What is the CrossFit Open?
The CrossFit Open is a worldwide online CrossFit competition. 5 workouts will be released, one per week, starting March 6th and ending April 7th. When each workout is released, you will have 5 days to complete the workout and submit your score to the Games website.
Where is it held?
The CrossFit Open is hosted weekly by the thousands of CrossFit Affiliates, but practically speaking it will be happening each week right here at Cypher Health & Fitness.
When will it be?
The first workout will be released at 5pm PST on Wednesday, March 6, and you will have until 5pm PST on Sunday, March 10 to submit a workout score. The complete dates are below:
| Workout released | Submit score by |
| March 6 | March 10 |
| March 13 | March 17 |
| March 20 | March 24 |
| March 27 | March 31 |
| April 3 | April 7 |
That’s great, but when will my Open workout be?
Great question! In order to meet various scheduling needs we will be hosting judged workout sessions each Saturday from approximately 9AM-Noon each week of the Open. This will replace our regular Saturday class and Open Gym time for the duration of The Open. As necessary each week, we will also establish some extra “Judging Hours” for people who cannot make it Saturday.
Thursday: 6PM-7PM
Sunday: Noon-1PM
I expect the extra time slots will be useful for those of you competing in the upcoming Rookie Rumble on Saturday March 16th.
If you absolutely cannot make it to any of those times, we can work out another judging time individually.
You will be required to sign-up a week in advance (via a sign-up sheet at the gym) and indicate which day/time slot you are planning on completing your workout in.
Will this cost extra?
There will be no fee/charge for current Cypher Health & Fitness members to participate in these workouts. Non-members must pay the standard $20 drop-in fee if they wish to participate these days (and contact us in advance).
How do I register officially for the 2013 CrossFit Open?
Go to The CrossFit Games website and click the red “Compete Here” link.
You must register no later than 5pm PST on March 10.
After you register:
- Add your Affiliate: Make sure that you select Cypher Health & Fitness as your affiliate.
It costs $20 to register. Anyone can show up and just do the workout, but in order for your score to “count” you must be registered.
Will these classes be different from regular classes?
This format will be slightly different from a regular class, and more like one of our previous fundraiser events for those of you that are familiar. You will be in charge of your own warm-up and movement preparation. We will review in detail the workout, movement standards, and judging standings, and will run as many heats as necessary to get everyone through in a safe and timely manner.
I’m going to be video taped?
No, actually that is not a requirement as long as you are performing the workout at a registered CrossFit Affiliate. Video-taping is only required for individuals wishing to compete solo outside of a box (i.e. in their garage, park, etc.). We may put together some footage just for fun though :).
I’m going to be judged? =O =( >=D
Yes, and you will like it ;)!
Each workout will have movement standards that you must meet in order for each rep to be counted towards your score. You must have a judge watch your workout in order to determine how many valid reps you complete.
Look, I know getting no-repped can be frustrating to say the least, but that is why I encourage you all — if you haven’t already — to start approaching each rep of each workout like the meanest judge EVER is watching. If you’re always practicing with the highest quality of movement in mind, having someone judge you will just amount to them counting your reps for you. And isn’t that lovely! This is a great opportunity for all of you to hone your skills and really develop a feel for the difference between a good rep and a bad rep. Almost doesn’t count!
We are relying on the community (i.e. you!) here since we don’t have an abundance of coaches to keep track of your reps and no-reps. I strongly encourage those that are able to complete the Online Judges Course ($10), so that we have at least a few extra people who are more familiar with the standards.
After each workout, you must go online and submit your score to the Games website, which will then be validated by the affiliate (CF Cypher) where you did your workout.
What are the workouts like?
In the past 2 years, all of the workouts have been AMRAPs that are 5-20 minutes in length.
The movements are all typical CrossFit barbell, gymnastics, and other weighted/unweighted movements. Kettlebells, dumbbells, running, and rowing have never been used in an Open workout.
Typically they start the Open with a workout that has movements everyone can do, or a workout in the “ladder” format, where the weights/movements get harder as the workout progresses, and you just go as far as you can.
A typical Open workout begins with a simple movement that everyone can do at least 1 rep of. In the 2012 Open, the first movement of each workout was:
- Burpee jumping to 6” target
- Power Snatch 75/45lb
- Box jump 24/20”
- Wall-ball 20/14lb to 10/9 feet
- Thruster 100/65lb
What if I physically cannot do a lift or do a hard movement? Can I scale?
Will there eventually be workouts that some of you cannot do due to the weights/movements being too difficult? Probably yes, especially in the 4th and 5th week. But the point is to try! We will discuss on an individual basis whether it is prudent and safe for you to attempt a workout/movement that is posted a given week. I tell people that are competent with jump rope single unders to work on their double unders all the time. But all of a sudden when I tell them there’s a competition coming up where they have to meet a certain standard, all of a sudden a fire is lit. That is the point of the Open! Generally speaking, skill-based movements, such as double unders, can be improved upon rapidly with a few days/weeks of dedicated effort. In between movements (skill+strength), such as Wall Balls, can also be improved fairly rapidly, if you challenge yourself to reach for the heavier ball/higher target. Predominantly strength-based movements (deadlifts, thrusters, etc.) or movements that have a high pre-requisite strength demand (pull-ups, muscle-ups, etc.) probably will not dramatically improve all of a sudden. Who knows though, some of you may go for it and get your first kipping pull-up in the Open, and even if you get just one that’s awesome!
If you do decide to scale a given week, just keep in mind that your score will not count that week when we submit them online. If you decide to scale mid-workout for whatever reason, your score will count but only up to that point. If it is not a safety/injury concern, I encourage you to stick it out and just do as much as you can within the given time frame.
Are there weight, sex, and/or age categories?
No, yes, and yes. Here are the categories:
Individual Men and Women
Masters Men and Women 40-44
Masters Men and Women 45-49
Masters Men and Women 50-54
Masters Men and Women 55-59
Masters Men and Women 60+
Teams
The Masters often have different movements or lighter weights than the Individuals.
When you register online, you will automatically be added to the appropriate category.
What if I come in last place in a workout?
Chance are you will be in good company! Seriously though, one of the main purposes of the Open (and CF competition in general) is to show you your relative strengths and weaknesses and give you an idea of where you should spend your energy in the future to simply get better. It is also provides an environment of high performance, where essentially you are going to be so excited that you can’t help but put out an amazing effort each week, regardless of what place you end up in. 100th place or or 1000th place, you’re going to get something out of the Open, and I can almost guarantee it’s not going to be how awesome you already are so sit back, relax, and have a beer 🙂 (though many of you might do that anyway for a bit, we don’t judge). If you think you did poorly in a workout, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you need to work on for next year, so light that fire and recommit. Always the student, never the master!
