Masters CrossFit Games Programming Analysis

When you’re a Masters athlete who has limited time and “adaptation currency,” you need to outsmart the competition, not just outwork them.

In other words… work smarter not harder.

We don’t shy away from hard work, we simply want to know how we can best apply our finite resources.

That’s the goal of this guide.

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The CrossFit Games // Age Group Divisions

Before we dive into the analysis of The Games, I strongly encourage you to skim through all the past workouts.  As you do, look for commonalities and themes. 

This could include the need for certain qualities, like maximal strength, strength endurance, or even battery. Or it could be unique movements not seen at other competitions, like Obstacle Courses or open-water swims. 

How might this impact your training to peak for this event?

How are the Games similar or different from the findings in our analysis of the AGOQ? 

Age Group Games Workouts

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The Games: Data & Implications

Finding 1: The Number of Events

The Data: 8.2 – The average number of events (2015 – 2021) in all age groups combined

35-44: Average of 8.7 Events

45-49: Average of 8.3 Events

50-54: Average of 7.8 Events

55+: Average of 7.7 Events

The Training Implication: Not everyone gets (or can handle) the same volume. Starting in 2017, at least one workout completed by the younger Masters divisions was not completed for the older Masters divisions.

For example, the 2021 Games featured two workouts exclusively for the 16-17, 35-39, and 40-44 divisions: event 6 and event 8.

I think the data supports that the Games programming is becoming (and will continue to become) increasingly more tailored to the ability levels of the athletes in their respective age divisions.

This shows signs of maturity in CrossFit as an organization, and movement in the right direction for CrossFit becoming a legitimate professional sport.

This is all well and good, but in terms of training for the Games, the implications are pretty straightforward: look at the number of events your age division has been asked to perform in recent years and prepare yourself to be able to handle that with minimal degradation of fitness across the weekend.

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Finding 2: The Number of Max Lifts

The Data: 1.0 | 5:00 – The average number of max lifts per year and the average number of minutes allotted to establish that max lift (2015 – 2021).

The Training Implication: One out of an average of 7.7-8.7 events.  That’s between 11.5-13.0% of an athlete’s overall performance.

Therefore, skills like battery, barbell cycling and strength endurance play a more important role in overall performance than maximal contractions.

Furthermore, the max lift has never been the first event of the competition, and the time to establish that max lift is extremely short (never more than six minutes).

This means that athletes are fatigued when they are lifting, both in terms of accumulated fatigue from exertion in prior events, and the attempts they took in the moments prior to hitting their last, and likely heaviest, attempt.

This means that qualities less often associated with raw strength become increasingly important for the expression of strength in these max lift events, namely consistency and precision with big weight jumps.

The ability for an athlete to (1) hit multiple successful lifts of a technically demanding movement, (2) in a short window, (3) while taking big weight jumps, is critical for posting a high percentage of their lifetime best.

It’s not enough to be strong in low-volume, everyday training at your gym, on your schedule, and all while being relatively unfatigued.

So how do you prepare for this?

As you prepare for competition, move your focus from maximal contractions to lifting heavy in the contexts required in the sport.

In other words, recreate the type of environment in which you will be tested.

Here’s an example, which I recently programmed for a Masters athlete…

C. {6:00 Clock}
Find a 4RM OHS
*the bar must come from the floor
*start at 0:00 with 25lb plates on each collar (85lbs)
*you must place clips on the bar for each attempt
*you may use change plates a light as 1lb

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Finding 3: Duration of Endurance Events

The Data: The Games go longer* than the Open or the AGOQ.

*Based on the average duration of the longest event of each year for a top 10 finisher in each of the respective age divisions

The Training Implication: There has not been a time priority Open or AGOQ workout that has been longer than 20 minutes.

In other words, it’s possible that an elite athlete earned the right to do work past the 20:00 mark of an Open workout (e.g. 17.3), but >99% of Open participants have never done more than 20 minutes of work during the Open.

We can also take a look at 2019 AGOQ Event 2, which had a 30 minute time cap, but competitive athletes were not getting capped on that workout.

Now compare that against these Games workouts and you’ll see that they extend well past 20 minutes.

2021 | For Time: 4.5-mile* Run

2019 | For Time: 6000m* Ruck Run; Increasing Weight Each Lap

2018 | 2 Rounds for Time: 1k Row, 750m Ski, 50 DB Squats

2017 | For Time: 1.5mi Run, 500m Swim, 1.5mi Run

*older age divisions distance was scaled

The takeaway is that as a Games-level Masters athlete, you have to be prepared to go long.

Begin building cyclical volume in lower intensity settings early in your season because the short span between the Qualifier and the Games will not be enough time to make the necessary adaptations.

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Finding 4: Running Workout Appearances

The Data: Workouts that involve a running component* are at least double as likely as any other cyclical movement.

*this does not include running as part of transitions, running to the finish line, running in an obstacle course, or running with a sandbag of 80 pounds or more.

The Training Implication: Running has never been tested in the Open or the AGOQ.

Although you do not need to be a proficient runner to get to the CrossFit Games, having run capacity is critically important for success at the Games.

Although it was not counted in the above statistic, athletes run to finish nearly every event at the Games, including events on the football field, in the arena and even the open-water swims.

Often athletes -especially larger ones- who find themselves placing well on cyclical events in the Open and the Qualifier assume they will place adequately in these workouts, yet they often don’t hold up against the competition.

This is due to not only the fact that running is a different pattern than rowing or biking, but that it involves moving one’s body through space rather than powering an erg.

The main training implication here is that the time between the Qualifier and the Games is not enough time to get into “running shape.” If you’re an athlete who knows you have a good shot to qualify for the Games, you need to at least keep some low volume, low intensity running in your program most of your training year.

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Finding 5: Odd Object Workouts

The Data: Each year has had at least two events that involved an “odd object” or some sort of novel implement (2015 – 2021).

Items Included:

The Training Implication: If you are a Games-level athlete, you need to spend time practicing moving objects other than a barbell or dumbbells.

The way you clean a sandbag or d-ball is completely different than a barbell. These odd object movements must be practiced, otherwise odds are you’re leaving valuable points on the table in at least two events.

The good news is sprinkling these items into training is often a welcomed bit of variety for athletes who are constantly hammering their traditional strength lifts, and MetCons with barbells and dumbbells.

Adding a Yoke Carry, Axle Bar Deadlift, Sled Push, or Sandbag Clean is fun, while adding to an athlete’s movement competency quiver.

These items should never be the bulk of an athlete’s training, but they can supplement a well-rounded program.

Just like running, it’s important to keep a few touches on certain skills (including odd object / strongman work) that you are likely to see at the Games but are less important in other stages.

Occasional exposures of these movements create a minimum effective dose for maintaining important qualities, critical for a Games performance.

I call this type of training “Games Support Work.”

It shouldn’t be the bulk of your training, especially in the early stages of your season, but it allows you to stay fresh on those skills and ramp-up training in those areas once the time arrives.

Conclusion: Athlete & Sport Priorities

Since I’ve just bombarded you with stats and training implications, it’s easy to get pulled in ten different directions and utter your next block of training useless.

This is the danger if you’re a self-coached athlete. When self-coaching your athletic development will never outpace your development as a coach.

I would encourage you to start working with a coach who (1) understands the demands of the sport, as well as (2) weighs your unique individual priorities as an athlete.

What does the sport require?
What does my athlete need exposures of in order to improve?

Find a coach you think you’d get along well with, be willing to make the investment, and commit to doing the journey together.