Photo Credit: Athlete’s Eye
By: Brian Friend and Barclay Dale
Rogue Men’s Picks: Best Performances and Movements
By pretty much any metric you want to use, from top to bottom, the Rogue Invitational is the most prestigious CrossFit competition of the year. You get a majority of the fittest men and women from the previous season, and add a handful of athletes who have separated themselves in the “Q”, which is the most challenging online qualifying process in the sport for all the right reasons.
This year, to help quantify how impressive the field is, Barclay Dale and his database at B.Friendly Stats provides us with each athlete’s:
- Best 5 performances of their career OR all top-three finishes of their career
- Evaluation of their best competitive patterns (note that these are with reference to performances from 2019 to the present)
Additionally, you’ll see Brian’s picks (1 through 20) for this year at the Rogue Invitational. Those picks won’t necessarily be “defended” here, but Tuesday night on the Sevan Podcast I’ll be comparing my picks to John Young’s , where we will dive into the reasoning behind the picks.
The athletes are listed alphabetically by first name:
Bayley Martin
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 2nd at 2023 Semifinals: Oceania
- 6th at 2022 Semifinals: Torian Pro
- 8th at 2021 Semifinals: Torian Pro
- 12th at 2023 CrossFit Games
- 13th at 2022 Semifinals: Last Chance Qualifier
Best Competitive Patterns
Most of his best movements are weightlifting and gymnastics. In particular he is very good at legless rope climbs, overhead squats, and carries of any kind. If, by chance, they ran back the Duel II from last year, Martin could be a sneaky pick to steal some big points.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 16th
Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2021 Semifinals: Lowlands Throwdown
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Reykjavik CrossFit Championship
- 1st at 2017 Meridian Regional
- 1st at 2016 Meridian Regional
- 2nd at 2022 Semifinals: Lowlands Throwdown
- 2nd at 2020 Sanctionals: The Rogue Invitational
- 2nd in 2019 Open
- 2nd at 2018 Sanctionals: Dubai CrossFit Championship
- 2nd at 2015 Meridian Regional
- 3rd at 2019 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2015 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2014 Europe Regional
Best Competitive Patterns
Gudmundsson’s best event performances throughout his career generally come when gymnastics is involved to some degree. Ring muscle ups and Rope climbs standing out as the two most dominant movements. In the weightlifting realm, it’s the overhead squat that yields the best performances. In the monostructural realm, both swimming and sprinting are generally strengths. It’s extremely unlikely that they’ll swim, but some short distance running is possible.
As a fun little aside, Gudmundsson generally does well at least two thirds of the time on the first scored event of any competition.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 8th
Brent Fikowski
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2022 Semifinals: Granite Games
- 1st at 2022 ELFIT Championship
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Asia CrossFit Championship
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Dubai CrossFit Championship
- 1st at 2018 West Regional
- 1st at 2017 West Regional
- 1st at 2016 West Regional
- 2nd at 2023 Semifinals: North America West
- 2nd at 2019 Sanctionals: Granite Games
- 2nd at 2017 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2022 Dubai CrossFit Championship
- 3rd at 2021 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2014 Canada West Regional
Best Competitive Patterns
There are some very specific movements which Fikowski has shown great proficiency at throughout his career. Leading the way are legless rope climbs, snatching, and ski erg.
He is more or less a shoe in for an elite performance relative to the field in Monostructural dominant tests as well having what equates to top 25% finishes in MM, MMM,GMM, and WMM combinations.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 7th
Chandler Smith
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2022 The CanWest Games
- 1st at 2020 Sanctionals: Mayhem Classic
- 2nd at 2022 Rogue Invitational
- 2nd at 2021 Semifinals: Granite Games
- 4th in 2022 Quarterfinals
- 4th at 2020 Sanctionals: The Rogue Invitational
Best Competitive Patterns
While most would immediately equate Chandler with weightlifting, we’re interested in getting a little more specific. His best weightlifting movement? Sandbag cleans and Squat Cleans, followed closely by the Snatch.
However, on the gymnastics side, he’s actually been just as good with any rope climbing movement, and even to a higher degree when they are legless.
Look for a top five finish in this field with metcons of the WW, GWW, or MMW, variations.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 5th
Dallin Pepper
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 2nd at 2022 Semifinals: MACC
- 3rd in 2023 Quarterfinals
- 3rd at 2023 Semifinals: North America East
- 5th at 2023 CrossFit Games
- 5th at 2022 Wodapalooza
Best Competitive Patterns
Pepper is a Rogue rookie looking to make a big splash. His best movements historically are legless rope climbs, snatches, and overhead walking lunges. He also shows pretty well on sled pulls, GHD sit-ups, and the echo bike.
Another fun stat for Pepper is that he does very well, meaning a top quarter finish, more often than not on the final event of a competition.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 6th
Garrett Clark
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 1st at 2022 The Fittest Experience
- 15th at 2022 Semifinals: Syndicate Crown
- 16th at 2023 Semifinals: North America East
- 25th at 2019 Sanctionals: Granite Games
- 29th at 2021 Semifinals: Granite Games
Best Competitive Patterns
Clark’s best movements don’t show very well relative to most of the men in this field. The only movement he scores well on half the time or more is a tank push. The only combination of movements for which that is true is GGM style metcons. He’s also decent on a bike and on MW combinations, so be on the lookout for any of those things if you’re trying to find an event for Clark to make some noise.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 20th
Jay Crouch
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2023 Semifinals: Oceania
- 1st at 2022 Semifinals: Torian Pro
- 1st at 2022 Down Under Championship
- 1st at 2020 Sanctionals: Australian CrossFit Championship
- 2nd at 2021 Semifinals: Torian Pro
- 2nd at 2019 Sanctionals: SouthFit CrossFit Challenge
- 3rd at 2019 Sanctionals: Down Under CrossFit Championship
Best Competitive Patterns
Crouch is sneakily proficient in the monostructural realm, especially when it comes to biking of any kind. He almost always yields top third finishes on MMM, GMM, and WMM style events.
In terms of weightlifting, the overhead squat is best, and for gymnastics it’s rope climbs.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 15th
Jayson Hopper
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2021 Semifinals: MACC
- 1st at 2020 Crash Crucible
- 2nd at 2023 Semifinals: North America East
- 2nd at 2022 Semifinals: Syndicate Crown
- 7th at 2022 CrossFit Games
- 7th at 2022 Rogue Invitational
- 7th at 2021 Rogue Invitational
Best Competitive Patterns
Hopper dominates on the bike and is nearly as good at running. For weightlifting his best performances come with shoulder to overhead work and sleds in any form. He’s nearly perfect in terms of top finishes any time the combination is MMM, GMM, WMM, or WW.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 9th
Jeffrey Adler
Top Career Finishes
- 1st in 2023 Open
- 1st at 2023 Semifinals: North America East
- 1st at 2023 CrossFit Games
- 1st at 2022 Semifinals: Atlas Games
- 1st in 2021 Open
- 2nd at 2021 Semifinals: Atlas Games
- 3rd in 2022 Quarterfinals
- 3rd at 2022 Rogue Invitational
- 3rd in 2021 Quarterfinals
- 3rd at 2021 Rogue Invitational
- 3rd at 2020 Sanctionals: Mayhem Classic
Best Competitive Patterns
Adler scores well on a wide diversity of movements, even relative to most athletes in this field. So for him we’ll show you what the study looks like on the back end:
- Clean 88.9%
- Run 88.0%
- Dumbbell Snatch 85.7%
- Parallette Handstand Push Up 83.3%
- Sprint 83.3%
- ANY Run 80.6%
- Jerk 80.0%
- Sandbag Clean 80.0%
- Front Rack Walking Lunge 80.0%
Those are the percentage of times he scores what we consider an “elite” performance when that movement shows up in any scored event setting.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 1st
Jelle Hoste
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 2nd at 2022 French Throwdown
- 3rd at 2021 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 4th at 2023 Semifinals: Europe
- 9th at 2022 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 10th at 2023 CrossFit Games
Best Competitive Patterns
Hoste specializes in a few things which could really bode well for Rogue. He’s amazing at running, biking, carrying, skiing, and more generally odd object movements. Any combination of monostructural and weightlifting is typically good for him too.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 14th
Jonne Koski
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2021 Semifinals: German Throwdown
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: CrossFit French Throwdown
- 1st at 2015 Meridian Regional
- 1st at 2014 Europe Regional
- 2nd at 2023 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 2nd at 2022 Semifinals: Last Chance Qualifier
- 2nd at 2017 Meridian Regional
- 3rd at 2016 Meridian Regional
Best Competitive Patterns
Koski scores well on a few movements which are distinct from a lot of other athletes in the Rogue field. While is very good at the bike, as many of them are, he is amongst the best in this field at burpees and handstand walking. Handstand walking has never been at a Rogue Invitational, but if it happens to show up this year, keep an eye on Koski.
He’s very much a gymnastics and monostructural assassin, scoring best on the combinations of G, GG, GMM, GGM and MMM throughout his career.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 12th
Lazar Đukić
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2023 Semifinals: Europe
- 1st at 2023 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 1st at 2022 Semifinals: Lowlands Throwdown
- 1st at 2022 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 2nd at 2021 Semifinals: German Throwdown
- 2nd at 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship
Best Competitive Patterns
Lazar scores best on movements which are almost never seen at Rogue: swimming, c2 bike, overhead squat, and rowing are his top movements.
In terms of movement combinations look for Lazar on the monostructural and gymnastic combinations of MMM, MM, GGM, and GM for some of his better results in the competition.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 11th
Noah Ohlsen
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2018 Atlantic Regional
- 1st at 2017 Atlantic Regional
- 1st in 2016 Open
- 1st at 2015 Atlantic Regional
- 1st at 2014 South East Regional
- 2nd at 2021 Semifinals: West Coast Classic
- 2nd at 2019 CrossFit Games
- 2nd in 2017 Open
- 2nd at 2016 Atlantic Regional
- 3rd at 2020 Sanctionals: The Rogue Invitational
- 3rd at 2020 Sanctionals: Wodapalooza
- 3rd at 2019 Sanctionals: Italian Showdown
Best Competitive Patterns
Ohlsen scores well 80% or more of the time on nine different movements. The ones which are most unique relative to this field are pull ups, sprinting, bar muscle ups, dumbbell thrusters, burpees, and handstand push-ups. He’s had two or more top five finishes every year he’s competed at Rogue, if you’re trying to look for them, those are good places to start.
He also has an uncommon showing of being very good in the second to last event of competitions three out of every four times.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 13th
Patrick Vellner
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2023 Semifinals: North America West
- 1st at 2022 Wodapalooza
- 1st at 2021 Semifinals: Atlas Games
- 1st at 2020 Sanctionals: The Rogue Invitational
- 1st at 2020 Sanctionals: Wodapalooza
- 1st in 2020 Open
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Wodapalooza
- 1st at 2018 East Regional
- 2nd in 2023 Quarterfinals
- 2nd at 2023 CrossFit Games
- 2nd at 2022 Semifinals: Atlas Games
- 2nd at 2021 CrossFit Games
- 2nd at 2021 Rogue Invitational
- 2nd at 2019 Sanctionals: The Rogue Invitational
- 2nd at 2019 Sanctionals: Dubai CrossFit Championship
- 2nd at 2018 CrossFit Games
- 2nd at 2017 East Regional
- 3rd at 2023 Wodapalooza
- 3rd at 2017 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2016 East Regional
- 3rd at 2016 CrossFit Games
Best Competitive Patterns
Vellner, like Adler, scores well on a great diversity of tasks. Where he excels that don’t show up on most other athletes in this fields resumes are ring muscle ups, carries of any kind, deadlifts, GHD sit ups, and box jump overs.
Like Ohlsen, he scores great on the second to last event in most competitions. He also has a very high proficiency in chippers.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 2nd
Ricky Garard
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 1st at 2023 Wodapalooza
- 2nd at 2022 Semifinals: Torian Pro
- 2nd at 2017 Pacific Regional
- 3rd at 2022 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship
Best Competitive Patterns
It’s rather easy to pinpoint the things Garard is world class at: running, biking, upper body pulling gymnastics, and cleans. HIs best combination of movements are mostly involving monostructural movements on their own or paired with anything, but he’s also excellent at gymnastics movements in isolation and WW combos. Like Vellner, keep an eye on him if a chipper pops up.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 4th
Roman Khrennikov
Top Career Finishes
- 1st at 2022 Semifinals: Far East Throwdown
- 1st at 2021 Semifinals: Last Chance Qualifier
- 1st at 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship
- 1st at 2021 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Italian Showdown
- 1st at 2018 Europe Regional
- 2nd at 2023 Wodapalooza
- 2nd at 2022 CrossFit Games
- 2nd at 2019 Sanctionals: Filthy 150
- 3rd at 2023 CrossFit Games
- 3rd at 2021 Semifinals: Asia Invitational
- 3rd at 2019 Sanctionals: Dubai CrossFit Championship
Best Competitive Patterns
Khrennikov is amongst the best and most diverse athletes in the field as well. The unique elements of his best movements are ski erg, wall balls, toes to bar, and rowing. Of course he is also great at biking and running, but those are more common and more obvious.
In terms of movement combinations he shows very well on M, MM, MMM, GG, and GGM, meaning weightlifting rarely shows up in best scored events. Last year there was only one workout at Rogue that did not include an element of weightlifting.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 3rd
Travis Mayer
Top Career Finishes
- 1st in 2021 Quarterfinals
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Granite Games
- 2nd at 2019 Sanctionals: Wodapalooza
- 2nd at 2013 South East Regional
- 3rd at 2023 Madrid CrossFit Championship
- 3rd at 2022 Semifinals: Granite Games
- 3rd in 2016 Open
- 3rd at 2016 Atlantic Regional
- 3rd at 2014 South East Regional
Best Competitive Patterns
With the exception of swimming, which Mayer is quite good at, mostly everything else he excels at has a good chance to be at Rogue: carries of all kinds, sandbag work of any kind, rope climbs of any kind, overhead lunging, skiing, and biking.
The specific combination of movements he is best at are GMM and MMM.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 10th
Tudor Magda
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 4th at 2022 Semifinals: Syndicate Crown
- 5th at 2022 Zelos Games
- 10th at 2023 Wodapalooza
- 21st at 2021 Semifinals: West Coast Classic
- 25th at 2023 Semifinals: North America West
Best Competitive Patterns
Magda scores well on 50% of the time or more on eight different movements. They are all weightlifting other than swimming and wall walks, which are both extremely unlikely to show up at Rogue. So, be on the lookout for him with any barbell or odd object weightlifting event.
The top four movement combinations he excels at to varying degrees all also include weightlifting at least in part: MMW, GWW, MWW, and MW.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 19th
Victor Hoffer
Top Career Finishes
- 2nd at 2023 French Throwdown
- 5th at 2022 German Throwdown
- 10th in 2023 Quarterfinals
- 13th at 2023 Semifinals: Europe
- 13th at 2022 French Throwdown
- 13th at 2022 Dubai CrossFit Championship
Best Competitive Patterns
Hoffer’s skill set is actually somewhat unique against this field, for better or worse, we will find out. His best five movements are all relatively rare to show up: any muscle up, any handstand push up, GHD sit-ups, double unders, and front squats. Ring muscle ups and strict handstand pushups are the most likely of those to show up, but it’s not impossible to see most of these. If so, Hoffer could impress on several events.
While he is awesome on nearly all gymnastics events, he also shows very well on chippers and event 1 of many competitions, which may be a little more surprising.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 18th
Will Moorad
Top 5 Career Finishes
- 1st at 2019 Sanctionals: Brazil CrossFit Championship
- 3rd at 2019 Sanctionals: MACC
- 3rd at 2019 Sanctionals: Reykjavik CrossFit Championship
- 3rd at 2014 Central East Regional
- 4th at 2021 Semifinals: West Coast Classic
Best Competitive Patterns
Moorad scores very well on three things that Rogue often has: deficit handstand push-ups, legless rope climbs, and overhead squats, but many of the other athletes in this field do well at the latter two also. He also shows well on a few things which are less likely to be seen there: pig flips, pegboards, and dumbbell shoulder to overhead; the third of which is the most likely one to show up.
Moorad is perfect in terms of elite performances on GG events in his career, but in four years that style of scored event has never showed up at Rogue.
Brian’s Rogue Pick: 17th
What do you think?
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