Gui Malheiros, Refreshed and Ready After TYR Cup

In partnership with

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Following the CrossFit Games, Gui Malheiros questioned his future in the sport. He left TYR WZA SoCal refreshed and ready to go into the 2025 season. Learn how he got there in our interview below.

• Does “grass-fed” or “wild-caught” matter? EC Synkowski explains the “organic myth” today.

• Summit CrossFit sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Helene. Learn how you can help.

Think your gym should be featured as an affiliate of the month? Send us a note explaining why.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We just need to make sure people can breathe in there and not get sick. And then once the mud is all gone, we can see the actual damage. Our rig is standing. It's going to be disgusting, and we're going to need to pressure wash the heck out of it. But the rig is standing.” -Leslie Marie Cardix, owner of Summit CrossFit in Asheville, NC, on the short-term plans post-Helene

PROFILE

Gui Malheiros Leaves TYR Cup Refreshed, Ready for More

Leading up to the 2024 CrossFit Games, fans worldwide were anticipating the comeback of fan-favorite Gui Malheiros. 

• After missing out on qualifying for the Games in 2023 and then battling mental health challenges, Malheiros dominated the Copa Sur in the spring, solidifying his spot in Texas. 

When the Games workouts were announced, that anticipation grew as many of us imagined him soaring through “Event 6: Clean Ladder” and putting on a show in “Event 4: Track and Field.” It simply wasn’t meant to be, though.

• Malheiros was initially one of the competitors who chose to remain in the competition after Lazar Ðukić died in the first event. However, it was apparent that, like so many of his fellow athletes, his heart was broken. 

The Malheiros on the floor was unrecognizable from the athlete fans have come to know. He is usually an energetic competitor who interacts with fans, hypes up the crowd, and joyfully yells and flexes after he wins.

• When Malheiros competed in Events 2 and 3 (“Midline Climb” and “Firestorm”) on the second day of the Games, it was clear his heart just wasn’t in it.

He pulled out of competition after Event 3, ending his weekend and his 2024 CrossFit Games experience. 

Like so many, Malheiros left Texas devastated and heavy. His motivation to do much fitness-wise was low, and he questioned his competitive future.

A MESSAGE FROM HARLO

Try Harlo’s New 3-in-1 Drink Mix!

Discover Harlo, the ultimate wellness drink taking the market by storm. This isn’t just any electrolyte mix. Harlo uniquely blends collagen for skin and joint health, creatine for boosted energy levels, and essential electrolytes for optimal hydration. Perfect for enhancing your daily health regimen, Harlo delivers comprehensive benefits with each scoop.

Experience the Harlo difference today!

SPEED READS

⛑️ 💪 Mayhem Mission Supports Hurricane Helene Relief: Mayhem Mission, the charitable arm of CrossFit Mayhem and Mayhem Nation, is joining with local organizations in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina to support relief efforts following Hurricane Helene. Learn how you can help here. If you are interested in serving on-site, inquire here.

📺👂“Hear Their Stories”: CrossFit’s new video series, called “Hear Their Stories” brings viewers into the heart of the CrossFit community. In the first episode, learn about affiliate owner, Tad Carter and his community at Model City CrossFit in Anniston, AL. Watch now.

📋🧑‍💻Want to Run a Fitness Competition? Check out this new online course from the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3), “Running a Functional Fitness Competition.” The course is live now and open for enrollment.

• According to the iF3 description: “This course is an introductory level course, aimed at teaching new or less experienced event organizers about the nuances of running a functional fitness competition under iF3 rules.”

💪 🙌 Working with Larger Bodies Seminar: Athena Perez and Scaled Nation Training will be delivering the Working with Larger Bodies seminar at CrossFit HSN in Pompano Beach, FL on Saturday, November 9. This will be the last Working with Larger Bodies seminar of the 2024 season. Register now.

ICYMI: Games athletes showed out during Reps Ahead Pro 4 at TYR WZA SoCal, as Jayson Hopper and Anikha Greer proved victorious (despite Hopper’s match with James Sprague going to a tiebreak decision). Get the details.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Organic Myth: Why 'Natural' Doesn't Always Mean Healthier

Are you spending extra on organic produce and grass-fed meats, convinced they're significantly healthier?

As many listeners of the Consistency Project podcast were when I talked about this in a recent episode, you might be surprised to learn that the nutritional differences are often negligible – even though organic, grass-fed, and wild-caught foods have become increasingly popular among CrossFitters and other health-conscious folks.

Many believe these options are nutritionally superior to their conventional counterparts. However, recent scientific research paints a different picture.

Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Beef

While many tout grass-fed beef as healthier, the differences are less significant than you might think. Looking at the variance of omega-3 and omega-6 in a 100g serving, for example, we find:

• Grass-fed beef contains 0.06 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, compared to 0.03 grams in grain-fed beef.

• Grass-fed beef has 0.08 grams of omega-6 fatty acids, while grain-fed has 0.2 grams.

COMMUNITY

Summit CrossFit Ravaged by Hurricane Helene — Community Cleanup Begins Soon

The building that holds Summit CrossFit and its community is still standing, but the interior is unrecognizable. 

• A foot of mud covers the gym floors, walls are ripped down, and bathrooms are destroyed, all in the wake of Hurricane Helene. 

Leslie Marie Cardix, who has owned Summit CrossFit in Asheville, NC, since 2018, is slowly starting to pick up the pieces of what was her 10,000-square-foot gym. 

The hurricane made landfall last Thursday, September 26, in northwestern Florida and made its way to Georgia and the Carolinas. 

• As of October 2, 2024, at least 180 deaths have been attributed to the storm, and countless people are still displaced in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and other states. The rebuilding effort is likely to take several months, if not years. 

Cardix started to prepare for the storm on Thursday night by putting out sandbags. Still, she wasn’t expecting damage to this extent. 

The gym, located within a concrete warehouse, withstood the storm, but the damage inside was devastating. By Friday afternoon, they had 10 feet of water on the outside of the building.

• “Our street was inaccessible. You could see raging water slowing down shipping containers from the local Walmart. There is a U-Haul store right on the other side of the street at the corner and their U-Hauls were floating down the street and by then I knew we were not in good shape,” Cardix tells Morning Chalk Up, in an interview. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.

• 🎂Happy birthday to Dylan Malitsky and Wesley Jack Paulson.

• Check out CF-L2 coach Will power snatch 129 kilos/285 pounds.

• ICYMI, Luana Soares from Brazil hit a 105-kilo/231-pound snatch at TCB last month.

• Happy one-year anniversary to CrossFit Switchback in Kalispell, MT.

• 🙌Another lifetime PR for Mac McAdams of CrossFit Fort Vancouver - this time it’s a 151-kilo/335-pound clean and jerk. Nice work, Mac!