Former champion Ben Smith has organized a training camp for the 2023 CrossFit Games. Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala Show Out

This elite group of athletes is preparing for a big week in Madison.

Written by Roger Lockridge Last updated on July 10, 2023

The 2023 CrossFit Games are fast approaching and elite athletes are preparing to head into the big week August 1-6, 2023 in Madison, WI. In particular, Ben Smith, the 2015 Fittest Man on Earth, joined by 2022 women’s third-place finisher Laura Horvath and 2022 women’s eighth-place finisher Gabriela Migala are training for the upcoming challenge.

The three competitors were joined by other CrossFit athletes and non-competing gym members in what was called a training camp. On June 30, 2023, CrossFit Krypton (which hosted the event and is co-owned by Smith) shared a video of camp highlights on their YouTube channel.

Smith can be seen explaining the day’s planned workout to the assembled crew in Chesapeake, VA. The warm-up phase was a two-round circuit consisting of rowing, push-ups, the Skierg, hanging L-sit leg raises, stationary bike riding, handstands, and burpees.

Next is the main workout of the day. It consisted of three separate stations with pairs of exercises performed back-to-back in a superset fashion. The entire circuit was completed with as many laps as possible in 12 minutes.

Station one

• Rowing – 20 calories (men) / 16 calories (women)
• Bench press – 10 reps with 84 kilograms / 185 pounds (men) / 56.7 kilograms / 125 pounds (women)

Station two

• Stationary bike – 20 calories (men) / 16 calories (women)
• Barefoot rope climbing – Two reps (height not disclosed)

Station three

• Skierg – 20 calories (men) / 16 calories (women)
• Strict handstand push-up – 10 repetitions (facing the wall)

Following the circuits, Smith instructed the groups to take turns doing strict pull-ups using the “ladder” method. They started by performing one rep for each person, then added two repetitions on the next set, three repetitions on the following set, one repetition per set for a maximum of 12 repetitions or until they reached failure. Members unable to perform pull-ups with their own body weight used resistance bands to help them complete their reps.

After a question-and-answer session with the high-level athletes, they all moved on to the “cashout” phase of the workout, which included snatches, back squats, burpees, and toe-to-bar leg raises. This was the final part of the exercise.