WHAT IS IT AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
Welcome to WIT's CrossFit Open guide where we will be providing all you need to know on how the Open works and how you can get involved.
In CrossFit, everyone's season starts with the Open. Whether you are new to the sport, or a seasoned competitor, the OPEN IS FOR YOU.
In London for the OPEN? Pop into our Friday Night Lights Sessions every Friday over the 3 weeks - only £10 for a drop in! - BOOK HERE
WHAT IS THE OPEN?
The CrossFit Open is a 3-week worldwide competition starting February 16th, where anyone regardless of fitness or ability can take part. Over the 3 weeks, one event is released online and you have until the following Monday to complete and submit your score.
The Open is split into 4 categories: RX, Scaled, Adaptive and Foundations so that no matter what level you are, there is a version for you.
Not sure which category to pick? Check HERE to see examples of last years workouts to help you determine which suits you best.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Beginning February 16th, each week there is an Open announcement hosted by CrossFit via a streamed event, where they call up elite athletes to perform the workout live.
On the Thursday evening of each week, the Live announcement begins with releasing the workout so that the athletes are hearing it for the first time alongside the rest of the world. This year the first announcement, 23.1, is set to take place in Madrid with Laura Horvarth and Gabi Migala going head to head for the women, and Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson and Lazar Dukic going head to head for the men.
The athletes are then thrown into the workout with little time for strategising or planning. By announcing the workouts in this way the audience gets to experience the raw fitness these athletes possess and their ability to strategise and figure pacing in the moment. The rest of the community then has until the following Monday to have a go at the workout and submit their score.
Now you can do this workout as many times as you like over those 4 days, submitting only your best score. However the Open workouts are known for their intensity and so a lot of people adopt a one and done mentality especially those in the elite field. This is only the beginning of their CrossFit season and so is not a necessity to have the top score or aim for peak performance.
This year the workouts will be released at 8pm GMT and we will be providing a tips and tricks video shortly after, with our WIT London Head Coach, Jordan Shelley. Make sure to keep an eye out on our Instagram @wit.fitness shortly after the announcement so you can be best prepared!
We will also be providing your ideal kit list and how to fuel and recover for the Open so whether it's your 1st or your 10th, WIT has what you need to succeed.
Featuring: Adapt Tape, Women's Metcon 8, Victory Grips, Romaleos 4, RPM Rope, WIT Shaker, WIT socks, Women's High Neck Tank, WIT vertical Logo Hoodie
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ELITE TO COMPETE.
The Open is a great way to get involved with your local CrossFit community and track your own progression from year to year. Every year hundreds of thousands of people take part with a percentage moving onto the next stage.
For the elite athletes, the top 10% of individual competitors and the top 25% of teams on each continent will advance to the second stage of the competition, the Quarterfinals.
But for the majority of participants this is a 3-week community building experience focalising on having fun and doing your best - whatever that looks like.
The Open is a key example of the CrossFit ethos, showing that you are never too old or out of practice to get involved, and that fitness can be fun. The focus on performance over aesthetic gives you those community moments and desire for self-improvement, with people achieving new skills and reaching new benchmarks.
The Open is renowned for people achieving their firsts - whether that be a PB, a new skill or a new friendship. The Open truly is for Everyone and is a highlight for the CrossFit community year in year out.
So don't delay, get involved today!