Are You IN For The OPEN?

The CrossFit Games are equivalent to the Super Bowl for CrossFitters. The best of the best end up at this ultimate annual competition to determine the Fittest Man and Fittest Woman in the World.

What is the Open?

The Open is the first stage to get to the CrossFit Games. EVERYONE, from someone who is brand new to CrossFit to last year’s fittest man (or woman) on Earth begins here. Over a period of 3 weeks, a workout will be announced (first announcement will be on March 11) and you have until Monday after the announcement to complete the workout using a “judge” to officiate your score. In most cases, that judge is one of your coaches (or a fellow gym member that has completed the judges’ certification course). You (not your judge) submit your score online using the CrossFit Games app before the deadline. And, just like that, you are competing against hundreds of thousands of people around the world! The Open is as close to taking part in a competition without having to leave your gym (or in some cases – your house!). You get to see how you compare to other people your age, others in your gym, others in your same career, etc. Bottom line is that it is a great, fun (yes, fun) way to PUSH yourself and to test your fitness. Click HERE to register (there is a $20 registration fee to participate).

I "Can't" Do That!

But, wait, OMG – I can’t do a muscle-up…I can’t do a handstand push-up…I don’t have a 300# deadlift. Doesn’t matter – you CAN STILL do the Open. How? There are different levels of the same workout every week of the Open. If you can’t RX (i.e. do the weight required, or the movement required, etc.), you can do the Scaled version. Still too hard? You can do the Foundations version. Working out from home by yourself? Do the “No equipment” version (just be prepared to video your workout for submission).

How Do Scores Compare?

How does doing a Scaled or Foundations version, etc. affect your overall score? Typically, doing an Open workout RX (no matter how far you get in the workout) gets you the highest score. However, I encourage you to do the version that shows YOUR best effort and allows you to complete the entire workout. And note, depending on the movements required for that week’s workout, you may be able to RX one week, scale the next, Rx the 3rd week. The Open allows you to do that!

What Happens After The Open?

The top 10% of Open participants will proceed to the next level of the competition, the Quarter Finals (beginning April 5), which will be an online competition. After that, the top percentage will proceed to the Semi Finals (beginning May 24) which will be 10 in-person competitions taking place around the world. The top winners of those semi-final events will go on to compete at the CrossFit Games (beginning July 26).

See below for an example of what to expect in this year’s CrossFit Open for RX, scaled, equipment-free, and foundations versions of a workout (NOTE: this is an EXAMPLE of how RX workouts will be scaled – this is NOT an official 2021 CrossFit Open WOD … that we know of ...yet - haha):

Complete as many rounds as possible in 18 minutes of:

Rx’d: 15 box jumps 12 push presses 9 toes-to-bars

♀ 20-in. box, 75-lb. presses ♂ 24-in. box, 115-lb. presses

Scaled: 15 box jumps or step-ups 12 push presses 9 hanging knee-raises

♀ 20-in. box, 45-lb. presses ♂ 20-in. box, 75-lb. presses

Foundations: 15 box step-ups or walking high knees 12 push presses 9 sit-ups or seated knee-ups

♀ 4-in. box, PVC or broomstick for presses ♂ 6-in. box, PVC or broomstick for presses

Equipment Free: 15 broad jumps, 36-in. jump 12 push-ups 9 V-ups

We hope you are inspired to participate in the 2021 CrossFit Open. Got a question? Ask a coach, or a long-time gym member about it – we are happy to talk about our experiences. Can’t wait to see you take it to the next level!