Inside Arielle Loewen’s 2025 Rogue Invitational – Back Fatigue, Mindset Wins, and Perspective
Arielle Loewen joined 19 other elite women and 20 men at this year’s Rogue Invitational, marking her fifth appearance at the prestigious event. The veteran athlete and small business owner entered the weekend eager and optimistic, ready to take on a slate of challenging workouts.
- After strong early performances — a third-place finish in Event 1 and seventh in Event 2 — Loewen hit an unexpected setback in “Event 3: Tax Collector,” finishing 19th, which she later called the worst performance of her competitive career.
It was an uncharacteristic result for the typically consistent athlete, prompting speculation that something might be wrong.
By the time “Event 8: Double Bogey” rolled around, those suspicions grew stronger. Known for excelling in burpee-heavy workouts, Loewen was seen carefully lowering herself to the floor each rep, clear evidence that something was holding her back.
What Happened?
In a recent YouTube video, Loewen reviewed the entire weekend and explained her mindset behind each of the nine workouts, including the two mentioned above.
“Event three looked dirty on paper,” Loewen said, “and after watching people do it backstage, I knew it was going to be dirty.”
The workout included four rounds of back squats, dumbbell snatches, and sandbag cleans. It’s not something that would strain her during a normal training session, but after the heavy (and awkward) workouts they faced earlier that day, she knew her core and back were fried.
- “For me, going into this event, it was managing back fatigue. Because it was back squats, lower back on the dumbbell snatch, lower back on the sandbag clean,” Loewen said.
While she doesn’t identify any injury, she said her back felt “like it was on fire” at the start of the workout.
She shared that she felt so defeated on the floor because her outcome didn’t reflect her true fitness. Her only comfort was seeing her husband, Dillon, in the crowd.
Saturday, the second day of competition, went well, as she secured three top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish on “Event 4: The Crux.” The workout included the notorious horizontal pegboard, a movement that proved to be a struggle for Loewen in 2024. The high placing served as a redemption.
On the final day, athletes took on “Event 8: Double Bogey,” which consisted of 10 rounds of eight overheads and eight burpees for time.
She was excited for the workout, being the queen of burpees she is, but nervous that her back would flare up again.
- It did in round three. At that moment, she knew she just had to maintain her pace and try to finish.
She managed to do so and earned her second 19th-place finish of the weekend.
The Bottom Line
Loewen looks back at the weekend, and although regrets are common in competition, she has none.
- She pointed out that she is not injured, but instead just faced major back fatigue and tightness.
She finished in 10th overall, and of the experience as a whole, she said:
- “I loved my mindset. This was the most fun I’ve had at a competition all year. I was in it, and I was really present in each workout, pushing as hard as I could. I had a lot of wins in my competitor mindset that weekend.”
Featured image: @rachmorephoto / Instagram
