Tom Rowland | CrossFit Open Age Group Online Qualifier Preview | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 451

Tom Rowland, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast and competitive CrossFit athlete in the 50-54 age division, shares his journey qualifying for the 2021 CrossFit Games Age Group Online Qualifier after finishing 122nd out of 7,000 competitors in the CrossFit Open. In this Physical Friday episode recorded on May 6, 2021, Tom breaks down all five workouts he'll face in the qualifier, reveals his strategy for attacking movements he's comfortable with versus ones that present challenges, and explains why he needs to improve by over 100 places to make it to the real CrossFit Games. This isn't just another workout recap—it's a raw look at what it takes to compete at the highest levels of age-group fitness competition and the specific challenges that separate good athletes from those who make it to the Games.

The Five Workouts That Determine Who Goes to the Games

Tom breaks down all five workouts announced for the Age Group Online Qualifier, seeing them for the first time on camera. The first workout looks manageable: five rounds of 15 handstand push-ups, 15 dumbbell shoulder-to-overheads with 50-pound dumbbells, and a 15-calorie row, all within a 20-minute time cap. Tom feels confident about this one—handstand push-ups are in his wheelhouse, and rowing presents no problems. But then comes workout number two, and that's where things get interesting. Sixty GHD sit-ups, six rope climbs at 15 feet, and 60 alternating single-leg squats create a different challenge entirely. While Tom loves rope climbs and uses his GHD machine every single day, those single-leg squats are going to be a problem. The third workout features 75 cleans at 135 pounds and 300 double-unders with no specified split pattern. Workout four is straightforward but brutal: a four-rep max front squat with 20 minutes to load the barbell as heavy as possible. And then there's workout five—the separator. Find out why the overhead squat weight and box height in workout five could be the ultimate separator at 06:26.

Why CrossFit Competitions Always Expose Your Weakest Link

Tom explains what makes CrossFit so challenging: you never know what's coming. All year long, you train Olympic lifting movements like the snatch and clean and jerk, gymnastics skills like pull-ups and muscle-ups, and endurance work on rowers and ski ergs. You develop competence across a massive range of movements, but the competitions are designed to find your holes. Tom points out that maybe you'll get two movements in a workout that you really excel at, but then there's always one that presents a problem—and it's different for everyone. Some athletes might struggle with the 60 GHD sit-ups that Tom feels comfortable with, while crushing the single-leg squats that will challenge him. This variability is exactly what Tom loves about the sport: it offers an opportunity for everyone to excel while simultaneously poking holes in your current fitness and skills. Hear Tom's full philosophy on why CrossFit's unpredictability makes it superior to other fitness competitions at 04:13.

The 165-Pound Overhead Squat That Changes Everything

When Tom gets to workout five, his reaction tells you everything. Twelve, nine, and six reps of overhead squats with burpee box jump-overs sounds challenging enough, but then he sees the weights and measurements: 165 pounds for the overhead squat and a 30-inch box. Tom calls this "very aggressive" for his age group, noting that it would be more common to see overhead squats programmed at 135 or even 95 pounds for the 50-54 division. This workout is obviously designed as a major separator. The fundamental questions become: Can you even do a single overhead squat at 165 pounds, much less 12 of them? Can you jump over a 30-inch box at all, and if so, how fast? Tom confirms he can do both movements, but not quickly. He consults with his friend Zach Rollins from Along the Keel, an accomplished Olympic weightlifter, to develop a warm-up strategy for the four-rep max front squat. Tom's first reaction to the overhead squat weight and his strategy for attacking it starts at 09:09.

What Makes CrossFit Different from Every Other Sport

Tom makes a compelling case for why CrossFit stands apart from traditional spectator sports. Unlike professional football where you watch amazing athletes do things you could never replicate in your backyard, CrossFit gives you the exact same workouts. The workouts are identical whether you're doing them on your garage floor or on the floor of the CrossFit Games. It's a barbell that weighs something specific, and it's a movement with defined standards. You can directly compare yourself to the best in the world—athletes like Noah Olsen, Matt Fraser, and Rich Froning. Tom specifically calls out Tia Clair Toomey, one of the most dominating female athletes in any sport, who is absolutely crushing the CrossFit world right now. Tom loves doing workouts at her prescribed weights to see if he can come close to her performance. Usually, he admits, he cannot come close to what she's doing. This accessibility and direct comparability is what draws Tom to the sport. Tom's full explanation of why you can compete with the same workouts as the best in the world starts at 12:43.

Final Thoughts from Tom

This is one of those episodes where I'm genuinely excited and a little nervous at the same time. I'm recording this on May 6, the day the qualifier workouts were announced, and I'm seeing them for the first time while talking to you. That 165-pound overhead squat in workout five is going to be a serious test, and I know the single-leg squats in workout two are going to present challenges. But that's exactly what I love about this sport—it finds your weaknesses and forces you to confront them.

Whether you're into CrossFit or not, I hope this gives you some insight into what it takes to compete at this level and maybe inspires you to try these workouts yourself. You can scale the weights, modify the movements, and still get an incredible challenge. And if you finish this episode thinking about what workout you're going to do this weekend—whether it's a CrossFit WOD or just a walk in the sunshine—then I've done my job.

I'm asking for your positive thoughts as I attack these five workouts. I need to have some really good scores if I'm going to make it to the Games, and I'm counting on that dark place where your support pushes me through. This episode is worth your time if you care about what it takes to compete at a high level in your 50s or if you just want to hear someone break down a serious fitness challenge in real time.