081 Profile of an Elite Fitness Athlete

Send us Fan MailA study published last month looked at the characteristics of 19 elite fitness athletes.Here are some of their characteristics:BodyBodyweightM: 195lbsF: 150lbsBody CompositionM: 12% BF (9.4-14.2%)F: 15-16% BF (13.2-17.8%)Lean Body MassM: 165lbs lean mass (150-181lbs)F: 120lbs lean mass (114-128lbs)StrengthBack SquatM: 415 +- 30lbsF: 285 +- 15lbsRelative Back SquatM: 2.13x BW Back Squat (1.94-2.32x)F: 1.93x BW Back Squat (1.77-2.09x)Anaerobic Capacity“Elite” at 30s WingateMean PowerM: 968W W: 644WAerobic Capacity“Unprecedented” VO2 Max – some on par with elite endurance athletesM: 62 ml*kg-1*minF: 55 ml*kg-1*minIn light of these findings, I suggest a periodized approach to long term athlete development in CrossFit: 1. Muscle first. 2. Then strength. 3. Then capacity. Here's why I suggest this order:1. Muscle size is protective against injury. 2. Muscle mass takes a long time to develop. 3. Neuromuscular efficiency will only get you so far. 4. It can be difficult to put on muscle mass in-season. 5. The sport tests premium movements more than work rate. 6. Strength is highly correlated with muscle endurance above 40% of 1RM. 7. The concurrent training effect only works one way.8. Maintaining is less work than gaining.9. With resistance training, you practice the same skills that make up the vast majority of the sport. Physical and Physiological Characteristics of Elite CrossFit Athleteshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11209587/