Mutant Phase
The final stage of elite fitness training is the Mutant Level. At this point, the athlete is all but untouchable in his or her ability to create explosive hip power and work capacity. The benchmarks for this level don’t look difficult on paper but in order for the body to perform the events takes a serious mind and training regimen. A 90 second L-sit alone can take years to developmentally master. That is why this level is appropriately named "Mutant".
This stage of athletic development needs no description. The Mutant Level athlete has successfully proven to him or herself and those around them that the body is capable of much more than the mind believes is possible. For anyone to start as a member candidate (Boot Camp) and progress through each stage to reach the Mutant Level of fitness is an incredible feat of mental fortitude and iron will. Of course the training put on the body has some to do with this achievement as well, but it is at this stage of elite athleticism that the mind learns exactly what the body can do – ANYTHING!
It is only through union and cohesion between the mind and body that an athlete will reach this level of performance. A little philosophy: the mind is the slave to the body because it is trapped inside of it. There is nowhere the mind can go without the body – the body is the prison of the mind until the bodies eventual death. The body is also the slave of the mind because the bodies actions are controlled by the mind. The body is simply a machine and the mind the driver behind the controls of the machine – the actions and movements of the body depend on the thoughts that come from the mind. This constant struggle between the mind and body is the "human condition". We are at constant odds between the body who has no free will yet can move freely in time and space, and the mind who is the commander of choice yet is trapped by the flesh and blood of the body. The only way to end this struggle, this conflict, is to allow the body and the mind to work together for the common good. When the mind makes choices that are good for the body (regular exercise, proper feeding habits, adequate rest and recovery), the body will reward the mind with high performance and longevity (death, after all, is as big a fear to the mind as it is to the body because the mind depends on the living body for EXPERIENCE, the lifeblood of the mind). However, more often than not the choices the mind makes are detrimental to the body – that is the struggle for control. Fast food diets, less than 6 hour of nighttime rest, drinking less than 1/2 gallon of water, little to moderate exercise – these are all examples of bad choices the mind makes for the body and in return the body refuses to perform, gets sick or injured, and dies early.
Now, what does all this have to do with Mutant Level athleticism? It is our contention that only through a union between the mind and body can this level of fitness be achieved. It there exists a struggle between the mind and the body reaching these levels of performance is difficult by definition. The mind and body are using too much energy in the battle for control that any form of training effort is weakened. IT IS CRUCIAL, NECESSARY EVEN, THAT THE MIND AND BODY BE ONE IN ORDER TO REACH THE FINAL LEVEL OF ELITE ATHLETICISM.
To become a Mutant Crossfitter, each of the athletic standards below must be met and verified by a Coach. Good luck.
MUTANT
WORK
2 KB/DB clean/jerk: 10 minute test,
100 reps, W- 16 kg, M- 24 kg
Sandbag Carry: 1 mile with 3/4 BW
800 meter run: 2:20 minutes
5k row: women- 20:00
6k row: men- 20:00
HIPS
Pistols: 25 each leg
Squat: 2 x BW
Deadlift: 2 1/2 x BW
Vertical Jump: 30 inches
PUSH
Pushups: 60 on rings
Bench Press: 1 1/2 x BW
Military Press: 1 x BW
Handstand Pushups: 10 full range
Dip: 1 with 1 x BW
Dips: 50 on rings
PULL
Rope Climb: 20 ft. climb
2 trips touch and go, no feet
Clean: 1 1/2 x BW
Pullup: 1 with 1 x BW
Pullups: 40 dead hang
Muscle Up: 15
CORE
Overhead Squat: 15 reps with 1 x BW
Back lever: 15 seconds
L-sit: 1:30 min.
SPEED
400 meter run: 1:04 minutes
500 meter row: W- 1:40, M- 1:25
Snatch: 1 1/4 x BW
WORK CHALLENGE
Mary: 15 rounds in 20 minutes
5 handstand pushups, 10 pistols,
15 pullups
1 mile run: 5:00 minutes
***Adopted from Dave Werner at CrossFit Seattle and from CrossFit Human Evolution Labs***
