Cale Layman Reflects on Controversy

July 1st, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Cale Layman addresses the rumors.

  • One skill, three athletes, three smart strategies. Pamela Gagnon breaks down how to scale with purpose.

  • 🐐 The Games have the G.O.A.T. — but is it the deeper field overall?

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

This was a total mistake on my part. Looking back, I should have 100% filmed it.”

Cale Layman on his 2025 Open.
PROFILE

Exclusive: Cale Layman Reflects on Controversy, Addresses Rumors (Part 2)

Credit: @mitsufujimedia / Instagram

Continued from part 1.

Much of the subsequent “controversy” surrounding Layman’s Open scores following the Mayhem Classic Invitational could have been avoided if he had just recorded his workouts, but we all know he didn't.

  • Key detail: Rule 1.19 of the 2025 CrossFit Games Rulebook, on score submission and validation, does not require athletes to video their workouts if they are performed at a “validly licensed CrossFit affiliate gym in good standing and [receive] validation from the affiliate manager.”

“This was a total mistake on my part,” Layman now admits. “Looking back, I should have 100% filmed it (referring to his 2025 Open as a whole).”

He explained that previously, he had won money in an online challenge, but was later reprimanded “for trying to make money online.” 

  • Layman explained: “After that happened, I informed my commanding officers that I was participating in the CrossFit Open and there was a possibility of winning money. I wanted to find a way to do this legally within the Army.”

His superiors made it clear that he would not be allowed to compete for cash, so Layman took the money out of the equation.

  • “I knew from last year that the only way to win money is if you submit the video,” he continued. “So, from my eyes, if I am not eligible to win money, why go through the hassle of setting up a camera…and taking up more of Skyler's time to do this?”

In the moment, it seemed like a no-brainer.

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SPEED READS

🚗🇨🇦 Keeping Up with Fikowski: Games legend and PFAA president Brent Fikowski has been visiting CrossFit hotspots across the US. He was recently in Alpharetta, GA, at Training Think Tank, where he sat down to chat with founder and head coach Max El-Hag.

🎟️🔥 Tougher Tickets Than Taylor Swift?: We’ve heard about the incredibly rapid growth of HYROX over the past 18 months, and this Business Insider article (paywall) takes on the topic of just how hard it has become to get a ticket to do a HYROX race.

🏋️‍♂️📬 Lift Smarter: Olympic lifting is a global sport—the Weightlifting House newsletter brings it all to your inbox every Friday. Get the latest industry news, read exclusive interviews with top athletes, and see the biggest lifts happening both on and off the competition platform.

📝❤️ Good Reads: Morning Chalk Up contributor Athena Perez has been dropping a wealth of knowledge, packaged in thoughtful and personal stories, over on her blog. Check out her recent pieces on self-advocacy and MetFix.

ICYMI: Injury myths busted, again.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Smarter Way to Scale Bar Muscle-Ups

Credit: @b.a.w_media / Instagram

Often, we face the dilemma of what to do when we see a workout posted that includes challenging gymnastics skills.

  • “Should I RX, even with crappy technique, or just stick to my usual scaling option?”

This is a great question, and there are several things to consider when wondering if you should “go for it.”

Let’s use this workout as an example:

3 rounds for time:

  • 400-meter run

  • 20 overhead squats, 95/65 pounds

  • 10 bar muscle-ups

Let’s consider how a few different athletes should approach this workout from my perspective as a coach.

TRIVIA

Who is the only athlete to earn a CrossFit Games ticket from the Last Chance Qualifier twice?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Last week, we asked, “Which of the following athletes finished the highest in their rookie year at the CrossFit Games?”

  • Roman Khrennikov 

  • Arielle Loewen 

  • Alexis Raptis ✅ 

  • Jayson Hopper  

  • Alex Gazan

Khrennikov received 55.9% of the vote, but the correct answer was Alexis Raptis, who finished 10th in 2022, her rookie year as an individual.

COMPETITIONS

Comparing the 2025 CrossFit Games and WFP Rosters – Which Field is Deeper?

Credit: World Fitness Project

The CrossFit Games have crowned the Fittest Man and Fittest Woman on Earth since its inaugural competition in 2007. However, this year looks different.

  • With new opportunities to compete against top-tier fields on the World Fitness Project (WFP) Tour, athlete pools at in-person events shifted from what we grew accustomed to in 2025.

While fans now have more chances to watch their favorite athletes compete, “strength of field” questions abound.

For fun, we looked at the 30-man and 30-woman Games rosters, as well as the 30 men and 30 women leading the WFP after Tour Event I, to compare them.

Continue reading for our breakdown.

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