What Is the CrossFit Open, and Why Should I Sign Up?
The CrossFit Open brings athletes of all levels from all over the world together for a three-week global competition. Test your fitness, connect with the community, and find out what makes the Open unforgettable.
Whether you consider yourself a CrossFit newbie, competitor, enthusiast, fan, or community supporter, the CrossFit Open is for you. For some, the Open brings to life the why behind our daily commitment to CrossFit. Many of us came to CrossFit because we wanted more for our health and fitness, and the Open provides us with a way to stay accountable to this effort. For others, it’s a way to connect and celebrate with other CrossFit athletes within their affiliate and in other cities around the world.
While the workouts get a good effort out of everyone, for many, the motivation to participate comes from the camaraderie and support that wafts through affiliates and the worldwide community during this time of year. The shared suffering reminds us we are part of something much bigger than our individual efforts: We are part of a community that believes in the truth that CrossFit makes us better.
Independent of fitness level or experience, the Open brings us together to pursue something that would not hold the same meaning or possibilities if we were just working out on our own. One thing is certain: The Open is something you don’t want to miss. Don’t believe us? Let us walk you through the ins and outs of this three-week competition while addressing some common questions so you can decide for yourself. Let’s go!
What Is the CrossFit Open?
The Open has been a way to track the collective progress of the community. From first pull-ups and muscle-ups to an increase in max loadings, the Open has shown that the community is getting fitter together.
The design of the Open and its place within the CrossFit Games season was very intentional - to find and crown the Fittest on Earth but it’s become so much more than a “competitive” event. Structurally, the Open is a series of workouts spaced across three weeks.
The Open follows the same cadence each week. The workout is released on the CrossFit Games website on Thursdays at 12 p.m. (noon) Pacific Time, and you have until Monday at 5 p.m. PT to do the workout and submit your score online. At the end of each week, you can see where you stack up against the world, in your age group, and within your division by viewing the worldwide CrossFit Games Leaderboard.
Once you are placed in a division, you will have the opportunity to choose a variation of the workout based on your fitness level:
RX'd - Do the workouts as written. This is the most challenging option, yet many individuals have moved from scaled to Rx’d as they progress from year to year.
Scaled - Not quite ready to tackle the workouts as written? No problem. The scaled division offers classic scaling options for many of CrossFit’s common gymnastics movements and includes lighter loading.
Foundations - Just started CrossFit or maybe this is your first Open? The foundations workouts are a great place to start.
Who Is the CrossFit Open For?
The Open is for everyone, and it serves athletes in a variety of ways. For the vast majority of people, the CrossFit Games season is complete after three weeks of the Open and is a standalone yearly endeavor. For others, the Open serves as the first qualifying round for the 2026 CrossFit Games season and will make you eligible to compete in the Community Cup later in the year.
Why Should I Do This If I'm Not Looking to Qualify for Other Competitions?
First pull-ups or MUs, PRs, cheering, & memories — that’s all well and good, but still: “I’m not a competitive athlete,” you might say, “so why would I do this?”
Even if you’re not in it to win it, the Open is a great way to check in on your fitness, set benchmarks to retest later, hold you accountable to moving forward and staying motivated for the upcoming year, accomplish personal goals, and celebrate with the community.