Strength endurance rules

Qualification is based on how fast and how cleanly you complete the required repetitions. Speed alone does not get you a spot: every repetition has to be performed with correct form. Incorrect repetitions do not count, no matter how fast the routine was, and a routine full of them ends the application. The details of each movement are what decide whether your reps count.

The same standards apply on stage. In the competition, two athletes go head to head and the goal is to finish the set routine faster than the opponent, with every repetition judged live.

The arms have to be completely extended at the bottom and at the top. The extension must be visible — anything that is barely extended is a no rep. Take the elbow extension at the top seriously: rushing the straight bar dip portion without showing full extension means the repetition does not count.

"Shotgun" muscle-ups are not allowed. The shoulders have to be above or across the bar at the top of the movement, not pushed backward. At the bottom, the body stays in a straight line from hands to toes. A visibly arched back at the bottom counts as kipping, because the body then transitions into a hollow position on the way up. That is a common reason for a no rep.

The legs stay extended and together throughout. Even slight visible flexion — a visible change from straight to bent — cancels the repetition. Any hip drive that breaks the body line, including at the moment the arms start to bend, counts as kipping. Avoid any hip movement that generates speed or explosiveness.

The legs may raise slightly through a minor posterior pelvic tilt during the transition from below to above the bar, as long as it happens naturally under fatigue and does not assist the movement.

The false grip is not allowed. The overhand grip, or semi-false grip, is permitted.

A grip width that significantly reduces the range of motion is not allowed. The grip must not exceed roughly 30 degrees outward from your natural shoulder alignment; anything wider is a no rep for reduced range of motion. Thumbs over and thumbs under the bar are both acceptable.

The chin has to pass and be visibly above bar level at the top. Level with the bar is not a repetition, and neither is higher-but-not-above. There is no in-between here.

At the bottom, the elbows have to reach complete extension, clearly enough to see without slow motion. Regulate your pace accordingly — speed costs range of motion. Every repetition goes all the way down into a dead hang, so do not drop off the bar the moment your chin clears it at the end of a set. The shoulders have to extend visibly during the lockout for the judge to count the rep; excessive scapular retraction or leaning back does not count.

The legs stay still, extended and together. Any movement that helps you gain speed, such as kipping from the hips, is not allowed, and even slight visible flexion of the legs cancels the repetition. A minor lower back arch is fine as long as it does not turn into kipping. The legs may raise slightly through a natural posterior pelvic tilt under fatigue.

The body stays in a neutral, straight position throughout. Maximum hand width is slightly outside shoulder width. On the way down the shoulders have to pass elbow level, and at the top the arms have to be completely extended, visibly enough to see without slow motion.

Avoid hip movement at all times. An excessive lower-back arch is not allowed; the body stays as neutral or hollow as possible. Hip position is a frequent reason for a no rep, so going too fast costs you repetitions and energy. Keep in mind that your sense of elbow extension changes under fatigue — dead-stop or semi-dead-stop repetitions help make sure every rep counts.

The legs stay extended and together. Even slight visible flexion cancels the repetition, and any movement that generates speed or explosiveness is not allowed.

The hips have to pass below knee level at the bottom — in weight vest squats as well as goblet squats. A 90-degree angle is not low enough to count.

At the top the hips have to be fully extended, with the body completely straight and vertical. Failing to extend fully is a no rep.

Foot stance is shoulder-width or slightly wider.

The shoulders have to pass elbow level at the bottom and the arms have to be completely extended at the top. The elbow extension must be visible to the eye, without slowing down the video to confirm it, so regulate your pace.

The hips have to drop below the level of the parallel bars on the eccentric part of the movement. Excessive bending at the hips is not allowed, and the legs stay extended and together throughout.

The legs stay still. Nothing that generates speed counts — kicking the legs back to come up faster, for example. In weighted dips, the weight plate can hang anywhere from knee level (measured at the centre of the plate) downwards, for instance at ankle level.

For qualification, push-ups are performed on the ground. Parallettes and bars vary in height, and the ground does not.

In the competition, push-ups are performed on the GORNATION Pro Parallettes (low model) or equipment matching those measurements. Straight parallettes can appear in competition routines as an alternative to the straight or single low bar push-up.

• Visibility: your entire body has to be visible for the whole routine. Record in daylight.
• Clothing: wear shorts or compression pants so the judge can see your legs, and a sleeveless shirt or tank top so elbows and shoulders are clearly visible. Nothing that blocks the view.
• Video: no cuts, no edits. Original sound only, no music.
• Camera angle: 45 degrees at a height of 160–180 cm for muscle-ups, pull-ups, dips and squats, and 10–20 cm for push-ups.

The routine has to be completed in the exact order listed for your category. Check your form against the standards above before you send the video in — most rejected applications fail on range of motion, not on time.