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How a Workout Becomes a Hero WOD 🏋️♂️
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
🏋️♂️ Hero WODs are CrossFit’s ultimate tribute — but how does one make the list?
🧮 The math that will save your affiliate.
👊 Strength in Numbers has rebranded as Zero.four, with an all-female team leading the charge.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
CrossFit wants to honor those who were both part of their community and displayed true heroism…Over the years, we have maintained a high bar for new Hero workouts.”
CROSSFIT
How a CrossFit Hero WOD Is Made: Honoring Sacrifice with Sweat
Credit: @taraogdenphoto / Instagram
Hero WODs have been part of CrossFit for 20 years as a way to honor the memories of service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and are no longer with us today.
“Murph,” named after Lieutenant Michael Murphy, is arguably the most famous of all. As such, we often assume “Murph” – 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, 1 mile run, all with a weighted vest – was the first official CrossFit benchmark Hero WOD.
“Murph,” though, which was released on August 18, 2005, was actually the third.
The first fallen soldier to be honored with a Hero WOD was Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. His workout, “J.T.” – 21-15-9 reps of handstand push-ups, ring dips, and push-ups – was first released by CrossFit the month before “Murph,” on July 6, 2005.
Today, there are 208 official Hero WODs, and in his Week in Review (WIR) this last week, Dave Castro discussed how an official CrossFit Hero WOD is created.
After the jump — what it takes for a workout to become an official Hero WOD.
A MESSAGE FROM GYMREAPERS
Never Settle for "Good Enough"
Hold yourself to uncompromising standards and relentlessly pursue growth, day after day.
At Gymreapers, the pursuit of growth has fueled us since the very beginning and continues to define everything we create.
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True progress is never found in shortcuts. It comes from raising expectations for yourself, your training, and your tools. In our latest blog, we uncover how discipline, resilience, and deliberate effort forge more than strength; they generate momentum. Momentum to push harder, reach higher, and demand more.
Because once you commit to elevating your standard, there is no return to what came before.
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SPEED READS
🤝💡 Raising the Standard: AffiliateCon, coming to Dallas, TX, October 24-26, brings together 600+ affiliate owners, coaches, and athletes for three days of in-depth sessions on coaching, business systems, and movement. Speakers include Kelly Starrett, Jason Khalipa, Max Isaak, and more. Tickets and rooms are available now.
🏋️♀️✨ Olympic Lifts Made Simple: Rebecca Fuselier breaks down cleans and snatches into simple cues—patience off the floor, “recline the chair” to the high hang, jump tall like a puppet, and stick the landing. Her 13-minute guide cuts the fluff and shows why a nailed lift feels so magical.
🏴🏋️ 2025 Rogue Invitational Roster Reveal: The 7th annual Rogue Invitational heads back to Aberdeen, October 31 to November 2, bringing CrossFit’s biggest names and Strongman legends together for three days of competition, history, and community at P&J Live. Find out who’s competing as the rosters are revealed slowly over the next few weeks. Who’s on the list?
💳💥 Flex Scores $15M: The payments startup is out to unlock $150B in unused HSA/FSA dollars, making it easier to spend pre-tax savings on fitness and wellness. The pitch? Simple checkout, bigger discounts, and more access — turning red tape into tangible gains for consumers and brands alike.
💊⚔ CrossFit Takes a Stand: In a pointed call to action, CrossFit HQ champions personal accountability and education over pharma reliance. The message? Health starts with self-reliance, community, and addressing root causes — not just managing symptoms with drugs.
🎰💪 Vegas Showdown: The 2025 CrossFit Games season wraps Sept. 12–14 in Las Vegas with the WheelWOD Adaptive CrossFit Games. More than 260 athletes across 16 divisions will battle for the title of Fittest Adaptive Athletes on Earth. Catch the action live in Vegas or stream it on YouTube.
ICYMI: ✂️ World Fitness Project Finals cut line revealed. The race for 2026 Pro Cards is on.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Why Most Owners Fail at Pricing (And How to Fix It)
Credit: @besthouroftheirday / Instagram
Most affiliate owners can tell you their member count, their monthly revenue, and their latest equipment purchase.
But ask them about their average client value? Crickets.
They'll discuss "great vibes" and "amazing culture" without providing a single figure that genuinely matters for running a sustainable business.
This exact situation recently occurred during a coaching session I had with Jason Devore, owner of CrossFit 770 in Temple, GA.
He knew he needed to raise prices but was afraid of losing members. Sound familiar?
You can watch the entire session to see exactly how we developed his pricing strategy, but here's what every affiliate owner needs to understand about the math that will save your business.
INDUSTRY
Athlete Agency Strength in Numbers Rebrands as Zero.four to Champion Women in Sport
Credit: Zero.four
In a recent Morning Chalk Up article, Mike Halpin of Known and Knowable broke down the full-season payouts for all the 2025 CrossFit Games athletes.
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr topped the list, earning a total of $299,609.18, which included winnings from each season stage and bonuses for event victories.
Her earnings exceeded Jayson Hopper’s, the 2025 men’s champion, due to her performances during the season.
In CrossFit, payouts depend on performance and are the same regardless of gender – it’s one of the many reasons our sport is so great.
However, that is not the norm.
Read on to see how one agency is rewriting the playbook for women in sport.
HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
💕Happy anniversary to Eric and Erica Sherred.
Happy anniversary to Josh and Sydney Bridges.
🎂Happy birthday to Heber Cannon.
Sonny Webster takes a look at Annie Thorisdottir’s snatch from the 2018 CrossFit Games. See what he thinks about it!
🙌Check out Lucy Proctor’s toe-to-bar progress over the years - well done Lucy!