A Look Inside CrossFit Mayhem’s Training Prep for the 2023 Rogue Invitational
The 2023 Rogue Invitational (Oct. 26-29) is underway at the Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock, TX. Forty elite CrossFit athletes (20 men and 20 women) are competing for the second-biggest prize purse in the sport behind the CrossFit Games.
On Oct. 23, 2023, CrossFit Mayhem published a video on their YouTube channel pulling back the curtain on how Mayhem athletes Roman Khrennikov, Lazar Đukić, Emma Cary, and Paige Powers prepped for the Rogue Invitational. Check it out below:
[Related: 2023 Rogue Invitational Live Results and Leaderboard]
Roman Khrennikov and Lazar Đukić’s 2023 Rogue Invitational Workout
The 2023 Rogue Invitational will be the first competition for all four athletes following the 2023 CrossFit Games. Khrennikov was in the lead to win the 2023 CrossFit Games until he broke his foot in the third-last event, “Muscle-Up Logs,” leading to a bronze medal finish. Đukić and then-reigning CrossFit Games champion Justin Medeiros crashed their bikes twice during the first event, “Ride,” leading to Đukić’s ninth rank overall at the 17th edition of the Games.
Strength
Khrennikov and Đukić performed three workouts per day to prep for the 2023 Rogue Invitational.
- Clean & Jerk
- 2 x 2 (80 percent of 1RM)
- 2 x 3 (70 percent of 1RM)
- Deadlift — 4 x 1
- Behind-Neck Overhead Press — 4 x 6
Accessory Work
- Dumbbell Seal Row
- Seated Hamstring Curl
- GHD Raise
Metcon
- Rope Climbs
- Wall-Facing Handstand Push-Ups
- Front Squats
Khrennikov and Đukić competed against each other in three workouts. Đukić typically avoids competing with fellow pro athletes daily to prevent burnout. Khrennikov, on the other hand, likes competing every time. “We probably do 80 percent of the workouts together and 20 percent separately,” said Đukić.
[Related: 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit Event 1 “Texas Heavy” Results]
Paige Powers’ 2023 Rogue Invitational Training Session
Powers claimed 10th place in her second appearance at the CrossFit Games. Powers will make her debut at the Rogue Invitational in 2023 but is prioritizing fixing her weaknesses for the 2024 CrossFit Games.
Strength
- Sandbag Squat
Metcon
- Axle Bar Clean & Jerk — 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 (145 pounds)
- Toes-to-Bar — 6, 12, 18, 24, 30
The Rogue Invitational usually tests CrossFit athletes with Strongman events, prompting competitors to incorporate implements like sandbags, axle bars, ‘pigs,’ and yokes in their workouts.
Emma Cary’s 2023 Rogue Invitational Workout
Cary struggled with strongman-inspired events at the 2023 CrossFit Games. She moved to Cookeville, TN, to train at CrossFit Mayhem with coach Dom D’Agostino.
Strength
- Snatch + Overhead Squat
- Banded Snatch Pulls
- Banded Back Squats
Metcon
Three rounds of:
- 24 Medicine Ball GHDs
- 12 Calorie Ski Erg
- 16/12/8 Sandbag Squats (100, 125, and 150 pounds)
Two-minute rest between rounds.
Cary used resistance bands in the snatch pulls and back squats to tweak the exercises’ resistance profile. The bands add resistance to the concentrics and relieve tension during eccentrics.
2023 Rogue Invitational Update
At the end of Day One at the 2023 Rogue Invitational, Khrennikov sat in third and Đukić in 10th overall in the Men’s division. Cary and Powers ranked 13th and 16th, respectively, in the Women’s division after the opening day’s first and only event.
Featured Image: @roman_khrennikov on Instagram