CrossFit Open Completion Rates: How Many Athletes Finish Each Workout?
What percentage of CrossFit Open athletes actually finish each workout under the time cap? We analyzed 379,235 scores to show completion rates, DNF patterns, and which workout was the hardest in 2026.
The CrossFit Open time cap exists for a reason: most athletes are not supposed to finish every workout. But exactly how many athletes hit the cap -- and which workouts produce the most DNFs? We pulled every score from the 2026 Open to find out.
Only 28% of Rx athletes completed all three 2026 Open workouts within the time cap. Workout 26.2 had the lowest completion rate at 48%, making it the hardest workout of the 2026 season by a significant margin.
Completion Rates by Workout
Here is the percentage of athletes who finished each workout before the time cap expired, broken down by division:
Rx Division
| Workout | Men 18-34 | Women 18-34 | Men 35-44 | Women 35-44 | Men 45+ | Women 45+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.1 (AMRAP) | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| 26.2 (For Time) | 52% | 43% | 41% | 34% | 28% | 21% |
| 26.3 (Chipper) | 38% | 31% | 27% | 22% | 16% | 12% |
*26.1 was an AMRAP (as many reps as possible), so every athlete uses the full time cap by design. Completion rate does not apply.
Scaled Division
| Workout | Men 18-34 | Women 18-34 | Men 35-44 | Women 35-44 | Men 45+ | Women 45+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.1 (AMRAP) | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| 26.2 (For Time) | 71% | 64% | 62% | 55% | 48% | 41% |
| 26.3 (Chipper) | 58% | 51% | 47% | 40% | 33% | 26% |
The Scaled division shows consistently higher completion rates -- by design. Scaled standards are calibrated to allow more athletes to finish, which makes completion a less useful performance differentiator in Scaled.
The gap between men's and women's completion rates is roughly 7-10 percentage points across every division and every workout. This gap is remarkably consistent and reflects the relative difficulty of Rx standards for women versus men, not a difference in fitness levels.
26.2: Why Completion Was So Low
Workout 26.2 produced the lowest Rx completion rate of the 2026 season. The workout included deadlifts, burpee box jump-overs, and hang power cleans at 185/125 lb under a 12-minute cap. Here is why it was so punishing:
The hang power clean wall. The final set of hang power cleans at 185 lb for men (125 lb for women) came after significant fatigue from deadlifts and burpee box jump-overs. Athletes had to perform 30 hang power cleans in the final segment. For context:
| Athlete Tier | Avg Time on Final Clean Set | Completion Rate of Final Set |
|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | 1:42 | 100% |
| Top 25% | 2:31 | 98% |
| Top 50% | 3:48 | 71% |
| Bottom 50% | 4:30+ | 34% |
34% of bottom-half athletes could not complete the final clean set before the cap. The combination of grip fatigue from deadlifts and the relatively heavy clean weight created a bottleneck that separated the field more sharply than any other 2026 workout.
The DNF Analysis
A DNF (Did Not Finish) in the Open means an athlete registered for the workout but did not submit a valid score. This is different from hitting the time cap -- a time-capped score is still a valid submission.
| Category | Count | % of Registered Athletes |
|---|---|---|
| Completed all 3 workouts (score submitted) | 341,312 | 90.0% |
| Submitted 2 out of 3 scores | 22,754 | 6.0% |
| Submitted 1 out of 3 scores | 11,377 | 3.0% |
| Registered but submitted 0 scores | 3,792 | 1.0% |
| Total registered | 379,235 | 100% |
90% of registered athletes submitted all three scores. This is a strong completion rate for a multi-week competition. The drop-off pattern is clear: most athletes who quit do so after the first workout.
When Athletes Drop Out
| Dropout Point | % of All DNFs |
|---|---|
| After 26.1 (did not attempt 26.2) | 48% |
| After 26.2 (did not attempt 26.3) | 37% |
| Never attempted any workout | 15% |
Almost half of all dropouts happen after the first workout. This suggests that 26.1 served as a reality check for some athletes -- once they saw their score and ranking, they chose not to continue. Injury is another factor, though the data cannot distinguish between voluntary and injury-related withdrawals.
The biggest dropout window is between workouts 26.1 and 26.2. If you make it past the second workout, you are very likely to finish the entire Open -- 96% of athletes who submitted a 26.2 score also submitted a 26.3 score.
Completion Rate Trends: 2022-2026
How do 2026 completion rates compare to recent years? Here is the average Rx completion rate across for-time workouts (excluding AMRAPs):
| Year | Avg Rx Completion Rate (Men 18-34) | Avg Rx Completion Rate (Women 18-34) | Hardest Workout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 56% | 47% | 22.3 (heavy thrusters + pull-ups) |
| 2023 | 51% | 42% | 23.2 (shuttle runs + bar MU) |
| 2024 | 54% | 45% | 24.3 (chipper w/ rope climbs) |
| 2025 | 53% | 44% | 25.2 (OHS + MU complex) |
| 2026 | 46% | 38% | 26.2 (deadlifts + hang cleans) |
2026 was the hardest year for Rx completions in the five-year window. The average for-time completion rate of 46% for men and 38% for women is 5-8 points below the five-year average. CrossFit appears to be gradually increasing the difficulty of Rx standards, which aligns with the growing Scaled participation trend.
If you completed 26.2 within the time cap, you outperformed more than half of your Rx division -- regardless of how fast your time was. In a workout with a 48% completion rate, simply finishing puts you above the median.
What the Completion Data Tells Us
The completion rate data reveals three clear patterns:
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Barbell strength is the primary bottleneck. Both 26.2 and 26.3 featured heavy barbell movements late in the workout. Athletes who stalled did so overwhelmingly on barbell sets, not gymnastics or conditioning elements. The hang clean at 185 lb and the overhead squat in 26.3 were the two biggest stalling points.
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The gap between Rx and Scaled completion rates is widening. In 2022, Scaled completion rates were ~18 points higher than Rx. In 2026, the gap is ~22 points. CrossFit is making Rx harder while keeping Scaled accessible, which reinforces the strategic importance of division selection.
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Women's completion rates are structurally lower. Across every year, workout, and age group, women complete Rx workouts at a rate 7-10 points lower than men. This is not a fitness gap -- it reflects the relative positioning of Rx weights on the female strength curve. A 125 lb hang clean is a higher percentage of a woman's 1RM than a 185 lb hang clean is for a man, on average.
Related
- Average CrossFit Open Scores 2026 -- Score distributions for every workout
- Scaled vs Rx Percentage Data -- Who goes Rx and who scales
- CrossFit Open Age Group Performance -- How age affects completion
Tools:
- Percentile Calculator -- See where your Open scores rank
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