 

Now, a decade later, that mission is being revived with the addition of another friend, two-time CrossFit Games champ Justin Medeiros. 

  • It's a road trip to celebrate the CrossFit spirit, as Medeiros makes his way to Southern California to compete in the second annual TYR Cup in Huntington Beach.

Continue reading for what the Relish Project really means and to see where Justin Medeiros and crew are headed.

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SPEED READS

💪🏹 Getting Your First Muscle-Up: At a recent CrossFit Level 1, Jason “Fern” Fernandez and Cassidy Ballensky break down the transition from below the rings to above — the critical step most athletes miss. Clean pull, smooth turnover, strong press-out = first muscle-up unlocked.

⌚🔊 Apple Levels Up Fitness: AirPods Pro 3 add heart-rate tracking and calorie logging, while the new Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 boost endurance and safety. Plus, AI coaching debuts with real-time voice feedback and personalized prompts.

🏋️‍♂️🔥 Life Time Enters the Arena: The LT Games debut this fall — regional qualifiers, a national championship at the HPLT Summit, and a $20K prize pool. With 179 clubs behind it, Life Time is taking direct aim at HYROX.

🌍🏋️ World Fitness Trials: Registration is open for WFP’s three-week qualifier (Oct. 6–26). Six workouts, 11 divisions, and $40K+ on the line as athletes fight for Finals spots in Copenhagen, Dec. 18–21.

🧠📋 Build or Buy Programming?: On Varied Not Random, Pat Sherwood & Adrian Bosman weigh the tradeoffs—outsourcing saves time and checks your biases, but only works if coaches stay engaged, adapt, and understand the “why.”

ICYMI: 🌴 TYR WZA SoCal: Vellner, Brandon, Toomey-Orr & Garard lead Team North America vs. Team World in Huntington Beach.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Food and Mood – Nutrients That Support Mental Wellness

Credit: Shutterstock

We often think of food as fuel, something that powers our bodies, keeps us moving, and maybe even helps us lose weight or build muscle. 

  • But what’s easy to overlook is that what we eat also has a big impact on how we feel. Like, emotionally.

Mood swings? Brain fog? Low motivation? 

While many factors can influence them (hello, hormones, sleep, stress, life), your diet can either support or subtly undermine your mental wellness.

And the best part? You don’t need to do a complete nutrition overhaul or start buying obscure superfoods. You just need to understand how a few key nutrients support brain function, emotional balance, and long-term mental health, and how to incorporate more of them into your daily meals.

THINGS TO…

…BECOME

An HWPO Ambassador

HWPO Training is recruiting global hard workers to rep the brand—show up, work hard, and earn perks like merch, credits, and early access. Applications open through Sept. 17.

…KNOW

Are Carbs Friend or Foe?

In CrossFit’s “Debunk the Funk” series, Eric O’Connor & Stephane Rochet break it down: 100–150g of carbs daily works for most athletes, Games athletes fuel with candy for competition, fruit isn’t the enemy, and post-workout carb timing? Not worth stressing unless you’re competing all day.

…READ

Survey Results on What Americans Think About GLP-1s

A new survey finds Americans admire GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for results —but many are uneasy about long-term reliance on injections. While enthusiasm for GLP-1 benefits is high, concerns linger over safety, dependence, and future health implications. CrossFit has drawn a line in the sand concerning GLP-1s; read about that here.

COMPETITIONS

2025 Rogue Invitational – The Roster So Far

Credit: @vallejo_media / Instagram

The 2025 Rogue Invitational is a little more than a month away, returning to Aberdeen, Scotland, at P&J Live Arena from October 31 to November 2. 

  • The seventh iteration of the Rogue Invitational will continue the tradition of highlighting top CrossFit and Strongman athletes during a weekend of competition and community.

The roster of elite athletes competing in the CrossFit competition is being announced, and those not receiving a direct invitation have just completed the online qualifier. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Rogue has historically chosen at least 10 athletes, and more often 15, through its points system (more on that soon). 

  • For 2025, they have already invited nine women and nine men, without yet announcing the top podium athletes from the 2025 Games and 2024 Rogue Invitational, indicating that the athlete rosters could be larger this year.

  • Rogue’s online qualifier “The Q” usually selects five athletes to directly qualify for the Rogue Invitational; submissions for qualifiers closed on Sunday, September 7.

  • Rogue’s event remains an “Invitational,” and they reserve the right to invite anyone they choose to compete, with any field size.

HIGHLIGHTS

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