Watching six local athletes compete in the Superfit CrossFit Games this weekend in Richmond left me feeling extremely motivated to get in the gym and start throwing some weight around. Seriously, I’ve never been so moved by a group of people working so hard to accomplish one simple goal: finish three CrossFit workouts. Ok, simple wasn’t the right word to use to describe this past Saturday, but for most people, finishing a workout is no big deal. I’ve never seen more people–extremely fit people–collapse to the floor after 14 minutes of three exercises. With a partner. 
You see, this is why I tell people that they have to CrossFit at least once in their lives. Even if you hate it and never want to do it again, for one brief moment you’ll experience what others never will, and you’ll eternally respect those who choose to do this on a daily basis. Or you might just call them crazy–one or the other. But at least you’ll know!
So on Saturday, these competitors had to complete three separate CrossFit workouts. Three people competed in the scaled (lighter weight) division and three competed in the Rx (prescribed weight) division. Every single person I knew–and all that I didn’t–gave it their absolute best effort. I was so inspired by every last competitor. Over 50 teams competed in the Superfit Games, and all my friends placed within the top 20–two of which who earned second place in the scaled division. I couldn’t have been more proud!
THE COMPETITION
Here’s what each team had to do:
Karabell WOD 1:Workout number one was to perform as many rounds as possible of 10 barbell snatches and 20 wall-balls in eight minutes. Men had to snatch 135 or 95 pounds and women had to snatch 95 or 65 pounds. The difference in weight depended on if competitors were in prescribed or scaled divisions. Men also had to throw a 2o pound medicine ball to a 10 foot target while women had to throw a 12 pound ball to a nine foot target. Only one competitor could perform at a time and strategy played a huge part in timing. What if you had to change weight on the bar? Change who was throwing the ball? Every last detail needed to be worked out before competing to ensure the best performance possible.
Smack Yourself Silly WOD 2: The second workout was based upon three 2-minute stations. Each team started on a rower and had to row for two minutes to accumulate as many calories as possible.
The second station was set up to flip a super heavy tire for two minutes–as many times as possible.
The third station was to complete as many front squats as possible. The men had to squat 165 or 115 pounds, and the women had to squat 115 or 65 pounds.
Each station was scored individually and was weighted as one-third of the total workout. Competitors only had 30 seconds to transition from one station to the other. In my opinion, the whole thing looked grueling. If you didn’t row with correct form you could exhaust your muscles early. The tire was so huge that I don’t know how teams didn’t burn out their legs from constant squat-pushing. And front squats after all the flippin’ flipping?! Competitors were fatiguing right and left. I have no idea how some of them even finished.
Jake the Snake WOD 3: The third–and most absolute horrific workout that left many gasping, clutching, bleeding or puking, was a workout in which teams had to complete as many rounds as possible in 14 minutes of the following three exercises:
- 8 pullups (strict, kipping, or butterfly)
Grady gets set for another round of pullups! - 10 overhead squats: 115 or 85 pounds for men and 85 or 65 pounds for women
- 12 burpees over the bar
Tip from Ali, a Strong Figure contributor, Fitness Instructor, and CrossFit athlete in Harrisonburg, VA
