066 Are Elite Athletes Getting Bigger?

Send us Fan MailIn the last 5 years, the average bodyweight of a male Games Athlete has increased 5 lbs. The median bodyweight has increased by 7 lbs. In 2018, the median Games Athlete weighed 195 lbs. In 2024, the median Games Athlete weighs 202 lbs. On the women’s side, since 2018, the average bodyweight of a Games Athlete has increased by 3 lbs, from 146 to 149. Since 2018, the average bodyweight on both sides has gone up 2-3%. The increase may be bigger, as this data is self-reported. Many athletes don’t go through the trouble to update their profiles. The data just confirms what we can clearly see. Games Athletes have gotten bigger.  This suggests that CrossFit’s recent programming of Semifinals, compared to the 2018 Regionals, has selected larger athletes. What this means for challengersToday, the average male Games athlete weighs 202 lbs @8-10% body fat. Meaning they carry about 185 lbs of lean mass. The average female Games athlete weighs 149 lbs @14-20% body fat. Meaning they carry about 125 lbs of lean mass. For me, muscle mass is the first gate that an athlete must pass if they want to be successful in the sport. Why? 1. Muscle size is protective against injury. Muscular size and muscular strength are very closely related. Muscular size may allow for more resilience and longer training careers. 2. Muscle mass takes a long time to develop. The average age of competitive bodybuilders appears to be increasing. It takes time to put on enough muscle to be competitive. .5 lb per week is a widely accepted norm for rate of gain. This means up to 24 lbs per year, and not all of it will be muscle. To reach those levels of lean mass, for most it’s going to take lots of strength training and lots of food. 3. Neuromuscular efficiency will only get you so far. There is a reason we don’t see any athletes beyond a certain deviation from the mean in body mass. The lightest athlete on the men’s side this year is Peter Ellis with a listed weight of 176.On the women’s side, the lightest athlete is Claudia Gluck with a listed weight of 132.  We don’t see any men or women below these weights because the loads are too heavy. No matter how strong you are pound for pound, you must be big enough in order to be strong enough. 4. It is very difficult to put on muscle mass in-season Because of the amount and style of conditioning you need to do in season, it can be difficult to put on lean mass. Since we plan to compete 2-4 times per year, this cuts into the time we have to gain muscle. If you need to move into the competitive weight class, then you need to prioritize strength and hypertrophy in the offseason, eat plenty of food and reduce your conditioning volume enough so that you can gain muscle. If you need to make big changes to move into the weight class, prioritize strength and hypertrophy in your offseason.