How Strong Do You Need to Be?

Coaches Blog

Feb 20

In this blog, we will explore the strength levels required at various stages of CrossFit competition, as well as introduce new strength ratios for balanced CrossFit strength development. This blog was inspired by a recent Corpus Animus podcast we did on strength in CrossFit, watch that discussion in the video above.

Strength Testing in CrossFit

The sport of CrossFit requires you to build fitness in many different domains from aerobic capacity and gymnastics to maximal strength. Despite the fact that there are many different areas of fitness that must be developed, strength is one of the most important factors in determining what level of competition you can reach. To be clear, just being strong will not guarantee that you can reach the CrossFit Games, but lacking the required strength levels guarantees that you will not.

Not All Strength is Created Equal

It is important to understand that CrossFit tests the barbell lifts at different frequencies with a bias towards the Olympic lifts. In fact, the snatch or clean and jerk has been tested in some capacity at every stage of the CrossFit Games season, every single year since the introduction of the Open. If you are trying to build strength for the sport, you will have to place an emphasis on developing the technical aspects of these lifts. Competitive weightlifting numbers for CrossFit are built on a foundation of solid squats and deadlifts. Placing too much emphasis on either Olympic lifting or Powerlifting leads to holes in your strength development.

CrossFit Strength Data

One of the challenges that athletes in the sport face is quantifying just how strong they need to be to get to the next competitive level. To take away the guesswork, we’ve combed through the leaderboards at each stage of the CrossFit Games season to give you the clearest picture of where your strength levels need to be in each of the most frequently tested barbell lifts in the sport. The table below shows what is required to qualify for each stage, but does not reflect what is necessary to win each stage.

Open Division

Strength Progression Table

            Lift
            Top 10%
            Semi-final
            Games
        
            Snatch
            190/135#
            255/180#
            275/190#
        
            Clean and Jerk
            250/175#
            335/235#
            350/250#
        
            Back Squat
            320/240#
            415/290#
            435/300#
        
            Front Squat
            280/205#
            365/255#
            375/280#
        
            Deadlift
            365/250#
            525/365#
            550/380#

Masters Age Groups

Masters Strength Progression Table





    
            Lift
            Masters (35-39)
            Masters (40-44)
            Masters (45-49)
            Masters (50-54)
            Masters (55-59)
            Masters (60-64)
        

    
            Snatch
            275/180#
            225/170#
            215/160#
            185/120#
            175/115#
            165/100#
        

            Clean and Jerk
            310/200#
            295/190#
            275/180#
            225/160#
            220/145#
            205/125#
        

            Back Squat
            410/275#
            410/260#
            375/245#
            350/230#
            335/205#
            300/195#
        

            Front Squat
            370/235#
            350/220#
            320/210#
            300/200#
            285/175#
            255/165#
        

            Deadlift
            530/335#
            530/340#
            485/315#
            450/295#
            430/265#
            390/250#
        

Teen Age Groups

Teens Strength Progression Table

            Lift
            Teens (14-15)
            Teens (16-17)
        
            Snatch
            185/125#
            225/165#
        
            Clean and Jerk
            225/180#
            275/195#
        
            Back Squat
            280/220#
            350/245#
        
            Front Squat
            240/190#
            295/210#
        
            Deadlift
            360/280#
            450/315#

How did we get this data?

This data was compiled to provide guidance to members of the TTT Coaching Strength course. Most of this information is based off of the publicly available CrossFit leaderboards. However, some metrics like the top 10% snatch and clean & jerk data are based on the CrossFit Open test loads rather than leaderboard finishes. In addition, we used the CrossFit Total from the 2022 Age Group Qualifier to determine Back Squat and Deadlift numbers for each of the age group divisions. CrossFit lists these as an aggregate total so we calculated the deadlift as 45% of the total and back squat as 35% of the total. We back tested this formula with a number of our athletes and it has at most a 3% error.

CrossFit Strength Ratios

The concept of strength ratios are popular in the strength and conditioning community allowing you to compare your strength in one lift to another, for example a back squat to a deadlift. We cover this concept as well as how to apply them to training template creation in the TTT Coaching Strength course. The strength ratios that have been created up to this point have been based on individual-level data with an emphasis on optimizing joint health. We were able to create a series of strength ratios based on population-level performance data gathered from the CrossFitTM leaderboards. Since the ratios below are based on the CrossFit population in actual competition, they are more applicable than previous strength ratio versions, assuming your goal is to maximize competitive performance. The ratios in the table below should provide you with a guideline for balanced strength development for a competitive CrossFitter.

Lift Ratios Table

            Lift
            Ratio
        
            Front Squat : Back Squat
            1RM Front squat ≈ 86% 1RM Back squat
        
            Deadlift : Back Squat
            1RM Deadlift ≈ 126% 1RM Back squat
        
            Clean & Jerk : Back Squat
            1RM Clean & Jerk ≈ 80% 1RM Back squat
        
            Snatch : Back Squat
            1RM Snatch ≈ 63% 1RM Back squat
        
            Snatch : Clean & Jerk
            1RM Snatch ≈ 79% 1RM Clean & Jerk

This information can help to guide which lifts need more development in your training. For example, divide your 1RM front squat by your 1RM back squat to arrive at your ratio of FS:BS, this should be around 86% based on balanced development in the sport. One thing to keep in mind is that there are limitations in applying strength ratios. Factors like limb length or other anthropometric features can influence an individual’s strength profile relative to the population. We explored these aspects of the athlete assessment process in depth in the TTT Coaching Movement course.

Conclusion

As a coach of competitive CrossFitters, having a clear understanding of the strength requirements for the sport is necessary to guide your athletes. This blog offers you a glimpse into how we perform a needs analysis to quantify strength demands for the sport, but applying this knowledge effectively in your coaching is another challenge entirely. We believe in taking a holistic approach to coaching, where understanding the numbers is just the beginning. Use this data as a starting point, to guide your athlete’s journeys but remember that there is more to effective coaching than just numbers.