From 190 Pounds to 176 Pounds: How Demagio Mansell Leveled Up His Nutrition, Performance, and Body Composition

Every year around this time, I start hearing the same thing: "Coach, I know what I should be doing. I'm just not doing it." And honestly, that's the challenge for most people. It's rarely a lack of information. Most people already know they should eat more protein. They know they should drink more water. They know they should get more sleep. They know they should eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is consistency. That's exactly why we're launching our next Nutrition Habits Kickstart at CrossFit Broken Chains beginning June 27 and running through August 1 . This isn't a diet. This isn't a detox. This isn't a "lose 20 pounds in 20 days" gimmick. This is a structured 5-week coaching program designed to help you build sustainable habits that improve your body composition, fitness, health, and long-term quality of life. Why Habits Matter Most people dramatically overestimate what they can accomplish in a week and underestimate what they can accomplish in a year. The truth is that lasting transformation comes from small actions repeated consistently over time. We don't need perfection. We need progress. We need to make the next right choice more often than not. That's how people lose body fat. That's how people gain muscle. That's how people improve their energy levels. That's how people improve their health and longevity. One habit at a time. The Five Habits We'll Focus On Week 1: Protein First 🥩 Protein is the foundation of everything we do. Protein helps preserve and build lean muscle mass, supports recovery after workouts, improves satiety, and helps prevent overeating. Most people dramatically underestimate how much protein they need, especially when they are actively exercising. If we can improve protein intake alone, most athletes will immediately notice improvements in recovery, hunger management, and performance. Week 2: Hydration & Electrolytes 💧 Our gym is in Florida. It's hot. It's humid. And many athletes walk around chronically dehydrated without realizing it. Proper hydration affects energy levels, performance, recovery, sleep quality, digestion, and even hunger signals. This week we'll focus on building hydration habits that support both training and overall health. Week 3: Eat the Rainbow 🌈 Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and phytonutrients that support recovery, immune function, gut health, and long-term wellness. The goal isn't simply to eat more vegetables. The goal is to eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables that provide the nutrients our bodies need to perform at their best. Week 4: Whole Foods Challenge 🍎 By Week 4, we'll shift our focus toward eating more real food. Whole foods tend to be more nutrient dense, more satisfying, and less likely to trigger overeating than highly processed foods. When people start filling their plates with foods that come from the earth instead of a package, amazing things begin to happen. Body composition improves. Energy improves. Cravings decrease. And healthy eating becomes much easier. Week 5: Sleep & Recovery 😴 You don't get stronger while you're working out. You get stronger while you're recovering from your workouts. Sleep is one of the most powerful recovery tools available to us. Quality sleep improves hormone function, muscle repair, cognitive performance, stress management, and overall health. This final week helps bring all of the previous habits together. Why You Should Participate Even If You've Done This Before One of the biggest misconceptions people have about nutrition challenges is that they are a one-time event. They're not. The lifestyle we promote at CrossFit Broken Chains requires constant refinement. Every time you participate in a challenge like this, you tighten things up a little more. You become more aware. You identify weaknesses. You reinforce good habits. You make 1% improvements. Those 1% improvements don't seem like much in the moment. But over months and years, they add up to dramatic changes in body composition, performance, health, and longevity. Even our most experienced athletes benefit from revisiting the fundamentals. In fact, they often benefit the most. What Is Included? Your registration includes: ✅ Pre and Post InBody Body Composition Scans ✅ Benchmark Strength & Conditioning Workouts ✅ Weekly Coaching Zoom Calls ✅ Private WhatsApp Accountability Group ✅ Grocery Store Field Trip ✅ Daily Accountability Tracking ✅ Habit Coaching & Support New Members: Join Us and Get the Program FREE Here's an exciting bonus. Any new member who joins CrossFit Broken Chains before Saturday on one of our Silver or Gold Startup Programs will be automatically enrolled in the Summer Nutrition Habits Kickstart at no additional cost. That's a $90 value included with your onboarding experience. Ready to Get Started? Registration is now open. Whether your goal is to lose body fat, improve performance, build healthier habits, or simply feel better, this challenge will help you take the next step. Because the best version of yourself isn't built through extreme diets or short-term motivation. It's built through consistent habits practiced over time. Small habits. Big results. We can't wait to help you get started. 👉 Register for the Summer Nutrition Habits Kickstart today. 👉 Or visit www.crossfitbrokenchains.com to schedule a No Sweat Introduction or Free Trial Workout.

Every year around this time, I start hearing the same thing: "Coach, I know what I should be doing. I'm just not doing it." And honestly, that's the challenge for most people. It's rarely a lack of information. Most people already know they should drink more water. They know they should eat more vegetables. They know they should cut back on sugar, get more sleep, and stop snacking mindlessly at night. The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is habits. That's exactly why we're launching our next 5-Week Nutrition Habits Kickstart beginning June 28th and running through August 1st. Why We Focus on Habits Over the years, we've learned something important at CrossFit Broken Chains. When you give people ten things to change at once, they usually change nothing. They get overwhelmed, lose momentum, and end up right back where they started. That's why our Kickstart program focuses on one habit at a time . Instead of trying to be perfect overnight, we help athletes build small wins that stack on top of each other. Those small wins become routines. Those routines become habits. And those habits become lasting results. The goal isn't to survive a diet for 30 days. The goal is to create behaviors you can maintain for years. The CrossFit Prescription Has Never Changed One of the things I love about CrossFit is that its nutritional message has remained remarkably consistent for more than two decades. The very first lines of CrossFit's famous "Fitness in 100 Words" state: "Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar." "Keep intake levels to that which support exercise but not body fat." Simple. Not easy. But simple. At CrossFit Broken Chains, we have never wavered from those principles. We've helped hundreds of athletes lose excess body fat, gain lean muscle, improve their health markers, and establish a healthier relationship with food by following these basic concepts. The challenge isn't knowing what to eat. The challenge is creating the habits that allow you to do it consistently. What We'll Be Working On Many of the concepts we teach come from the Precision Nutrition curriculum, which identifies nine foundational nutrition and lifestyle skills: Planning and preparing meals Regulating eating behaviors Matching intake to goals Choosing higher-quality foods Getting adequate protein and nutrients Moving often and well Prioritizing recovery Creating a supportive environment Managing stress and emotions without turning to food We won't try to tackle all nine at once. Instead, we'll focus on a handful of high-impact habits that produce real results. What You'll Receive The program includes: Initial InBody Scan Benchmark workout and strength assessment Grocery Store Field Trip Weekly Zoom coaching calls (Sundays at 4:00 PM) Private WhatsApp accountability group Habit tracking and coaching Final InBody Scan Retest workout and strength assessment The WhatsApp group has become one of the most valuable parts of the program. Athletes share recipes, victories, struggles, meal ideas, and practical tips that help everyone stay engaged and accountable. Why Now? One reason I love the timing of this Kickstart is that it finishes exactly one week before our final Beach WOD of the summer. That means you'll spend five weeks building better habits, improving body composition, increasing energy, and feeling better—just in time for our August beach workout. More importantly, you'll build momentum for the second half of the year. Registration Details Dates: June 28 – August 1 Cost: $90 Additional household members may participate for only $45 , making this a great opportunity for spouses, partners, and family members to improve their habits together. And here's an added bonus: Any new athlete who joins CrossFit Broken Chains during the month of June under one of our Start-Up Programs will receive this Nutrition Habits Kickstart absolutely FREE. That's a $90 value included as part of your onboarding process. Final Thought You don't need another diet. You don't need another detox. You don't need another "quick fix." You need better habits. That's what this program is designed to provide.  If you're ready to stop starting over and start building habits that actually last, we'd love to have you join us. Register Now by clicking here Same Household Discount Code: "SAMEHH" to save $45

Every year on Memorial Day, CrossFit gyms around the world take on one of the most well-known Hero workouts in CrossFit: Murph. The workout is simple on paper: 1-mile run 100 pull-ups 200 push-ups 300 air squats 1-mile run At CrossFit Broken Chains, we’ll be taking on Murph this Monday with three heat times: 5:30 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. There will be a one-hour time cap , so come prepared and ready to go. First Things First: What Counts as RX? This is probably the most common question—and honestly, it’s the least important one. The better question is: What version of this workout allows me to honor it, challenge myself, and still train smart? The original version says that if you have a weight vest, you can wear it—but it is not required. Some athletes will wear a vest. Some will not. Some will partition the reps. Some will not. Some will scale the volume. Some will partner up. All of that is fine. The goal is not to destroy yourself. The goal is to step into a challenging workout, give an honest effort, and walk away better—not injured, not overheated, and not completely wrecked. Know Your Options One of the most effective ways to approach Murph is by partitioning the reps: 1-mile run 20 rounds of: 5 pull-ups 10 push-ups 15 air squats 1-mile run This keeps the reps manageable and allows you to keep moving. A more advanced and significantly more difficult version is unpartitioned: 1-mile run 100 pull-ups 200 push-ups 300 air squats 1-mile run This version requires a high level of strength endurance and rest management. It is not for everyone. If this is your first time—or if you know your current capacity isn’t quite there yet—scaling is absolutely appropriate. A half version could look like: 800-meter run 50 pull-ups (or ring rows/banded) 100 push-ups 150 air squats 800-meter run Another great option is to partner up. Run together, then split the reps however you need to. This allows you to keep moving while managing fatigue. Don’t Walk Into This Blind If you’ve been training consistently—especially on Mondays—you already have a good sense of what this workout is going to feel like. Use that information. If push-ups tend to fall apart quickly, scale early. If pull-ups aren’t there yet, modify them. If running in the heat is a challenge, pace it appropriately. Murph is not the day to pretend you’re a different athlete than you’ve been in training. Be honest about where you are. Then go to work. Prepare Before Monday The low-hanging fruit matters here. Don’t start Memorial Day weekend by partying too early and then expect your body to perform at a high level on Monday morning. Hydrate. Eat well. Sleep. Avoid alcohol leading into the workout if you want to feel good and perform well. Sleep is one of the most overlooked performance tools we have. If you can, aim to get at least 8 hours of quality sleep the night before. That means getting to bed early and giving your body the opportunity to recover. Showing up well-rested will make a noticeable difference in how you feel, how you pace, and how you perform. Don’t let a late night ruin a great workout. Also, don’t come in on an empty stomach. Have something simple and digestible about 1–2 hours before the workout: Protein shake Banana Eggs Peanut butter A simple Zone-style meal You want fuel in the tank. Hydration is just as important—especially in the Florida heat. During longer efforts like this, athletes can lose 1–2 liters of sweat per hour, depending on conditions and intensity. That’s significant. A good general guideline is to consume fluids regularly leading up to the workout and consider adding electrolytes or sodium to help maintain performance and prevent cramping. Final Thought Murph is hard. It’s supposed to be hard. But hard does not mean reckless. This workout is about effort, discipline, and respect—for the workout, for yourself, and for the people around you. Choose the right version. Show up prepared. Push yourself—but don’t be foolish. At CrossFit Broken Chains, we’re going to show up, suffer a little together, cheer each other on, and get through it as a community. And yes… we’ll earn those donuts afterward.  Easy Day. See you at the box! 💪

At CrossFit Broken Chains, Barbell Club isn’t just another program—it’s been a cornerstone of who we are for over 13 years.  Twice a year, we carve out dedicated time to focus on one thing: becoming better, more confident, and more powerful Olympic weightlifters. If you’ve ever felt like your snatch or clean & jerk is holding you back… this is for you.

I’ve been doing the CrossFit Open since the very first one back in 2011. Every year, I show up, I push hard, and I test myself—just like all of you. But over time, my perspective on the Open has changed. It’s no longer about feeling like there’s something forcing me to compete or prove something. Instead, I look at it the same way I would for any everyday CrossFitter: What can I learn from this—and how do I use it to get better? Because that’s what the Open really is. It’s not just a competition. It’s feedback.