Morning Chalk Up

For many gym owners in the CrossFit and functional fitness space, success still looks like survival: keep members happy, pay the bills, and maybe take a weekend off once in a while if you’re lucky. It’s not what most gym owners had in mind when they opened their businesses, but it’s the reality many face. For Tim Lyons, the founder of Gym Business Coach, the biggest thing the...

In Harry Lightfoot’s words, “The last nine months for me have been (not to sound too cliché), life-changing. It’s been unbelievable.” And he’s not wrong. Over the past year, the two-time CrossFit Games athlete and fan favorite has signed with two of the biggest brands, not only in our sport but in any sport: Adidas and RedBull. Heading into this season, with this massive dose...

In late December 2025, Chandler Smith shared an in-depth reflection on his past year on Instagram. He delved into the details of his competitions, mindset, goals, competitors, and limitations. It offered a glimpse into a brilliant and thoughtful mind, a perspective rarely shared, or at least rarely articulated so well. In the final slide of the carousel, Smith shared his goal...

Two weeks ago, while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, affiliate owner Kerrie Olsen was in a serious golf cart accident that left her with a severe traumatic brain injury and life-threatening internal bleeding. Olsen, the owner of SKOL CrossFit in Riverton, UT, was rushed to the hospital, underwent emergency surgery, and was put in the ICU on a ventilator in a medically...

At first glance, Red Bull’s Arda Saatçi doesn’t look like a distance runner. But looking at him, one would think he’s a bodybuilder or perhaps a professional CrossFitter. He’s a hybrid athlete – the trending phrase personified. Known for extreme endurance challenges of all kinds, Saatçi also spends substantial time in the gym training for fitness and can knock out 1,000 (stri...