Reps Ahead Pro 3 “Redemption” Preview: 2023-2024 CrossFit Games Athletes Throw Down in Denver
It’s redemption time.
The video review penalties following the 2024 CrossFit Games Quarterfinals are well-documented, and multiple Games hopefuls failed to reach the Semifinal stage as a result.
- The season forges on, but it still stings for the athletes whose 2024 CrossFit Games aspirations were cut short due to video review penalties.
Enter Reps Ahead.
This innovative event offers athletes another opportunity to compete, earn money, and support a good cause.
The Pro 3 Showcase event will go down this Saturday, June 29, at 3 p.m. MST at MBS CrossFit in Thornton, Colorado. The show will be streamed live on the B.Friendly Fitness YouTube channel, where Brian Friend will provide commentary.
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How it works: Founded by Phil Thomas, Reps Ahead follows a unique functional fitness competition format. It’s a one-on-one throwdown where athletes try to get a set number of “reps ahead” of their opponent.
- There is a programmed workout sequence in which the athletes work through a set number of intervals or until one reaches the required margin, which ends the bout.
Remind me: The Reps Ahead Pro 2 Showcase was held in March at CrossFit Tailwinds in Jacksonville, FL. Dallin Pepper defeated James Sprague, and Alexis Raptis bested Fee Saghafi, with both matches going the full seven rounds.
With each iteration, Thomas learns more and builds off the last.
- “The programming of Pro 3 will create more chances for ‘knockouts.‘ Their heart rates will be spiked with this combination of movements,” Thomas told Morning Chalk Up.
The sequence:
- 3 minutes on, 1 minute off of “John”:
- Twelve box jump-overs, 24/20 inches
- Six thrusters, 155/105 pounds
- Twelve chest-to-bar pull-ups
- Five rounds or until someone gets 14 reps ahead
Women’s Matchups
Paige Powers vs. Sydney Wells
Both athletes were in a Semifinals qualifying position before the Quarterfinal video review.
- “A little bit of the motivation to do the event was for redemption for not being able to compete past the Quarterfinals this season. But ultimately, I am a competitor at my core, and I’m grateful for an opportunity to throw down with some very fit people around me!” Powers tells Morning Chalk Up.
Powers is excited to take on her friend, Sydney Wells, but also noted that she’s “incredibly fit,” and beating her in this throwdown will be “no easy feat.”
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Kelly Stone vs. Kyra Milligan
Stone, a three-time Team Games athlete, says it will take more time to fully recover from the penalties that cut her season short.
But having Reps Ahead to look forward to has helped.
As for her matchup with Milligan, Stone says her advantage is in the air. While she has cut back substantially on her training since Quarterfinals, living and training in the Colorado altitude keeps her lungs fit.
- “My goal is to kind of run her as long as I can because I think my advantage will come later as the altitude kicks in,” Stone says.
Milligan recently qualified for her first CrossFit Games as an individual and is evenly matched with Stone on paper.
Before the 2024 Quarterfinals penalties were doled out, they were separated by only one spot on the leaderboard.
- “Kelly is an amazing athlete … I cannot wait to go head-to-head with her,” Milligan told Morning Chalk Up.
Men’s Matchups
James Sprague vs. Nick Mathew
Sprague competed in the first two Reps Ahead Pro events. His record is 1-1 going into Pro 3, and he looks to ride the momentum of his podium finish at the 2024 West Coast Classic.
He took to Instagram to provide some trash talk for his competitor:
- “I wanted to give you a couple of tips from a veteran in the Reps Ahead series. Your crop tops are not going to save you from the mile-high Colorado elevation. There is a lot of cardio.”
Mathew was a virtual shoo-in to make his third straight CrossFit Games appearance before Quarterfinals penalties cut his season short.
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He had a rebuttal for Sprague:
- “Getting beat by a 30-year-old dad, Quarterfinals-level CrossFitter, full-time gym owner…could be quite bad for the reputation, I think.”
Jake Marconi vs. Malachi Bennett
HWPO coach/athlete Marconi told Morning Chalk Up that he wanted to compete in the event because it genuinely seemed like a good time.
- “After speaking with Phil (Thomas), it was clear how much passion and conviction he brings to Reps Ahead,” Marconi says.
As for his matchup with Bennett:
- “The last time that we saw each other, he beat me in a workout that had box jump-overs in it to secure the third-place spot at Granite Games in 2017. I was gutted. But it was all left on the competition floor. Malachi is a good dude. Guys are always friends after a little brawl.”
Bennett has been with Reps Ahead since its initial version, and this will be his second appearance on the Pro card.
- “I think the setting of this will be a lot more intimate and much higher energy (from the crowd) as there are some local athletes competing there as well.
Bennett expressed his excitement about the opportunity to throw down against Marconi also.
- “I have always looked up to Jake…he’s definitely made a statement of who he is in the world of fitness. Not only as a competitor but as a coach as well. It feels pretty cool to be mentioned alongside him,” Bennett told Morning Chalk Up.
Pay-Outs: The Games-level athletes are guaranteed $3500, with travel and lodging covered. The winner receives a bonus of $1500, so there is more than pride on the line this week.
The Bottom Line
Thomas continues to take a professional approach to growing Reps Ahead.
He sees it as a great way for athletes to compete throughout the season, without taking away from their regular season training.
- “We are not competing with CrossFit,” Thomas tells Morning Chalk Up.
He believes Reps Ahead fits seamlessly in and out of the CrossFit season.
- “It does not disrupt their season. The athletes were doing full workouts before and after the competition,” Thomas says.
He also sees it as an opportunity to help others along the way by partnering with non-profit organizations.
Like Pro 2, this event will support the non-profit New You Cares Foundation, an organization that provides fitness and nutrition support for veterans.
You can donate to the cause by texting “Renovo” to 801801.
Featured image: @repsahead / Instagram