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🏋️ The Fittest on Film
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
📺 Our definitive guide to the CrossFit Games docs.
More programs, fewer members? Here’s why that happens — and how to fix it.
🚨 New podcast: Not for Time, hosted by Sean Woodland and John Wooley, get the details below!
Annie and Katrin’s new mission.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
You don't know how good you have to be just to suck at the CrossFit Games!”
CROSSFIT GAMES
Our Complete Guide to Watching the CrossFit Games Documentaries
Credit: @evillmediasports / Instagram
The dog days are here. If you’re getting excited for the Games in Albany and need something to pass the time, or if you're looking to reminisce while staying out of the summer heat, what better way to do so than binge-watch the CrossFit Games documentaries!
Starting in 2008 with Every Second Counts and continuing through 2023’s Fittest on Earth: Final Showdown in Madtown, each documentary features compelling stories of athletes and drama.
Continue reading for a quick rundown of some of the best parts in each film, along with a suggested viewing order.
And, like watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its entirety, you don’t have to begin with the earliest film. It’s like watching the pilot episode of a show you love – they were likely still finding their footing in the beginning.
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SPEED READS
🚦🥇 Road to the Games 25.08: CrossFit dropped a new episode of the fan favorite “Road to the Games” series reboot. This episode features CrossFit Games veteran Danielle Brandon and Games rookie Anikha Greer.
💤 Don’t Sleep on This: A recent study suggests late-night workouts could be disrupting your sleep and recovery. Get the breakdown here.
🧠🏋️ Rapid Fire CrossFit Tips: Training Think Tank Coaches Mia Gianelli and Mike McGoldrick share smart, practical fixes for CrossFit’s toughest movements — from burpees to barbell cycling. They cover mechanics, mindset, and mobility to help you move better, faster, and more efficiently.
🇭🇺💪 Train with Laura: Kaduzs Strength and Conditioning, Laura Horvath’s gym in Budapest, will hold its first “Training with LH” camp on July 26. Get the details here.
🏃♀️🤝 Meet Mat Lock: Founder Christian Toetzke recently shared their Olympic ambitions, but if the fitness race is to become a top-tier global sport, it will be up to the technical director of elite racing, Mat Lock. Get to know him in this interview.
ICYMI: WFP Tour Stop II roster picture comes into focus.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Why Your Core Offering Is Everything: The Real Key to Member Retention and Growth
Credit: @besthouroftheirday / Instagram
Emily Griffith owns CrossFit Brigade in Chattanooga, Tennessee — a 14-year affiliate that once had 185 members in its massive 10,000-square-foot facility.
Currently, she has 110 members and is struggling to meet her $35,000 monthly revenue goal. Even after adding nutrition coaching, corporate wellness programs, and specialized classes, her business continues to lose members and money.
During a recent coaching session, Emily and I identified the root of her struggles.
It wasn't a lack of services or programs — it was the gradual erosion of what initially built her business.
Her story highlights one of the most dangerous traps that affiliate owners fall into, and significantly, the surprisingly simple solution that can turn things around in just six months.
INDUSTRY
New Podcast, “Not For Time,” Featuring Sean Woodland and John Wooley, Launches on Morning Chalk Up YouTube Channel
Hosted by Sean Woodland and John Wooley – two leading voices in the CrossFit industry – Not for Time dives into the latest, current events, and competitive CrossFit stories, while also spotlighting inspiring stories from people who live and breathe fitness beyond the gym.
What they’re saying: “We want to share the experiences of notable people who are passionate about fitness and how they apply it in their everyday life,” Wooley said.
“Sometimes that will happen to be athletes, but more often than not, it will be artists, actors, doctors, and others with unique talents and abilities,” Wooley added.
"Community happens through shared experiences and relatability. We want to share stories of exceptional people doing relatable things."
The details: The first episode will launch on Tuesday, July 15, at 9 a.m. ET, and features five-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser.
Watch on YouTube and subscribe for weekly episodes released every Tuesday.
Or, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
INDUSTRY
Annie and Katrin’s Mission – Empowering Women Through Every Season
Credit: @empowerbydottir / Instagram
Last spring, CrossFit Games champions Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir launched a new company, Empower by Dottir, and began offering training programs tailored for women in perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.
Just over a year later, more than 1,000 women of all fitness and experience levels are training with them, and they’re developing a training program for pregnant and postpartum women with “a trusted expert,” said Davidsdottir, who is currently pregnant with her first child.
“It’s something we’re incredibly proud of because we want to support women through every season of life and womanhood,” Davidsdottir told The Morning Chalk Up.
Remind Me: Empower by Dottir is a partnership between Davidsdottir, Thorisdottir, and Dr. Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist from Australia who specializes in women’s health.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
🎂Happy birthday to Brooke Wells, Sydney Wells, and Pat Vellner.
Grab some friends and try out this challenge from Strongman Mitchell Hooper.
🫶Check out this group of athletes from Coast Range CrossFit in Gilroy, CA, fighting Parkinson’s with CrossFit.
Watch Loredana from Alioth CrossFit in UAE knock out 80 unbroken butterfly pull-ups.
💪Congratulations to Ayoka of Core City CrossFit on this 127-kilo/280-pound deadlift PR.