Since Jan. 19, organizers of the eighth annual Fittest Games have methodically released workouts and movements the 480 competing athletes can expect to face during the two-day event held in Austin, Jan. 30-31.

 

“We want to feature a balance between strength and pure gymnastics and mobility,” said Jeremy Thiel, founder and director of the Fittest Games. “Our goal is to make it true to the sport of functional fitness.”

 

With workouts dubbed “Body Control,” “Grip Gauntlet” and “Motha Thruster,” athletes’ skills and mental endurance will surely be tested. 

 

“We are staying pure to the Olympic lifts and gymnastic movements,” Thiel said.

 

The competition, which features professional, amateur and masters divisions, will test athletes in classic power and Olympic weightlifting movements, such as the clean and jerk, deadlift and overhead squat, but will also run them through a series of bodyweight movements including muscle-ups, pistols and handstand pushups.

 

Thiel said that while athletes may be anticipating the workouts, fans are equally anxious to see what the Fittest Games has in store.

 

“This event is geared toward the spectator,” he said. “The sport of functional fitness is exploding and people want to experience the competition firsthand.”

 

According to Thiel, two reasons to follow the Fittest Games include the showcasing of current top athletes and the emerging of the next generation of elite performers.

 

The team competition features 50 powerhouse teams with familiar faces, including CrossFit Games veteran Jenn Jones who will be competing with Team EADO. 

 

“I am really looking forward to a fun weekend with awesome athletes from my gym and around Texas,” Jones said in a Team Review blog posted by the Fittest Games. “I honestly don’t think too much will be different (from my individual experiences). It’s still competing. Nothing changes from an individual standpoint. You still push the same. The only thing is when you get tired you have a teammate to help you out.” 

 

Other athletes Thiel said to watch closely are Josh Littauer from CrossFit Citadel, who finished seventh in the 2015 WoDapalooza, and Caleb Christian, a top-15 finisher in the south central region of the 2014 CrossFit Games.

 

“This is not a scaled competition,” Thiel said. “Our event is directed toward the elite athletic competitor to see if they have a shot at the higher level competitions.”

 

Since 2008, Thiel said the Fittest Games has provided the highest level of competition experience that a grassroots functional fitness organization can deliver. “This is all about the larger community and bringing people together,” he said. “They’re an elite athlete no matter what division they are competing in.”

 

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