Top CrossFit competitors are regarded as some of the fittest athletes on Earth – and it’s easy to see why
The 2019 CrossFit Games is well under way, and the first workout of the competition looked brutal.
CrossFit is unique in the way it combines such diverse training methods into single workouts (or WODs, as they’re known). From powerlifting and Olympic lifting, to gymnastics and endurance training, the CrossFit Games is the pinnacle of athletic endeavour.
On day one of this year’s CrossFit Games, athletes were tasked with completing two workouts – referred to as the first and second ‘cuts’.
First Cut
In the first workout, competitors had to complete four rounds of the following:
- A 400 metre run
- 3 legless rope climbs
- 7 squat snatches
For the squat snatches, men were given a 185 lb (84 kilogram) barbell, whereas women had to use a 130 lb (59 kilogram) one.
Rope climbs are tough enough as it is, but removing leg drive from the equation adds further emphasis on the amount of back, bicep and forearm strength athletes need to display.
The time limit for this first workout was set at 20 minutes.
Second Cut
There were not as many rounds in the second CrossFit Games workout, but the time limit was halved – placing an extra stress on athletes’ fitness levels.
Workout two consisted of:
- An 800 metre row
- 66 kettlebell shoulder-to-overheads (double kettlebell shoulder press)
- 132 foot handstand walk
For the shoulder presses, men were given two 16 kilogram kettlebells and women a pair of 12s.
The early men’s leader after day one was Mat Fraser, a seasoned CrossFit Games athlete who won the overall 2016, 2017 and 2018 competitions.
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Fraser is, to borrow a phrase from footballing parlance, always ‘there or thereabouts’ atop the leaderboard. He finished the first cut in a seriously impressive 15:07.70.
Fraser’s fellow American Karissa Pearce currently has the most points in the women’s division, although the second workout was won by Danielle Brandon.
