A Look Inside the HWPO Training Camp for the 2023 CrossFit Games
The 2023 CrossFit Games are rapidly approaching, and the HWPO team is intensifying its preparations for the competition. Led by five-time Fittest Man on Earth® Mat Fraser, the team comprises elite CrossFitters two-time Fittest Woman on Earth® Katrin Davíðsdóttir, Jayson Hopper, and Christine Kolenbrander. They’re united by a common objective — to ascend the CrossFit Games podium, ideally as champions.
On July 13, 2023, the Buttery Bros met with the HWPO team for a CrossFit Games training camp to see their preparation. Watch the entire training session below:
[Related: Jeffrey Adler Prioritizes Dynamic Training for His 2023 CrossFit Games Prep]
The HWPO Training Camp
Fraser and the team went through a dynamic list of exercises. Below are the main ones and why they’re implemented before the Games:
Scarecrow Snatches, Power Cleans, & Back Squats
Hopper led the Buttery Bros through scarecrow snatches, where Hopper got to 185 pounds. Fraser has been helping Hopper with his technique. While Hopper is strong, his form falter more frequently than the elite level of the sport will allow for.
Davíðsdóttir and Kolenbrander perform power cleans with the Buttery Bros, working up to 95 percent of their one-rep maxes. Lastly, they all do back squats in the 300-pound range. With snatches, power cleans, and back squats, HWPO is training heavily on strength elements before the 2023 CrossFit Games.
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[Read More: The Best Upper Body Exercises and Workouts]
Part of CrossFit involves many cardio and unexpected workouts that test athletes’ engines and work capacity. However, being strong in Olympic weightlifting and compound movements is often a huge portion of the competition and where athletes can gain a lot of ground on the leaderboard.
Echo Bike Sprint Intervals
Next, the team performed 12 sprint intervals every 90 seconds, trying to burn 12 calories for the men and nine calories for the women in 15 seconds. The Echo Bike pushes their arms and legs to exhaustion. The HIIT training protocol on the bike continuously for 18 minutes is excellent for muscular endurance.
They ended the morning session with 15 legless rope climbs, fatiguing the upper body. After strength work, high-interval training, and functional strength and mobility, the athletes ate before transitioning to cross-training and cardio-focused workouts.
Sprint Metabolic Conditioning
To begin the afternoon, HWPO and Buttery Bros did an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) for six sets and 2.5-minute intervals for the following:
- Standing Bike Erg — Men: 16 calories | Women: 12 calories
- 12 Burpee Box Jump Overs
- Four Squat Snatches — Men: 205 pounds | Women: 135 pounds
- Max Ring Muscle-Ups
They rested for the same time – 2.5 minutes – between intervals. Standing bike blasts the athletes’ legs before burpee box jump overs to exhaust their lower body.
“I got off, and I had 12 box jumps,” one of the Buttery Bros said, “I felt like I had lead [feet].” As Fraser explains, the goal is to spike the heart rate on the bike, burn out on the burpees, execute a highly technical movement with the squat snatch, then go for full fatigue with ring muscle-ups.
Games-Style Workout
Fraser gives his HWPO team a taste of the Games with a CrossFit-esque workout consisting of multiple rounds of two handstand walk ramps, thrusters, and 400-meter runs. The thrusters increase in weight and reps with each round, starting at five reps with 95 pounds and ending at 11 reps with 125 pounds.
Outdoor Workout
Finishing out the day, Davíðsdóttir and Hopper head outside to the lake. They bring kettlebells for double kettlebell snatches, double kettlebell front squats, and then swim. They do 21 reps for each exercise, swim, 15 reps with the kettlebells, swim, and continue to alternate.
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Finally, they went for a swim-trail run combination as the ultimate finisher. Swimming paired with trail running was a simulacrum of early CrossFit Games workouts.
With HWPO working out five or more hours every day, Fraser’s combination of heavy weight training, cardio, and cross-training should help the team be fully prepped for the 2023 CrossFit Games on Aug. 1-6, 2023, in Madison, WI.
Featured image: @butterybros on Instagram