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The 2021 CrossFit Open: Everything You Need To Know
The CrossFit Open is, simply put, the first step to qualify for the CrossFit Games.
If you blow the competition out of the water, you may see yourself on the biggest stage in the CrossFit world.
Realistically, though, the CrossFit Open is both much more and much less than that.
Most people who enter do not have dreams of being one of the best CrossFitters in the world.
They do not expect to be on the podium at the CrossFit Games in a few months, nor do they think they will soon be sponsored by NoBull (or other shoe companies!)
What people do expect to be is pushed and propelled.
They expect the WODs to be tough, pushing them to the limit and showing them how much they have grown in the sport over the past year.
They also expect to be propelled forward by the CrossFit community, which basically becomes one giant, living CrossFitter during the Open, cheering on one another and supporting every single competitor.
The Open has had to adapt alongside COVID, however, and may look a little different than in years past.
But CrossFit is all about community, so here is what Dave Castro had to say about this year’s CrossFit Open.
“The last year has been tough for everyone, so we want to kick off the 2021 season with a compelling and accessible Open that can meet the needs of every athlete in the world. Whether you’re surrounded by people in your local gym, working out alone at home, or listening to friends cheer over Zoom, the Open will energize you and remind you why you are part of CrossFit.”
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves, so let’s get into what exactly the CrossFit Open is.
How Do I Do The CrossFit Open?
The CrossFit Open is a series of three WODs (maybe more), with the first one being put out on March 11, and one coming out exactly a week after for the next two weeks.
The WOD for that week is announced at 5pm PST on a Thursday, and athletes have until 5pm the following Monday to complete the WOD and submit their scores.
To sign up, simply go to games.crossfit.com and follow the instructions.
Because of Covid, CrossFit has multiple options planned for each week's WOD, based on whether you're at your local box or not.
The equipment list for this year is as follows...
- A dumbbell
- A barbell and plates
- A plyo box
- A jump rope
- A pull-up location
- Wall space
Whever you do the Open this year, you will need a judge to score your WOD.
You can do the WOD as many times as you want in the 4 days, but most CrossFitters will tell you that twice is more than enough.
Most WODs are soul-crushing by design, so it's takes the mental strength of a Navy Seal to voluntarily do it again.
Why Should I Do The CrossFit Open?
There is a long answer and a short answer to that question.
The short answer is that just about every CrossFitter in the world does the CrossFit Open, as a way to test themselves against their past scores, as well as against other people from every corner of the globe (except Antarctica, that place is weird).
The longer answer is that there are a variety of benefits to the CrossFit Open.
While these benefits range far and wide and may be slightly different for each person entering the Open, there are a few benefits that are fairly universal.
1. Fitness, Fitness, Fitness
CrossFitters love fitness. It’s like, one of the main reasons we do it.
The CrossFit Open is no different than any other WOD in that it will push you to your physical limit, physically and mentally.
You’ll walk out of it in better shape than you were in going into it.
Better yet, the CrossFit Open is technically a worldwide competition between everyone signed up, and what better way to push yourself than to have a whole lot of competition?
2. Increased Community
Sure, you see your local CrossFit box as your community, but with the CrossFit Open, you start to see the entire CrossFit world as a part of your community.
It’s really cool and super inspiring to know that people from almost every country you can think of are competing with you and cheering you on.
For a ton of people, a massive part of CrossFit is the support you get from others and the friends you build along the way.
Nothing exemplifies this more than the Open.
On top of that, this year, perhaps more than ever before, the importance of community has become apparent.
So get out there with your millions of community members and kick some ass!
3. Measuring Yourself
Remember when you were young, and your mom would pull you over to the doorframe to jot down how much you’ve grown year over year?
The CrossFit Open is kind of like that, except instead of your mom, the thing jotting down your growth is a worldwide database, and instead of a doorframe, the way to see how much you have grown in the past year is a series of difficult workouts that leave you lying on the floor in a mixture of sweat and tears (of happiness, we swear!)
Yeah, the WODs may be different, but how you do in the rankings and against the average time will really give you a good marker of how much you have grown since the last CrossFit Open.
What Are The WODs In The CrossFit Open?
Well, that is to be decided.
As mentioned above, the Open consists of three (or more) workouts, one put out every Thursday for three weeks in a row, starting on March 11th.
In 2020, the CrossFit Open we saw was very similar to the one that we will see this year.
It was all done online and recorded for scoring, due to COVID.
This makes it incredibly accessible, as people can compete whether in their local CrossFit box or at home by themselves.
The first WOD, 20.1, was 10 rounds for time consisting of 8 ground-to-overheads and 10 bar-facing burpees.
There was a time cap of 15 minutes.
The Open went on from there, creating intense WODs consisting of all your CrossFit exercises like muscle-ups, handstand pushups, dumbbell thrusters, and double-unders.
You can assume many of the same exercises will be used this year, although in what order and combinations are anyone’s guess.
The best way to be prepared is to do lots of CrossFit, be fit, and go into the Open with a positive mindset and mentality to being open to just about anything.
What Do We Think We'll See This Year?
This is the fun part where we get to go all 'mad genius' and try to figure out what Dave Castro has cooked up for us.
Based on the equipment list, it seems very likely we'll see burpees, thrusters, deadlifts, double-unders, chest-to-bar pull ups and/or muscle ups, box jumps, dumbbell thrusters, lunges, burpees, handstand push ups, overhead squats... and more burpees.
(Did we say burpees?)
Okay, it could be anything but there's no wall ball, no rower or assault bike (amen), so that changes some things, but not much.
We may see a repeat WOD, but it's unlikely due to only going 3 weeks.
If we had to put a bet on something, we'd say each WOD will be around 15-20 minutes in length, with a barbell or dumbbell component to separate people who have a strong motor AND can throw around some heavy weight.
We also predict one of the weeks (most likely the last week) will have 2 scoring workouts together... like a 12 minute AMRAP of 21 chest-to-bar pull ups with 50ft dumbbell overhead lunges, followed by a 3 minute rest, and a 5 minute window of a 1 rep max clean and jerk... or 3 minutes of double unders instead.
With the addition of a worldwide Quarterfinals this year, roughly taking the top 10% of the Open participants, the WODs this year don't have to separate the top tier athletes from everyone else as much as they've had to in years past.
That will most likely be left to do at the Quarterfinals, which is why we expect long and pain-enduring WODs.
Get your recovery tools ready because you're gonna need them.
What Should My Goals Be?
Like everything in CrossFit, your main goal should be to be proud of yourself!
CrossFit is all about pushing yourself and trying to feel better than the day before (in a metaphysical way, not in a physical-physical way, because you will feel like someone clubbed you with a sack of doorknobs the day after each round of the CrossFit Open).
So your goal should be to try your hardest, enjoy the process, and hopefully come out of the CrossFit Open proud of where you ended up.
Now that we have gotten your main goal out of the way, your second goal should be to beat Karen, that annoying lady from your CrossFit box who seemingly has 20 pairs of NoBulls and always complains loudly about how the WOD is “too easy”.
You see her cheating those reps, and NOW IS HER TIME TO PAY!
But mostly, you know, being proud of yourself and whatnot.
Wrapping It Up
Starting March 11th, it is the most magical time for CrossFitters.
So throw on those new trainers, pump up that workout music, and wait impatiently until 5pm PST on March 11th, constantly refreshing the Open browser for four hours straight!
Good luck, and don’t forget to have fun!
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WOD RECOVERY © 2020 | 428 Gaslamp, Inc.
Disclaimer: All hemp-derived products contain 0.0% THC
The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your health care professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act require this notice.
WOD RECOVERY RX © 2020
428 Gaslamp, Inc.
Disclaimer:
All hemp-derived products
contain 0.0% THC
The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your health care professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act require this notice.