A deep cast of dedicated athletes will battle at Dell Diamond stadium over the course of four days for the right to be called the winner of the 2023 Rogue Invitational. Scheduled for Oct. 26-29, 2023, the competition will feature big names from the CrossFit community, including reigning Fittest Man on Earth® Jeffrey Adler and reigning Fittest Woman on Earth® Laura Horvath.
With a steadily increasing prize purse currently valued at $1,620,800 providing plenty of motivation, the athletes should be prepared to perform well in Round Rock, Texas. However, the path to a lucrative payday won’t be easy. As athletes like Adler and Horvath get in their final workouts, they now have a better idea of what’s to come when they make their way to the Lone Star State, as Rogue Invitational officially released the full lineup of individual events on Oct. 23, 2023.
Day One — Thursday, Oct. 26
Although it initially looked like the 2023 Rogue Invitational would kick off on Friday, that won’t be the case. CrossFit competitors will get a chance to showcase their skills in a single event on Thursday, Oct. 26.
Event 1: Texas Heavy
Presented by GORUCK, the first event will begin at 6 p.m. CDT. Although Rogue did not provide any additional details about “Texas Heavy,” based on the sponsor — GORUCK, known for designing weighted vests, sandbags, and rucksacks — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a ruck, heavy sand-filled medicine ball, or sand-filled kettlebell incorporated into Event No. 1.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational could provide a hint of what’s in store, as the Texas Trail event required competitors to complete a 4.2-mile run that included 1.2 miles with a ruck. The men had to carry a 30-pound (13.6-kilogram) ruck, with the women utilizing a 20-pound (9.1-kilogram) version.
Day Two — Friday, Oct. 27
Competitors will have to face two tough challenges on the second day of the 2023 Rogue Invitational. Here’s a breakdown of each event:
Event 2: Seat at the Bar
Time will be of the essence when 1 p.m. hits. “Seat at the Bar” will test the athletes’ strength and endurance with a simple (but strenuous) workout based around the log muscle-up. Rogue provided the following details about the structure of Event No. 2:
- 20-15-10 reps (Men)
- 15-10-5 reps (Women)
In addition, the athletes will have to complete five back squats after each round, with males working with 375 pounds (170.1 kilograms) and females squatting 260 pounds (118 kilograms).
Event 3: The Circus
Once strongman athletes wrap up The Iron Bull Sled Pull, the focus will shift back to CrossFit with an event that makes the Concept2 RowErg the star of the show. “The Circus” consists of three rounds for time of the following exercises:
- Ski Erg — 40 calories for men / 32 for women
- Five Single-Arm Strongman Dumbbell Shoulder to Overhead per side — 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) for men / 70 pounds (31.8 kilograms) for women
- Killer Cage — down and back
Needless to say, the athletes face a daunting task to complete all three tasks three times Thursday evening.
Day Three — Saturday, Oct. 28
The third day of the 2023 Rogue Invitational will take things to another level with a trio of events that will culminate in a powerlifting-inspired showcase of pure strength.
Event 4: 10th Inning
Although it only includes three movements, the first event of Day Three will surely provide more than enough of a conditioning challenge for the competitors. The aptly-named “10th Inning” event consists of 10 rounds of the following exercises:
The men must complete the power snatches with 95 pounds (43 kilograms). Meanwhile, the women will be tasked with completing this classic Olympic lift with 65 pounds (29.5 kilograms).
Event 5: The Duel III
While no specifics were provided about this event, the 2021 Rogue Invitational included an event called “The Duel” in which competitors had to complete the following workout as quickly as possible:
- 60 heavy double-unders
- Three squat snatches — 205 pounds (93 kilograms) for men; 145 pounds (65.8 kilograms) for women
- One sandbag load to platform — 250 pounds (113.4 kilograms) for men; 165 pounds (74.8 kilograms) for women
Meanwhile, the 2022 CrossFit Rogue Invitational featured an elimination-style, multi-round event called “The Duel II” in which competitors had to complete a legless rope climb, 10 overhead squats, and a sandbag carry.
Will “The Duel III” follow a similar path as those previous iterations? Or do workout programmers and veteran CrossFit Games Chris Spealler Josh Bridges have a surprise up their sleeves?
Event 6: Max Deadlift
Pure strength and precise technique will be needed to emerge victorious at the end of Day Three. In what’s clearly the most straightforward event of them all, competitors will get a chance to flex their deadlift proficiency in a one-rep max challenge.
Day Four — Sunday, Oct. 29
The last day of the 2023 Rogue Invitational will put the athletes through three more events before the competition wraps up.
Event 7: Hulk Hands
What better way to start your Sunday morning than with a gauntlet of exercises that includes air bike sprint intervals and working with unconventional kettlebells that have the handle inside the bell? That’s what’s on the docket for the athletes in “Hulk Hands.”
Here’s a full breakdown of Event No. 7:
- Echo Bike — 30 calories
- Double Fatbell Ground to Overhead — 20 reps using 70 pounds (31.8 kilograms) for men / 53 pounds (24 kilograms) for women
- Front Rack Lunge to Zeus — 75 feet using 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) for men / 95 pounds (43 kilograms) for women
- Run — Undetermined distance
- Hill Sled Push — Undetermined distance or weight
- Front Rack Lunge to Zeus — 75 feet using 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) for men / 95 pounds (43 kilograms) for women
- Run — Undetermined distance
- Double Fatbell Ground to Overhead — 20 reps using 70 pounds (31.8 kilograms) for men / 53 pounds (24 kilograms) for women
- Echo Bike — 30 calories
Event 8: Big Cat
Athleticism and agility will be on full display during the eighth event of the 2023 Rogue Invitational. “Big Cat” keeps things fairly simple with five rounds for time of three exercises:
- Box Jump — 6 reps at 42 inches (106.7 centimeters) for men / 36 inches (91.4 centimeters) for women
- Peg Board Climb — Two traverses
- Hill Run — Undetermined distance
The box jumps will require explosive lower-body power generated from the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. The board climb will not only assess the athletes’ upper-body pulling ability, but also their hand-eye coordination. Plus, the hill run will test their cardiovascular conditioning and mental fortitude each and every round.
Event 9: The Cleanup
Last but certainly not least is “The Cleanup.” Although Rogue once again did not provide any details about the workout, you can be sure the athletes will empty their tanks to wrap up four days of grueling competition. And depending on how the standings shake out heading into Event No. 9, there could be title ramifications on the line when the final event kicks off at the scheduled 2:25 p.m. CDT.
Despite not knowing the specifics about all nine events, there’s no doubt the athletes should have a strong grasp of what they must do to come out on top at the 2023 Rogue Invitational. Expect the Round Rock crowd to give ample support to a collection of CrossFit standouts that could soon include a back-to-back Rogue Invitational champion if Laura Horvath handles business at Dell Diamond stadium.
Featured Image: @rogueinvitational / Instagram
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