While we hit benchmark workouts at our affiliates throughout the year (1-rep-max back squat, 1-rep-max bench press, 2000m row), the CrossFit Games Open is the time to see how we perform compared to other CrossFitters around the world and for us an opportunity to compete with each other and prove your fitness.

WHAT IS THE CROSSFIT OPEN?

The Open is comprised of five workouts over five weeks, and it starts with 19.1 on Sunday, February 24.

Open workouts are identified by their year and the order in which they appear. The workouts will be released every Thursday during the five weeks of the Open, every Friday the workout will be the “Workout of the Day” at CrossFit and every Sunday we will get together to compete with official judging in a fun community competition.

TEAM WORK MAKES DREAM WORK

All participants will be divided into two teams and we’ll pit each of them against each other. The coaches will judge and count your reps as you perform the workouts. Along the way teams will be judged on several criteria including Team Participation, Podium Results, Spirit Points, and this year, a new category “Weekly Fitness Challenges”. Maybe you can’t climb to the top of the podium to score points for your team but you sure can help them chip away at weekly fitness challenges to earn points.

The 6^th Week will be our first ever SAVAGE Fitness Competition where only the fittest will be crowned.

SAVAGE: FIGHT TO THE FINISH

The CrossFit Open culminates with our first annual in-house fitness competition “SAVAGE: FIGHT TO THE FINISH” on March 30^th-31st. This competition will be one of the hardest fitness competitions you’ve ever taken part in, taking its inspiration from our grueling monthly SAVAGE workouts to test and determine the fittest athlete at CrossFit. Your participation will hinge on your performance in the OPEN, it’s completely optional and spectators are highly encouraged. Even though the OPEN will be permanently moving to the FALL, our SAVAGE competition will become an annual event that will draw those thirsty for competition.

HOW TO QUALIFY

Athletes will be ranked, and the top male Rx and female Rx athletes will be automatically seeded into the Elite division, the next group of Male and Female athletes will be Rx and finally we will have a fun Intermediate/Scaled division for those who want to take part in a savage event with multiple workouts in a single day.

More details and WOD’s will be released as we get closer to the competition.

THE PURPOSE OF THE CROSSFIT OPEN

The Open is the first qualifying stage of the CrossFit Games. Any athlete who wants to compete at the Games must first make it through the Open in their region.

It’s an opportunity for any athlete at any level to participate in the competition. It can add meaning and purpose to your training while also bringing your gym’s community closer together. (As a rule of thumb, the Open is the time of year where we see many people achieve important firsts: bodyweight snatch, muscle-ups, toes-to-bars, handstand push-ups, double-unders, etc.)

Most importantly, the Open will also give you some interesting data on your performance in the gym, which can be a guide for setting realistic goals for the following year.

THAT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WHY SIGN UP? I’M NOT GOING TO THE GAMES…

Only a very small percentage of athletes will make it to the Games. While I can understand the sentiment of “Why bother?” I really encourage you to think about participating because you will be part of a very big international event that represents your affiliate. Every affiliate in the world can take part in the Open, which is amazing, and we don’t want you all to miss out on the fun!

Affiliate owners can use their members’ performance data to determine how and why the programming should change for the coming year. For instance, if most of the gym can’t do chest-to-bar pull-ups relative to every other gym in the region, then the trainers can work on bringing up that skill in the gym’s population.

It’s much easier to stay motivated during the Open (and with CrossFit) if you are committed to tracking your progress.

YEAH, BUT I DON’T KNOW. I’VE DONE CROSSFIT FOR A FEW YEARS ALREADY. WHAT’S THE POINT?

If you’ve been doing CrossFit for a year or more, all it takes is a little competition to really bring out the best in you. It’s easy to lose intensity in your workouts if you are never pushed past what you think you can do.

It can also be a harsh reality check if you’ve been coasting in class this past year or not really sticking to standards for the sake of speed. All those times you wrote Rx’d next to your name on the whiteboard, maybe it wasn’t the case. Perhaps your takeaway will be that you need to count your reps properly, work towards virtuosity in your movements, or at the very least, achieve full range of motion on your reps!

If you have been interested in doing a local competition, then participating in the Open is absolutely your best opportunity to get a taste of what it’s like to be judged and compete in a CrossFit event. While you may not make it to regionals, the excitement of doing the same workout as Games athletes is a fun element to add to your weekly fitness routine.

Finally, consider that the Open is simply a snapshot of your fitness at one point in time. Maybe you are rehabbing an injury, just coming back to the gym after a layoff. The easiest thing is to make an excuse and not participate. The Open can be the catalyst to get you back on track at the gym

WHAT ABOUT ME? I’VE ONLY BEEN DOING CROSSFIT FOR TWO WEEKS!

Even if you are a complete beginner (yes, those of you who finished Foundations last month), you can participate in the Open. Every Open workout will feature a scaled workout option which at CrossFit will be the Beginner WOD on Friday and Saturday.

Think of this Open as an opportunity to set a performance baseline for CrossFit. I promise you that you will be amazed at your progress if you continue with your CrossFit training and retest the following year.

DATA = TRAINING PROGRESS

What’s most useful about participating in the Open is having a complete record of your past performances. Writing down your training results is a huge (if not the biggest) component for seeing consistent progress in the gym.

Besides providing a nice reality check about your overall skill and fitness level, you’ll find that reviewing all the past data is beneficial for goal setting.

OK, I’M CONVINCED! HOW DO I REGISTER?

Step 1. Register via CrossFit WODIFY.  Cut-off is Monday February 4^th 2019

You will be asked your tee-shirt size and assigned a team which you will be notified about as we get closer to week 1.

Your account will be billed a $25 registration fee. This will go towards running the competition, You’ll get access to 5 weeks, 5 SAVAGE Open events, 1 Social and entry to the 1^st Annual SAVAGE Fitness Competition.

Tee shirt designs will be released as we get closer to the OPEN and are completely optional and an additional charge this year.

Step 2. OPTIONAL Register via Games.CrossFit.com Cut-off Monday 25^th 2019

You will see a big red register button. Click it, and you’ll be directed to a login page where you will be prompted to enter your existing CrossFit ID. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to create an account. You’ll then be prompted to select your division, which is going to be either “Male” or “Female,” your location, and agree to the competition rules and waiver.  You’ll also be asked to pay a $25 registration fee. This fee goes towards running the competition, and your Open scores will be stored under your profile for years to come.

Lastly, don’t worry about signing up for Rx’d or Scaled workouts. Everyone competing in the Open has the option of performing a scaled version of the workout in any given week. If you are a complete beginner, this is great news! It ensures that the experience will be even more inclusive.

FAQ?

Do I have to compete each week?

Scoring will be cumulative, you must participate each week in order to get the best possible score. However, you don’t have to participate each week if you can’t make it.

If I can’t make it one week, will that negatively affect my team?

No. Although participation is factored into team scores, we understand that it’s hard for athletes to make it 6 consecutive weekends in a row and therefore we don’t weight it as heavily.

I can’t do double unders, muscle-ups, chest to bar pullups, etc… Should I bother signing up?

YES! There will be a scaled division for each workout, and we can modify the workouts further to meet your needs.

Why bother?

Every Friday you’ll be doing the workout anyways, why not support the gym and take party in a little friendly competition? At the very least, do it for the social at the end, drinks on us!

What will the Team Points be based off of?

Top Podium Finishes for each division, Participation, Spirit points, Weekly Team Fitness Challenges.