When the heavy barbells hit the floor at the CrossFit Games, the energy shifts.
It’s loud, it’s electric, and everyone’s locked in. Athletes love the chance to clang-and-bang and make a statement, while fans can’t get enough of the raw power on display. Over the years, strength events have delivered some of the Games’ most jaw-dropping moments — and it’s rarely just about the one-rep max.
Here’s a totally non-exhaustive list of our favorite strength tests from Games past — and the beasts who came out on top.
9 Iconic Strength Events From CrossFit Games History
Clean Speed Ladder
Location: 2014 – StubHub Center, Carson, CA
Winners: Scott Panchick and Elisabeth Akinwale
The Clean Speed Ladder from 2014 marked the first time a speed element was incorporated into a strength event at the Games. During the event, athletes competed to lift five barbells, each heavier than the previous one. The men’s barbell ended at 345 pounds, and the women’s at 225 pounds, with Scott Panchik and Elisabeth Akinwale winning the event. Rookie Cody Anderson, weighing in around 160 pounds, impressed the crowd by standing up a 310-pound clean, nearly double his body weight.
Deadlift Ladder
Location: 2009 – The Ranch, Aromas, CA
Winners: Jason Khalipa and Cyndi Frieling
The original strength test at the CrossFit Games had athletes perform a deadlift ladder immediately after a long trail run. The ladder started at 315 pounds for men and 185 pounds for women. It increased by 10 pounds per bar, up to 505 pounds for men and 375 pounds for women, with 30 seconds allowed per lift. Only Cyndi Frieling finished for the woman.
Heavy “DT”
Location: 2015, StubHub Center, Carson, CA
Winners: Ben Smith and Sara Sigmundsdottir
Strength can be tested in many ways, and Heavy DT was a prime example. In a twist on the CrossFit Hero WOD (five rounds for time of 12 deadlifts, nine hang power cleans, and six push jerks), the weight was increased from 155/105 to 205 for the men and 145 for the women. Sara Sigmundsdottir, in her Games debut, narrowly outperformed Katrin Davidsdottir in the event at the tennis stadium.
Snatch Speed Ladder
Location: 2015 – StubHub Center, Carson, CA
Winners: Jon Pera and Brooke Ence
There were plenty of strength tests in 2015, with the snatch speed ladder focusing on an extremely technical movement. The athletes had three rounds, with five barbells per round, and the weights increased as the event progressed.
There were several big performances, including Neal Maddox and a guy named Mat Fraser putting on a show. Rookie Elijah Muhammad hit himself in the head with the final barbell and then hit the lift, finishing in fourth place.
Squat Clean Pyramid
Location: 2016 – StubHub Center, Carson, CA
Winners: Alex Anderson and Kara Saunders
It wasn’t just one lift per weight; athletes had to complete 10 squat cleans at 245/165 pounds, eight at 265/180 pounds, six at 285/195 pounds, four at 305/205 pounds, and two at 325/215 pounds, each with a time cap. The faster the athletes went early on, the more time they had for the heavier bars.
Success depended on both strength and endurance. Rookie Jamie Hagiya surprised everyone with a second-place finish, and Kara Webb dominated. Josh Bridges showed great determination as he executed one of the most impressive saves of a heavy barbell ever seen in competition.
Sandbag Ladder
Location: 2022 – Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI
Winners: Nick Matthew and Dani Speegle
No barbell, no problem. No one knew what to expect when sandbags were rolled out in wheelbarrows on Saturday night under the lights, but what they got was extraordinary. Athletes lifted increasingly heavy sandbags from the ground to shoulder, having to show control before dropping.
Jacqueline Dahlstrøm, a smaller athlete, wowed the crowd, finishing in second place. The men’s bags went up to 340 pounds, and the women’s to 250 pounds, and an instant classic was born.
Strongman’s Fear
Location: 2017 – North Park, Madison, WI
Winners: Brent Fikowski and Katrín Davidsdottir
In another unusual strength test, the athletes had to move three objects across North Park – a Yoke, a pair of farmer’s logs, and a Sled – with handstand walks in between. The objects could be moved in any order, allowing “The Professor,” Brent Fikowski, to analyze the event correctly and ultimately strategize the best order and organization of his implements, and sneak in just milliseconds ahead of Mat Fraser.
1RM Overhead Squat
Location: 2014 – StubHub Center, Carson, CA
Winners: Rich Froning Jr. and Kara Saunders
The second event of the 2014 Games took place on Wednesday night, where athletes had three attempts to find their one-rep max overhead squat from a rack. Rich Froning Jr. and Mat Fraser competed closely in an exciting race, ultimately both squatting 377 lbs. Fraser just missed 386 lbs.
1RM Snatch
Location: 2021 – Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI
Winners: Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr and Guilherme Malheiros
This event was emotional, with Brooke Wells getting injured during one of her lifts. The evening went on, though, and Annie Thorisdottir, returning to the Games after her first child, delivered the snatch heard round the world. The surprise and joy on her face are now part of CrossFit history.
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