All About the CrossFit Open
The 2024 CrossFit Open begins this week! If you currently workout in a CrossFit gym anywhere in the world, odds are you’ve heard a LOT about the Open. While the Open can sound intimidating, the Open is a great time to test your fitness, and remind yourself why you joined the CrossFit Community in the first place.
What is the CrossFit Open?
The Open is essentially the first stage to qualifying for the CrossFit Games (for MOST of us, that is not something we need to worry about). The Open is a worldwide event in the CrossFit world, and consists of 3 workouts released over 3 weeks. Workouts are announced on Thursdays, and you have until Monday to submit your score. Most gyms host a “Friday Night Lights” where they run heats of the workout, as you will need a judge to count your reps and validate your score (yay for not having to count your own reps). The great news is that you get to do the workouts in the comfort of your own home gym, and with the community you know and love around you.
After the Open concludes, the top 25% will move onto the quarterfinals, then the top from there move to semifinals and finally the top few at semifinals will punch a ticket to the CrossFit Games.
Why would everyday athletes do the Open?
While the Open might seem pointless if you aren’t a CrossFit Games level athlete, I can assure you that’s not the case. The Open is a great time throughout gyms across the world, for a few big reasons:
You will test your fitness. Most of the time, it’s hard to tell if you’ve improved from last year. The Open is a great time to actually have a measurable way to see how you’ve improved! Many years we’ll see repeat workouts that you’ve done in the past if you participate in the Open each year. This is a great opportunity to see exactly how many more rounds and reps you get than last time. It’s also a great way to see how you rank worldwide. If you improve your rank in the world, it’s a great measure to show you are on the right track with your training.
There are divisions for ALL fitness levels. If you can’t crush muscle-ups (like most of us), then you will have other options if those show up in the workout. There are 5 different divisions: Rx, Age Groups, Adaptive, Scaled and Foundations. Whether you have been CrossFitting for 10 years, or 10 days, there is a division for you.
The community it brings. If you want to see a group of people come together to cheer each other on, push each other to be their best, and remind you why you decided to join CrossFit in the first place, sign up for the Open and go to your gym’s Friday Night Lights. There is magic in the community that the Open creates, and the energy it brings to EVERY gym across the world. We are ALL doing the same workouts, and we are ALL able to suffer together and grow together. It’s literal magic.
How do I sign up for the CrossFit Open?
You can use this link to sign up on CrossFit’s website. You’ll have to sign up before Monday March 4th at 5pm PST/8pm EST as that is when scores are due. When you register you’ll be able to register under your affiliate and see all the other athletes who have also signed up from your gym.
Don’t miss out on the Open: it’s more than just a test of fitness. It’s a reminder of the magic of CrossFit.
