Movement Standards

How we judge

The Affiliate League runs on the honor system. These standards exist not to be enforced by officials but to give athletes and judges a shared language so everyone knows what a good rep looks like.

Read them before your first match. Know them before you judge.

General rules

How judging works

Each team judges the other. Your competitors judge their competitors — you count their reps, they count yours. There's no league official standing over you with a clipboard. This is a community competition and it runs on the honor system. That means you call no-reps when you see them, and you accept no-reps when you earn them. Both.

No-reps

A no-rep is not an insult. It's part of the sport. If a rep doesn't meet the standard, the judge calls "no-rep" clearly and immediately. The athlete completes the rep correctly and moves on. Judges should never hesitate to call a no-rep, and athletes should never argue one in the moment. If there's a genuine disagreement about standards, sort it out before the workout starts — not during.

Scoring

Each team records one score per workout — either a time or a rep count. Both teams agree on the scores after the workout. Scores are entered by either captain and approved by both. Approved scores are final. If something feels wrong, flag it before you approve.

Disputes

If two teams genuinely can't agree on a score, either captain can open a dispute from the match page. We'll look at it and make a call. This should be rare. If you're judging properly and communicating clearly before and during the workout, most problems don't happen.

Equipment

Matches happen at the home gym. The home team is responsible for having the equipment needed for that week's workouts. If there's a substitution (e.g. a different brand of rower, a different box height), both captains need to agree before the workout starts. When in doubt, refer to the workout description posted on the match page.

Synchronized reps

Some team workouts call for synchronized reps — two or more athletes completing a single rep at the same time. Sync only applies when the workout explicitly calls for it. Athletes must hit the movement's sync point together (almost always the top of the rep — full extension). A clearly staggered rep is a no-rep, and if one athlete is no-repped, the partner has to redo the rep with them. Each movement below lists its sync point at the end of the "Good rep" description.

Movement standards

Weightlifting

Thruster

Start / setup

Bar on front rack or from the ground. Hip crease must pass clearly below the top of the knees at the bottom of each squat.

Good rep

Hips, knees, and arms fully extended. Bar directly over or behind the middle of the body. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes show full extension overhead at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Squatting to parallel or above
✕Bar in front of the body at the top
✕Arms not fully locked out at top
✕Lowering the bar before reaching full extension

Deadlift

Start / setup

Bar on the ground. Any grip is permitted.

Good rep

Hips and knees fully extended, shoulders behind the bar. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes lock out hips and knees at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Not reaching full hip and knee extension
✕Bouncing the bar off the floor (touch-and-go is fine; the bar must return to a dead stop if specified)

Power Clean

Start / setup

Bar on the ground.

Good rep

Bar received above parallel (hip crease above the top of the knees), hips and knees fully extended, bar racked on shoulders. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes show the bar racked and full extension at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Elbows dropping behind bar before reaching full hip and knee extension at the top
✕Not reaching full hip and knee extension at the top

Squat Clean

Start / setup

Bar on the ground.

Good rep

Hip crease passes below the top of the knees in the catch, then athlete stands to full hip and knee extension with bar in front rack. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes stand to full extension with the bar racked at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Not hitting full depth in the catch
✕Not reaching full hip and knee extension at the top

Power Snatch

Start / setup

Bar starts on the floor.

Good rep

The bar is pulled from the floor to overhead in one motion and received with the hips above parallel — no squat below parallel. The rep finishes with the bar overhead, hips, knees, and arms fully extended. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes show the bar overhead at full extension at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Hip crease drops below the top of the knees in the catch (that's a squat snatch, not a power snatch)
✕Hips or knees not fully extended at lockout
✕Arms not fully locked out overhead
✕Bar drifts forward or behind the head at lockout
✕Press-out after the catch

Squat Snatch

Start / setup

Bar starts on the floor.

Good rep

The bar is pulled from the floor to overhead in one motion and received in a full overhead squat — hip crease below the top of the knees. The athlete then stands to full extension with the bar overhead. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes show full extension with the bar overhead at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Hip crease does not pass below the top of the knees in the catch
✕Hips or knees not fully extended at the top
✕Arms not fully locked out overhead
✕Bar drifts forward or behind the head at lockout
✕Press-out after the catch

Clean & Jerk

Start / setup

Bar starts on the floor.

Good rep

The bar is lifted from the floor to the shoulders (clean), then driven overhead in a single jerk drive (push press, push jerk, or split jerk). The rep finishes with the bar overhead — hips, knees, and arms fully extended, bar stacked over the middle of the foot — with the athlete showing control at the top. If a split jerk is used, the feet must recover under the bar before the rep is shown. Synchro point: at the top of the jerk — both athletes show full extension overhead at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Hips, knees, or arms not fully extended at lockout
✕Bar drifts forward at lockout
✕Feet not in line at the top
✕Loss of control at the top

Shoulder to Overhead

Start / setup

Bar in the front rack on the shoulders.

Good rep

The athlete drives the bar from the shoulders to a fully locked-out overhead position by any means — strict press, push press, push jerk, or split jerk. The rep finishes with the bar overhead, hips, knees, and arms fully extended, bar stacked over the middle of the foot. If a split jerk is used, the feet must recover under the bar before the rep is shown. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes show full extension overhead at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Bar fails to reach full lockout
✕Hips or knees not fully extended at lockout
✕Feet not in line at the top
✕Bar drifts forward of the midline

Wall Ball

Start / setup

Athlete holding the medicine ball, facing the wall.

Good rep

Hip crease passes clearly below the top of the knees at the bottom. Ball strikes the target at or above the specified height at the top. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes' balls contact the wall above the target at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Not hitting full squat depth
✕Ball striking below the target line
✕Ball not clearly contacting the target

Back Squat

Start / setup

Start / setup Bar resting on the upper back. Athlete standing with feet at a comfortable width.

Good rep

Good rep Hip crease passes clearly below the top of the knees at the bottom. Hips and knees fully extended at the top. Synchro point: Both athletes must reach full hip and knee extension at the top of each rep.

Common no-reps

✕Common no-reps
✕✕ Not reaching full depth
✕✕ Not reaching full hip and knee extension at the top
✕✕ Rising onto the toes to achieve extension

Gymnastics

Pull-up (kipping or strict)

Start / setup

Arms fully extended, feet off the ground.

Good rep

Chin clearly breaks the horizontal plane of the bar. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes have chin over the bar at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Not starting with full arm extension
✕Chin not clearly above the bar
✕Feet touching the ground

Chest-to-Bar Pull-up

Start / setup

Arms fully extended, feet off the ground.

Good rep

Chest clearly contacts the bar at or below the collarbone. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes contact the bar at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Contact at the throat or neck (chin-to-bar territory)
✕Not starting with full arm extension
✕Only chin clearing the bar

Bar Muscle-up

Start / setup

Arms fully extended, feet off the ground.

Good rep

Arms fully locked out in the support position. Shoulders directly over or slightly in front of the bar. Synchro point: at lockout — both athletes show the support position over the bar at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Feet rising above the bar during the kip
✕Not achieving full lockout at the top
✕Rolling or uprise technique
✕Resting above the bar after achieving lockout (if this happens, the athlete must come down from the bar and begin again, but a rep is not removed from the score)

Ring Muscle-up

Start / setup

Arms fully extended, feet off the ground.

Good rep

Arms fully locked out in the support position, rings turned out. Synchro point: at lockout — both athletes show the support position on top of the rings at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Not achieving full lockout at the top
✕Pressing away (behind the rings) to achieve lockout
✕Feet touching the ground

Toes-to-Bar

Start / setup

Arms fully extended, feet off the ground.

Good rep

Both feet contact the bar simultaneously between the hands. Synchro point: at the end of the rep — both athletes contact the bar at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Only one foot contacting the bar
✕Feet contacting outside the hands
✕Not starting with full arm extension

Burpee

Start / setup

Standing, facing the ground.

Good rep

Chest and thighs touch the ground at the bottom. At the top, athlete jumps with hips and knees fully extended. Some variations may require athletes to touch a target at the top of the rep. Synchro point: at the bottom — both athletes have chest and thighs on the ground at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Chest or thighs not touching the ground
✕Not jumping at the top

Box Jump

Start / setup

Standing in front of the box.

Good rep

Both feet on top of the box simultaneously with hips and knees fully extended at the top. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes show full extension on the box at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Only one foot landing on the box
✕Not reaching full hip and knee extension at the top
✕Hands or knees contacting the box
✕Pushing off or touching the body with the hands

Box Jump-Over

Start / setup

Standing on one side of the box.

Good rep

Both feet land on the ground on the opposite side. Both feet must make contact with the top of the box. Athletes must go over the box — not around it. Synchro point: at the end of the rep — both athletes have both feet on the opposite side of the box at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Going around the box
✕Only one foot clearing the box

Lunge (for reps)

Start / setup

Standing, feet together. Hands may hold an implement as prescribed (dumbbells at the sides, barbell front rack, barbell overhead, sandbag, etc.).

Good rep

The athlete steps into a lunge — forward, backward, or as prescribed. The back knee touches the floor. The athlete returns to a standing position with both feet together and full hip and knee extension. Each leg counts as one rep unless the workout description says otherwise. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes stand with feet together at full extension at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Back knee does not touch the floor
✕Failure to stand fully upright with feet together between reps
✕Loss of position of the implement (e.g., bar drops out of the front rack, dumbbell touches the shoulder when carried overhead)

Lunge (for distance / walking lunge)

Start / setup

Standing at the starting line. Hands may hold an implement as prescribed.

Good rep

The athlete steps forward into a lunge. The back knee touches the floor. The athlete brings the back foot forward to a standing position with both feet together and full hip and knee extension before initiating the next step. Distance is measured at the forward-most foot at the conclusion of each completed rep — or counted by rep over a fixed distance, as the workout prescribes. Synchro point: at the top — both athletes stand with feet together at full extension at the new position at the same time.

Common no-reps

✕Back knee does not touch the floor
✕Failure to bring the back foot fully forward and stand with feet together between steps
✕Loss of position of the implement during the rep

Monostructural

Row (Concept2)

Start / setup

Athlete seated, monitor set to zero.

Good rep

Score is the distance or time displayed on the monitor at the end of the workout.

Common no-reps

✕Feet not secured in footrests
✕Resetting the monitor mid-workout

Bike (Echo or Assault)

Start / setup

Athlete seated, monitor set to zero.

Good rep

Score is the calories or distance displayed at the end.

Common no-reps

✕Stopping pedaling before the target is reached
✕Resetting the monitor mid-workout

Run

Start / setup

Athlete at the designated start point.

Good rep

Athlete returns to the designated finish point. Course must be completed in full.

Common no-reps

✕Cutting the course short
✕Not returning to the correct start/finish position

Double-Under

Start / setup

Standing with jump rope.

Good rep

Rope passes under the feet twice during a single jump, rotating forward. Synchro point: both athletes leave the ground at the same time on each jump.

Common no-reps

✕Rope passing under once (single-under)
✕Backward rope rotation (if forward spin is specified)

Questions about a specific movement?

Reach out before match day — not during it.