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  • 🔥 Adidas Adds 2024 Fittest Man James Sprague to Its CrossFit Roster

🔥 Adidas Adds 2024 Fittest Man James Sprague to Its CrossFit Roster

October 10th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 🏋️‍♂️ James Sprague makes it official — signs with Adidas, joins elite global roster.

  • 🤸‍♀️ Want a better handstand? Start with these three simple and effective drills from Pamela Gagnon.

  • 🛡️ When disaster strikes, the right insurance keeps your doors open. Vaughn Vernon’s AGuard has protected CrossFit gyms since 2007.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

I feel like a professional now, and that every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears from over the last 10 years has brought me here today.”

James Sprague, 2024 Fittest Man on Earth.
PROFILE

James Sprague Earns His Three Stripes, Officially Joins Adidas Roster

Credit: Erin Murphy

Two-time Teenage CrossFit Games competitor, three-time Individual CrossFit Games competitor, two-time podium finisher, and 2024 Fittest on Earth – James Sprague is now a true veteran of the sport. 

  • His smile, enthusiasm, and exuberance both on and off the competition floor are not only memorable but also what have come to define Sprague, well, Sprague. 

And, he is arguably one of the most, if not the most, consistent male elites currently competing. Aside from a bout with pneumonia that resulted in an 11th-place finish at the 2024 Rogue Invitational, Sprague has been racking up top-fives at every in-person competition since taking third at the 2024 West Coast Classic.

He’s also been repping three stripes for quite some time, both on the competition floor and sharing on his social media channels. On August 1, the first day of the 2025 CrossFit Games, it was official—James Sprague officially inked his deal with Adidas. 

  • Few knew it at the time, but when Sprague took third place in Albany, New York, he did so with a brand-new partnership in his back pocket.

A MESSAGE FROM NOBULL

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SPEED READS

🏋️‍♀️🔥 Lucy Campbell’s Return Is More Than a Comeback: After two wrist surgeries and being told to quit CrossFit, Campbell flipped the script — returning to heavy cleans (sometimes one-armed), qualifying for the 2025 Games, and proving resilience can rewrite your narrative.

🧬📈 “The Ozempic Effect” in the Gym: A new NASM survey of ~500 fitness pros finds 70% believe GLP-1 drugs (like Ozempic/Wegovy) are reshaping personal training roles — shifting the focus from calories and cardio to strength, longevity, and client retention.

🏗️💪 From Shed to Shred: Jayson and Grace Hopper tear down their backyard shed to build a custom Rogue-equipped home gym. After insulation, demo, and wiring work, the space is taking shape with new walls, lighting, and a fresh paint job — setting the stage for part two: the full Rogue install and final reveal.

🏋️‍♀️ 📅 Catch Up: Did you miss Dave Castro’s Week in Review from 10/8? CrossFit’s Director of Sport Dave Castro linked up with Navy leaders, teased 2026 Games updates, and noted that a CrossFit affiliate inside 84 Lumber’s HQ caught his eye as a model for corporate wellness.

ICYMI: 🏃 Built for CrossFit — and HYROX. Reebok’s most advanced Nano yet.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Want a Better Handstand? Start With These 3 Drills

Credit: @b.a.w_media / Instagram

If you only have time for three handstand drills, you are in luck! 

The drills I want to teach you today are simple, effective, and actually fun to practice. Stick with them consistently, and you’ll start seeing real progress within a few weeks.

Before diving in, it’s important to understand why these drills work. Handstands aren’t just about brute strength or courage — they’re about precision, control, and awareness. Here’s what to focus on as you train:

  • Positioning: How your hands, shoulders, and hips line up determines everything about your balance.

  • Tension: Strong, straight arms and active engagement through your core and shoulders create the foundation for stability. The drills below help you build and fire up the right muscles to create straight arm strength, weight shifting, and teach you how to press through and ground to create balance.

  • Body awareness: Learning to feel where you are in space — and staying calm while upside down — builds the confidence that makes balance possible.

Master these three areas, and you’ll build a stronger, more consistent handstand faster than you think. 

Now, let’s get into the drills that make it happen.

THINGS TO…

…READ

“The Mind-Altering Effect of a Good Workout Routine”

In The Atlantic (paywall), Arthur C. Brooks makes it simple: exercise builds happiness because it builds community, confidence, and control. Most of us don’t need more self-help; we need more sweat.

…LEARN

The Real Limiter to Affiliate Growth

It’s not your programming — it’s your people. In The CrossFit Podcast Ep. 41, Jason Fernandez and Matt Souza sit down with Jocelyn Rylee to unpack why hospitality, onboarding, and first impressions are the true engines of retention and growth.

…WATCH

What Masters Champ Jason Grubb Stopped Doing

After 500+ straight days of cold plunging, obsessive mobility work, and rigid food rules, Masters legend Jason Grubb admits that “doing less” — and letting go of the perfect plan — made him stronger, happier, and more consistent.

INDUSTRY

From Lawsuits to Lease Traps: AGuard Founder Vaughn Vernon Talks Gym Insurance Must-Knows

Credit: @affiliateguard / Instagram

When you own a gym, you prepare for the unexpected: a twisted ankle, a failed lift, or a power outage mid-WOD. 

However, many gym owners are not prepared for disasters such as fire, theft, lawsuits, or leases filled with hidden pitfalls that can shut down their business overnight. 

That’s exactly why Vaughn Vernon launched Affiliate Guard in 2007, a company that offers personalized insurance coverage tailored to each gym owner’s needs.

Remind me: Affiliate Guard rebranded to AGuard Insurance Services in 2013. Today, their primary focus remains on CrossFit affiliates and functional fitness gyms, as well as Jiu-Jitsu and MMA facilities. 

  • How it works: When a gym owner contacts AGuard for an insurance policy, Vernon and his team explain exactly what needs to be included in their coverage. Then, they send the application to five trusted insurance carriers they work with to find the best price and coverage for each gym owner.

We caught up with Vernon to discuss the most significant insurance mistakes gym owners make, and how to avoid them.

HIGHLIGHTS

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