After dominating the CrossFit Games for over half a decade, Tia-Clair Toomey will not be a fixture at next month’s tentpole contest. Rather than earnestly prepare to extend her historic reign as a now-former six-time Fittest Woman on Earth®, Toomey was busy with motherhood and her first child. She took the 2023 season off accordingly to be with her family. With all this said, the icon hasn’t retired from competitive CrossFit and is already preparing for a return to glory soon enough.
On July 12, 2023, Toomey and her husband, Shane Orr — who is also the athlete’s trainer — posted a video to their joint YouTube channel featuring Toomey getting back into the thick of her training. While focusing on foundational movements, the most notable development in the clip might have been Toomey practicing her snatch movements for the first time since her pregnancy.
Before practicing her snatch, Toomey loosened up her lat muscles with some single-arm dead hangs on a pull-up bar. She followed those with a handstand walk warm-up. The focus of the foundational session — which was only three weeks into Toomey’s return — was more about polishing up technique rather than making any significant progressions forward.
Once it was time to snatch, Toomey performed a variation where her barbell was caught behind the neck in a traditional back squat stance. From this positioning, Toomey jerked overhead and then did overhead squats. After finishing her snatch practice, Toomey closed her workout with pull-ups, toes-to-bar, rope climbs, ring dips, and more handstand walks. The finisher was four 90-second rounds of cardio intervals on an Assault Bike.
The athlete would clarify that she felt her strength returning quickly despite being so early in the process of her return. That is not an insignificant development for an athlete with a prolific resume like Toomey.
For the time being, Toomey’s absence from the CrossFit Games leaves behind a massive chasm the other Women’s athletes will have to fill. However, with this glimpse at Toomey’s intense early preparation for next summer, whoever comes out on top in Madison, WI, next month might have a short reign as the new Fittest Woman on Earth®.
Featured image: Tia-Clair Toomey & Shane Orr on YouTube
