5 NEW exercises we’d like to see at the CrossFit Games

In exactly 28 days, the 2024 CrossFit Games for elite individual and team athletes will begin. While no one knows what will be on the agenda at the Games, we can hope for something new, right? So, check out what the editors of BOXROX think are great new exercises that have never been seen at the CrossFit Games before.

Note: Not all of these exercises have to be included in the 2024 CrossFit Games, but it’s a good sign that new exercises can be incorporated into workouts. Perhaps one of these could make an appearance? Fingers crossed.

OK, before we get into the 5 new exercises we’d like to see at the CrossFit Games, you might be surprised to know that we already know one of them: Chad 1000x. Sure, the workout has been revealed, but as Dave Castro himself said, “There’s going to be a little surprise.”

So yeah, the truth is nobody knows what events are on the schedule at the CrossFit Games. And while we can assume there will be some obvious moves – I mean handstand push-ups and muscle-ups – there’s a part of us that wants to see something exciting. And what could be more exciting than seeing a new move on the biggest stage of them all, where the fittest in the world will be crowned?

So here’s BOXROX, Dave Castro, and the folks at CrossFit HQ trying to give ideas for exercises we’d like to see at the CrossFit Games.

Criteria for selecting these exercises.

Although many exercises have not been presented here, we still want to use some criteria to guide us in developing the ideas you see below.

1. It should be a functional exercise
2. It can be a variation of an already known movement that adds a new level of unpredictability – remember when the CrossFit Games did double-under crossovers instead of double-unders?
3. It should be an exercise that is easy for the judges to follow throughout and award correct “no reps” when necessary.
4. Less important, but it should also be fun to watch

And there you have it: the criteria for the new exercises we would like to introduce at the CrossFit Games.

5 NEW exercises we’d like to see at the CrossFit Games

1. Cross-body kettlebell swing

Kettlebell swing with rotation, literally. First introduced to us by Adam Sinicki, aka “The Bioneer,” this exercise targets rotational strength and the obliques, a muscle that is not usually considered a limiting factor in CrossFit Games.

This is basically a kettlebell swing, but instead of sliding the kettlebell between your legs, you move it from side to side as high as your eye can see, twisting your torso to move the kettlebell seamlessly from right to left.

The cross-body kettlebell swing is a simple exercise using a piece of equipment that everyone knows but rarely gets the attention it deserves. And with a twist, we can assume that no one heading to the Games has trained for this exercise.

2. Trapezoidal outputs

Trapeze exits could become an issue at the CrossFit Games, as they already caused a stir in Russia in 2021 at the Siberian Showdown, a sanctioned CrossFit event that took place in November of that year.

The training consisted of:

• 50 handstand push-ups
• 25 trapezoidal outputs
• 75 medicine ball throws 9/6
• 25 Shuttle run with box jumping 60/50
• 50 deadlifts 110/75

Time limit: 14 minutes

But what are trapeze exits? Trapeze exits are similar to bar muscle-ups. However, the bar muscle-up requires athletes to perform it on a moving bar that simulates a trapeze. And yes, the trapeze is widely used in the circus.

* from 3:55:35.

This additional “movable” bar adds a whole new level of difficulty to the exercise. Judges are already familiar with the Bar Muscle-Up and this change is easy to make in CrossFit Games programming.

And if you think this doesn’t make much of a difference to CrossFit athletes, know that at the Siberian Showdown, only 6 out of 29 athletes were able to complete the entire workout before the time limit expired. At the end of the event, there was one athlete left trying to complete the trapeze exits.

So… Maybe it really is difficult even though it looks the same?

3. Devil’s Press

Now let’s calm down a bit and say the name of an exercise that is functional and was part of some CrossFit WODs, but for no reason was not demonstrated at the Games: Devil Press.

There’s already one of the most hated exercises known to mankind, the burpee, and you can add weight with the dumbbell snatch, albeit with two dumbbells. I mean, who doesn’t want to see elite athletes get completely knackered during training? This should be one of the exercises incorporated into an event.

This is easy to judge because for a burpee the chest must touch the ground and for a snatch the arm must be fully extended without touching the dumbbells on the shoulders. If you combine the two, you get the dumbbell snatch.

4. One-legged burpee

Speaking of one of the most hated exercises in human history, why not make the burpee even more difficult and annoying for athletes? We present to you the one-legged burpee.

Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. The athlete performs a burpee on one leg only.

This exercise would add some instability and momentum to the athletes. However, it could be difficult to judge. If both feet touch the ground during any part of the movement, this would be considered a “no rep” and this can be difficult to detect.

Also, burpees aren’t usually scored on their own. In this case, we’d have to add an obstacle to jump over after each burpee to make it count as a rep, to make it easier for the judges. So how about doing a single-leg burpee over a barbell? And then using the barbell for part of the exercise later?

In order to introduce single leg burpees into a CrossFit Games event, they would have to be performed with only one leg, then a barbell movement, and then only with the other leg. This may be the only way we can think of to introduce single leg burpees into the CrossFit Games in the future.

5. One-arm push-ups or pull-ups

And while we’re on the subject of a typical exercise that only uses one side of your body, how about push-ups or pull-ups?

CrossFit athletes are known for performing their pull-ups with kipping exercises as it creates momentum and makes each rep faster. But what about performing a pull-up with just one arm? Could it be possible?

One way to judge this is to raise your chin above the bar to count as one rep.

And what about push-ups with only one arm? Well, it might be more difficult to maintain the standards of the exercise.

However, the idea of ​​one-arm training sounds great in both cases because the public can finally see how strong these athletes are compared to themselves. Most people at home don’t understand how difficult it is to do a muscle-up. But everyone has tried to do a one-arm push-up or at least knows how difficult it is to pull yourself up with just one arm.

What do you think of our selection of exercises we would like to see at the CrossFit Games?

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