Optimal Body Composition for CrossFit
A while ago, BTWB published a lengthy, encyclopedic analysis of the optimal BMI for CrossFit based on user-provided data. Below is the athletes’ actual 2017 CrossFit Open rank vs BMI; smaller rank is better.
Not particularly exciting. Now the same plots with a logarithmic y-axis:
When plotted like so, no additional analysis is required to render the most important conclusion. Most notably, the “don’t even think about it” zones of the plots in which [almost] no CrossFitter exists: the athlete is either too small or too large for their name to bubble to the top of the leaderboard. That is not to say that a male with a BMI of 28 is guaranteed to win the CrossFit games — because he can be composed of 30% fat, have no skill, or lack aerobic capacity. That is to say: if you’re a female CrossFitter wanting your name to be recognizable, you better have a BMI of around 24; 28 if you’re a male. This is known as a “necessary, not sufficient” condition: it guarantees nothing, but you can’t do without it. Not convinced? The plot below is the chance of being in the top 1,000 worldwide for women and men.
To be your best at CrossFit, get your body fat to ~ 15%, give or take, gain muscle to be as close to the optimal BMI as possible. After that, it is training, rest, and genetics (a.k.a. luck).
A Note Of Caution
Presented here is what’s known as a statistical statement. Such statements apply to populations, not individuals. For example: “Men are taller than women.” We all know this statement to be true on average. We are also aware of exceptions thereto. Population studies give more insight into the human DNA, than the DNA of a given human. They are to be treated as guideposts, not unbreakable laws.
