Weekly overview 31.08-06.09
It’s Games Week! We’re bringing the 2026 CrossFit Games to your gym this week with a full lineup of Games workouts adapted for class use. Expect big workouts, big energy, and plenty of Mayhem all week long.
Monday kicks off with the August Monthly Challenge retest of two minutes of Max Bench Press at the challenge weight. Remind athletes to look up their score from August 3rd and come in with a plan. After that, we jump into the 2007 Hopper with rowing, pull-ups, and push jerks. It's a big volume day, so smart pacing and scaling will be important.
Tuesday brings the CrossFit Total with 12 minutes each to build to a heavy Back Squat, Shoulder Press, and Deadlift single. There's a lot to get through, so if you want to take the time to really coach the lifts and help athletes make smart attempts, it's absolutely okay to skip the sprint that follows and focus on the Total. For those who do the sprint, bring the energy...it's meant to hurt!
Wednesday brings a three-position Snatch strength piece before another Games workout featuring Toes-to-Bar and three different snatch variations. Athletes will need to stay sharp with their transitions as grip and midline fatigue build. This is a great day to emphasize quality movement before chasing intensity.
Thursday gives the barbell a break with double-under/triple-under practice followed by a descending ski or row and burpee workout. Keep transitions quick and encourage athletes to stay aggressive without blowing up early.
Friday brings Hang Squat Cleans and Front Squats before a four-round run and hang squat clean workout. The strength work is designed to prime athletes for the conditioning piece, so use it to build confidence with the loading and make sure athletes are ready to move well once the running starts.
Saturday BIG BIRTHDAY BASH
Sunday closes out Games Week with Machine 7200, a partner workout where athletes split 3,600m on the rower and 3,600m on the SkiErg. It's a great way to finish a massive week with some hard, simple conditioning.
One big reminder this week: there's a LOT of volume. If you are training five, six, or seven days this week, Some days need to be lower-intensity. And just because you can Rx a workout doesn't mean they should. Smart scaling is a skill, too. Never be too proud to scale!
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Today we retest the August Monthly Bench Press Challenge (2:00 max reps at chosen weight from 8/3) before taking on the first event from both the 2007 and 2026 CrossFit Games, the Hopper! In the Hopper, athletes should finish the 1000m row buy-in under control, then settle into five consistent rounds where pull ups are completed in manageable sets and all push jerks stay unbroken. The goal for most athletes is steady pacing from start to finish, not a max effort row. The fittest athletes will need to push the pace from the start much more to hit elite level times.
Strength
"AUGUST MONTHLY CHALLENGE"
2:00 AMRAP Max Bench Press* (Score is Total Reps)
*Loading Guidelines (Specific for Bench Press)
Freedom - 155/95
Independence - 135/85
Liberty - 115/75
(KG conv: 70/42.5, 60/37.5, 52.5/35)
Workout
EVENT 1 | '26 CFG -- 2007 HOPPER
FOR TIME
1000m Row
Immediate Into...
5 ROUNDS
25 Pull-Ups
7 Push Jerks (135/95)
(Score is Time)
KG: 60/42.5
Note -- 1000m for all athletes.
Target Times
Most - 14:00 - 18:00 (20min TC)
Top- 10:00 - 12:00
Strategy
Pacing - Row under control, then settle into repeatable rounds. Most athletes should be around 5:00 on the row and 2:00-3:00 per round. This meets the time cap if followed.
Efficiency - Plan pull up sets before the workout starts. 25 reps per round is serious volume; work with athletes to have their total number per round and plan for sets before the workout. Move directly to the barbell and complete every push jerk set unbroken.
Red Flags - Sprinting the row, taking the first pull up set to failure, or standing between movements will cost more time than they save.
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Today is all about ‘testing under time limits’ as we are hitting the CrossFit Total (events 3,4,5 of the 2026 CFG) and a CFG event 13 with a 500m sprint. Today, athletes have 12:00 at each station to establish a heavy back squat, shoulder press, and deadlift before finishing the day with the max effort sprint. Encourage athletes to make smart jumps throughout the Total, knowing that 12 min might be plenty for the shoulder press but require some quicker work on the squat and deadlift. At each station there should be no more than 1-2 attempts at the heaviest weight; building smartly is a big part of working on a short clock.
Strength
FOR LOAD*
1 Rep Max Back Squat
1 Rep Max Shoulder Press
1 Rep Max Deadlift
(Score is Total Weight)
*Athletes have 12:00 at each station to establish a heavy lift for each movement.
Workout
EVENT 13 | '26 CFG -- SPRINT (version)
FOR TIME
500m Sprint
(Score is Time)
All movements can be scaled to suit each athlete
Strategy
Pacing - There is little to no pacing today. Attack from the start and hold on for dear life.
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EVENT 3/4/5: THE CROSSFIT TOTAL
FOR LOAD*
1 Rep Max Back Squat
1 Rep Max Shoulder Press
1 Rep Max Deadlift
(Score is Total Weight)
*Athletes have 12:00 at each station to establish a heavy lift for each movement.
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Today's workout is a CHALLENGE where every set of seven snatches has to stay unbroken or the set does not count. The barbell is light at 95/65, so the score really comes down to how much grip an athlete has left after 21 toes to bar. Athletes should find the highest pace they can hold while still getting nine straight sets on the bar, which means the toes to bar get broken up from the very first rep.
STRENGTH
EVERY 2:00 (5 SETS)
1 Power Snatch + 1 Hang Power Snatch + 1 Squat Snatch*
*All 3 reps unbroken, start light build in weight to Moderate-Heavy (RPE 7)
(Score is Heaviest Weight)
Workout
EVENT 12 | '26 CFG -- THE HOPPER 2026
3 ROUNDS FOR TIME
21 Toes to Bar
7 Unbroken Power Snatch (95/65)
7 Unbroken Hang Power Snatch (95/65)
7 Unbroken Squat Snatch (95/65)
(Score is Time)
KG: 42.5/30
All movements and weights can be scaled to suit each athlete
Target Times
Most - 11:00 -14:00 ( 15:00 TC )
Top- 08:00 - 10:00
Strategy
Pacing - Break the toes to bar from the first rep, 7-7-7 or 11-10, and aim for 1:15-1:30 on that piece. Each set of seven snatches should take about 30 seconds, with roughly 15 seconds of rest between sets. A repeatable round is 3:30-4:30.
Efficiency - Hook grip the barbell for the snatches and open the hands at every lockout. Bring the bar down under control with the hands staying in it rather than dropping and regripping. Chalk once before you start and leave it alone.
Red Flags - On the toes to bar, watch for the athlete who opens with a big set and then starts missing reps or hanging on the bar between singles. On the snatches, watch for the bar drifting forward, a press out, or a missed rep inside a set of seven. Take weight off the bar immediately, because a broken set costs them the whole point of the workout. On the squat snatch specifically, if you see the bar crashing on the receive or the athlete standing up out of a soft bottom position.
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Today's workout is a long, steady conditioning test inspired by the 2026 CrossFit Games Swim Standard. Athletes should settle into a sustainable pace on the erg, recover during the opening and closing strokes of each Interval, and steadily chip away at the burpees before finishing with a strong final push.
Skill
10:00 PRACTICE / SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Single, Double Under or Triple Under Practice
Workout
EVENT 7 | '26 CFG -- SWIM STANDARD
FOR TIME
1000m Row or Ski
40 Line Facing Burpees
750m Row or Ski
30 Line Facing Burpees
500m Row or Ski
20 Line Facing Burpees
250m Row or Ski
10 Line Facing Burpees
(Score is Time)
Note -- Same distances for all athletes.
All movements can be scaled to suit each athlete
Target Times
Most - 18:00 - 21:00 ( 22:00 TC)
Top- 15:00 - 17:00
Strategy
Pacing - Stay controlled on every erg and use the opening and closing strokes as active recovery. Save your highest effort for the final 250m. Goal is sub 2:00/2:10 500m split and 12-20 line-facing burpees per minute.
Efficiency - Step up through the larger burpee sets and increase cadence as repetitions decrease. Keep transitions quick without rushing.
Red Flags - Sprinting the opening erg, standing after burpees, or allowing splits to fall dramatically after the first interval.
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Today's workout is another CrossFit Games-inspired test that rewards smooth pacing and efficient barbell cycling under fatigue. Athletes should stay controlled on the opening run, allowing enough in the tank to attack the hang squat cleans with consistent movement before repeating that effort four times. These hang squat sets will become grueling over time, which is why it’s important to pace the run correctly.
Strength/Skill
EVERY 1:30 (6 SETS)
2 Hang Squat Cleans + 1 Front Squat*
*All 3 reps unbroken, start light build in weight to Moderate-Heavy (RPE 7)
(Score is Heaviest Weight)
Workout
EVENT 10 | '26 CFG -- RUN / SQUAT CLEAN
4 ROUNDS FOR TIME
600m Run
10 Hang Squat Clean (185/125)
(Score is Time)
KG: 85/57.5
All movements can be scaled to suit each athlete
Target Times
Most - 16:00 - 20:00 ( 20:00 TC)
Top- 14:00 - 16:00
Strategy
Pacing - Stay controlled on every run and avoid racing the opening round. Consistent pacing will leave enough energy to attack the cleans every round. A good goal for athletes would be 3:00-3:30 per 600m.
Efficiency - Slow down the final 25-50m and transition immediately to the bar, take one deep breath, and begin lifting. Plan one to two quick breaks on the cleans rather than waiting until failure.
Red Flags - Going unbroken, grinding out the first set. May seem like a good idea since you feel good, but this was a mistake that even the fittest in the world make. Break before it breaks you!
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1st Birthday Bash!
Partner Workouts TBC :)
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Today is a partner GRIND built around sustained machine output, smart work-to-rest intervals, and efficient transitions. Teams should keep the work split close to 1:1, using short enough efforts that both athletes can maintain strong machine pace from the opening meters through the final push. The goal is a sustainable high output with fast transitions across the entire workout.
Workout
EVENT 18 | '26 CFG -- MACHINE 7200m
IN TEAMS OF 2*
FOR TIME
Row 3600 meters
Ski 3600 meters (7200m C2 Bike)
*Partner 1 works while P2 rests. Partners switch as needed.
(Scored by Time)
Target Times
Most - 28:00 - 34:00 (35min TC)
Top- 26:00 - 28:00
Strategy
Pacing - Use 30-45 second turns or consistent distance splits that keep the work- to-rest ratio close to 1:1. Athletes should switch before machine pace noticeably falls rather than trying to squeeze extra meters out of each Turn. 200m back and forth for evenly matched partners allows both to hit the same amount of total distance.
Efficiency - The resting partner should be completely ready before every exchange. Keep row straps loose enough for fast entry/exit and hand off the ski handles directly so the machine spends almost no time idle. Slow down during the last 5 seconds or 20 meters so you can begin to switch and keep the workout time/distance consistent.
Red Flags - Long work intervals, machine pace dropping each turn, slow partner exchanges, or one athlete taking significantly more work than the other. Adjust the split early before fatigue compounds.