Each year, CrossFit Throne honors the sacrifice that Jesus endured on Good Friday, by completing the Jesus WOD; while it involves familiar functional moves, this is not technically a workout – it is a meditation. As a community, we do this workout the Thursday and Friday evening BEFORE Easter AND it is offered the Saturday before Easter. Regular class times those two evenings and Saturday morning are closed and this workout is the focus.
Athletes of any ability may participate. This is not about ability, it is about Jesus. It is NOT required, and it is not something to be taken lightly. Jesus and His Grace cover EVERYTHING – you cannot take anything away from His Grace and you cannot add anything to His Grace. Here is the workout as originally written by one of the earliest CrossFit gyms:
14 Rounds for time of**:
10 deadlifts (95/65)**
10 squat cleans (95/65)**
10 push-press (95/65)**
50ft walking lunges with barbell**
**Athletes may only “de-load” the barbell from their control during rounds 3, 7, and 9.
**At the completion of rounds 3, 7, and 9, athletes must place their barbell on the ground, pick-up a kettlebell (53/35), and complete 7 Turkish Get-Ups (for a total of 21 TGUs across the three rounds).
Some athletes might complete the ordeal in under an hour, while others may take anywhere from 1-2 hours. Needless to say, this workout is difficult to finish and awful on several levels; however, it is a small representation of what Jesus went through prior to his crucifixion.
The 14 rounds represent the 14 stations of the cross (The following stations of the cross are based on those celebrated by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday 1991. They are presented here as an alternative to the traditional stations and as a way of reflecting more deeply on the Scriptural accounts of Christ’s passion.):
1 — Jesus prays at the garden in Gethsemane
2 — Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested
3 — He is tried by the Sanhedrin and condemned
4 — Jesus is denied by Peter
5 — He is judged by Pilate
6 — Jesus is scourged (whipped violently) and given a crown of thorns
7 — Jesus bears his cross
8 — Simon is forced to help carry His cross
9 — Jesus addresses the mourning women following Him
10 — Jesus is crucified
11 — The good thief is promised a place in Heaven with Jesus
12 — Jesus speaks to his mother
13 — Jesus dies on the cross
14 — His body is placed in the tomb
Although not recorded in the Bible, in Catholic traditions, it is recognized that Jesus fell 3 times on his walk to Calvary. Each fall is represented by the Turkish Get-Ups.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,
holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8
