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Albany Is Calling — 5 Big Questions for the 2025 Games
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
🔥 Five storylines that could define the 2025 CrossFit Games.
🤸♀️ Handstand mastery isn’t magic, it’s muscle, mobility, and mindful practice.
⌚ Wearables are everywhere, but are they actually making you fitter?
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I was always trained as an athlete to use the wearable as a secondary piece of information... [At] the end of the day, what's important is how fast are you moving.”
CROSSFIT GAMES
5 Burning Questions Heading into the 2025 CrossFit Games
Credit: Ava Kitzi
We’re only two weeks away from the 2025 CrossFit Games, and with this comes a wave of speculation, excitement, and plenty of unanswered questions.
With many veterans missing from this year’s lineup and a new venue in Albany, NY, this year’s competition is expected to look very different from recent years.
Whether you're a dedicated fan or a curious newcomer to the sport, here are five of the most pressing questions we’re asking as we approach the sport’s biggest event of the year.
Who will join Tia on the podium? Can Adler snag a second title? Read on for our predictions.
A MESSAGE FROM GYMREAPERS
Gymreapers Named Official Belt & Sleeves of WZA
Wodapalooza is headed to Huntington Beach, California, bringing four days of competition, community, and heat to the West Coast.
Athletes from around the world show up to test what they’ve built. And this year, Gymreapers will be right there with them.
Gymreapers is proud to be the Official Weightlifting Belt & Sleeve Sponsor of TYR Wodapalooza SoCal 2025.
WZA SoCal is the proving ground.
For individuals, for teams, for everyone chasing more.
And if you’re showing up with something to prove, we’ve got your back.
*This newsletter relies on our sponsors. Please consider supporting them.
SPEED READS
🔥🚒 From Firehouse to Finish Line: Following up on her rookie outing in 2024, Hattie Kanyo is back at the CrossFit Games for the second straight year, proving that it's never too late to chase elite performance. Learn more about her from CrossFit lead sports writer and former Morning Chalk Up contributor, Kelley Laxton.
🤔🧠 The Real Truth About Zone 2: Do you really need hours of low-intensity cardio to get fit, or just another trend? Eric O’Connor and Stephane Rochet explore why CrossFit’s take on conditioning might do more for you.
🚨📈 Now Hiring: PRVN Fitness is growing! Multiple coaching positions are available as PRVN HYROX continues to expand its offerings. Get the details here.
🏋️♀️ 📅 Catch Up: Did you miss Dave Castro’s Week in Review from 7/14? Catch it here to learn about ongoing CrossFit Games testing — events 2 and 3 are being tested now. He also cleared up a few rumors surrounding the potential sale of the company.
🧗♀️🔧 Rope Climbs Made Easy: Games athlete Jacqueline Dahlstrøm and Progrm Head Coach John Singleton share quick tips, smart progressions, and efficient technique to help you climb stronger — no matter your skill level.
ICYMI: 🏋️♀️ Event 2 revealed: wall walks, crossovers, toes-to-bar, and heavy DBs.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
The Secret to Mastering Handstands
Credit: @korihoffmanphotography / Instagram
What is the secret to handstands?
Is it core stability? Shoulder strength?
Is it…Well, you probably won’t guess, but I think the secret is more handstands.
Let me explain: To master the handstand, you must become a student of all things handstands.
4 Keys to Handstand Mastery
Body and Spatial Awareness
Straight Arm Pressing Strength
Shoulder Strength and Stability
Shoulder Mobility
POLL
🤯 What is the biggest roadblock you face in trying to make progress in the gym? |
Last week, we asked: Which common CrossFit movement do you need the most help improving? 💪 (Select one)
🐸 Double-unders (27.4%)
🧗♂️ Pull-ups (10%)
🤸 Handstand push-ups (30.77%)
🪵 Barbell cycling (8.7%)
🧱 Toes-to-bar (14.8%)
🧠 Pacing and strategy (7.1%)
There was nearly an equal number of responses for double-unders and handstand push-ups! If you were part of the latter group, you’re in luck — Pamela Gagnon’s article on mastering handstands in today’s newsletter offers great drills to build strength and balance!
INDUSTRY
Are Wearables Making Us Fitter? It Depends
Credit: Scott Freymond
Trying to reach a step goal? Aiming for a specific calorie burn? Trying to beat a sleep score from the previous night?
These are health and fitness milestones that have gained popularity due to the wearable device craze sweeping across the U.S. and worldwide. People are more obsessed than ever with collecting as much data as possible about their health.
This trend is partly driven by the recent rise of wearable devices and fitness trackers, which come in various forms, including watches, rings, eyewear, and chest straps.
These trackers, depending on the brand, provide personalized data ranging from heart rate variability and sleep quality to the number of calories burned.
Wearables can tell competitive athletes about workout intensity (based on multiple data points), when they need to rest, when their bodies are fully recovered, and when they are performing at their peak.
But what data points should people focus on to become healthier and fitter? And are we all using them the “right” way?
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HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
🎂Happy birthday to Tiaan Visser.
Congratulations to Teenage CrossFit Games athlete Maddox Metcalf on this 136-kilo/300-pound clean and jerk PR.
Check out what a training session looks like for Olivia Kerstetter, less than three weeks out from the 2025 CrossFit Games.
🔥This friendship is giving us life - check out the vibes between No Shortcuts athletes Jelle Hoste and Victor Hoffer.
Take a look at this wall-ball burpee battle. Grab a friend and give it a go! (Tag us if you do 😉).