Lanes + Grids
For any type of Functional Fitness or CrossFit type competition there are two primary layout configuration options that we can play with.
Lanes
Grids
The goal with either option is to create a boundary that provides a safe and dedicated space for the athlete(s), and Judge. The Judges are as much a part of the workout as the equipment is and how they’re going to move around the space needs to be considered.
We also want to make sure that each space is equal and there is no advantage to being in Lane 1, 3, 6, 8 or whatever number you might be in. Athletes should be competing over the workouts, not which lane they’re assigned.
The Primary difference between Lanes and Grids has to do with how the Athlete moves through the workout.
In a Grid layout the athlete(s) will stay in their designated area for the length of the workout. With a Lane configuration the athlete(s) will move across the event floor.
For the vast majority of workouts, especially anything involving a barbell, a grid is going to be easier to setup and run. The downside to using a grid is that it is not the most spectator friendly configuration in terms of being able to visually see who is in first vs. last place. Ideally the minimum amount of space you want to designate for a grid is 10’ x 14’.
Lanes on the other hand are more spectator friendly but they can be more limiting for movements. For any affiliate owners who have run the Open for multiple years I’m sure you remember the difference between 16.1 which required overhead walking barbell lunges and 17.2 which had dumbbell lunges.
It is also possible to successfully run a competition using a combination of both Lane & Grid configurations - it’s something we’ve done for years at our comps. The key is in the planning.
As an example, at our comps we’ve always run heats of 8 on a 10’ x 14’ grid, basically 2 rows of 4. By dividing each column in half we end up with 8 lanes that are 5’ wide x 28’ long. As long as we tape the floor in advance, and start with the lane workouts, we can then remove a few pieces of tape and convert the floor back to a grid.
Typically we structure our comps to start with lane events and finish with grid events. This allows us to provide an extra level of variety in our workouts throughout the day which helps make the comp more memorable for the athletes.