What Does it Take to Make the Games?

Long Term Programming and Development of Elite Athletes

In 2007, at the first CrossFit Games, the CrossFit total was competed. The average total of the top ten men was 995 pounds, and for women was 446 pounds. The Total was then competed again in 2018, and the averages of the bottom ten men was 1,039 pounds and for the bottom ten women was 709 pounds.

What this shows is two things, first just how far our sport has come in such a short period of time, and second that in order to simply qualify for the CrossFit Games there is a certain strength barrier of entry required to get there in order to even play the game, and it’s still climbing slightly every single year. 

Now that we know some of the basic strength requirements to get there, what about gymnastics and cardio work? Well we could really go down this rabbit hole, but to keep it simple let’s look at 30 muscle-ups for time and the marathon row. These events were also competed at the 2018 Games. As a female you’re going to need to be able to finish in under 5 minutes, and for the men under 4 minutes. Now for the big one, gentlemen will need to be able to row a marathon in about 3 hours, and ladies we’re looking at just under 3 and a half hours.

So just for the sake of this article, we’ll use those three data points to build out a long term programming plan for someone who is looking to qualify for the CrossFit Games. Also understanding that each athlete is going to develop different areas at different rates, but we’ll speak on some generalities here. And the first question is what will take the longest to build. And the answer to that question is strength.

So if you’re looking to qualify for the Games, you’ve got to be strong. With that would mean an emphasis on building that strength. What that looks like for athletes that are following a balance program like our PRVN Compete or Age Group track, would mean prioritizing the lifting for the day. Do that first when we are fresh and have all the energy to give it. Then in a perfect world, we can rest for a few hours to allow that work to take hold before beginning our other pieces for the day. 

Unfortunately there is no quick way to get strong, it’s just going to take time under the bar. It’s going to take a relentless discipline towards following the program and fueling your body properly to allow all that work to realize itself in the form of strength, and sometimes size gains. But allowing our strength work to operate with as little interference as possible is what we are shooting for her.

Next up in this trio, would be our gymnastics work. The example we used is 30 muscle-ups for time. The reason is there is still a massive strength component that needs to be built as a base layer for our gymnastics work to show fruition on the competition floor. And like strength work, it’s just going to take time and reps. A lot of reps. Building proper strength, stamina, and tendon durability can only be done with consistent work compounded over years of work. 

Lastly is our conditioning. Now, let’s not confuse the fact that engines can be built quicker than strength for the fact that it’ll be easier. Quite the contrary. Building an engine is hard. It hurts and it’s uncomfortable. It is also building the mental fortitude that our sport needs to push through when everything in our body is telling us to quit. 

With all this information, we want to do what we said earlier on which is to prioritize the piece that needs the most attention and do it first. So if you’ve already got a massive back squat and can do 30 unbroken muscle-ups, then put the engine and conditioning work first. And if you can, rest after that to let your body take hold of the work you put in. 

This process is slow. It takes time to become one of the fittest humans to ever walk the earth. And if you ask a lot of the Games athletes, they’ll tell you a story about activities they did as a kid that helped set them up for the success they have now. Mat Fraser was a Junior Olympic Weightlifter, Katrin Davidsdottir was a gymnast, Tia-Claire Toomey-Orr was a track athlete. None of their success is an accident or by mistake. They simply have more reps over more years to lay a base of fitness deeper than the Atlantic Ocean. 

So take a breath. Take your time. Put in the work, and you’ll end up maximizing your potential year over year.