How the CrossFit Open Works
The CrossFit Open is the first stage of the CrossFit Games season and the largest participatory sporting event in the world. Here's everything you need to know.
What Is the CrossFit Open?
The CrossFit Open is a three-week online competition where athletes around the world perform the same workouts and submit their scores to a global leaderboard. Anyone with a CrossFit Games account can register and participate — from first-time gym-goers to elite competitors.
In 2026, 379,235 athletes from over 150 countries competed in the Open, making it the single largest competitive fitness event globally.
The Open serves as a qualifying stage: top performers advance to the Quarterfinals, then Semifinals, and ultimately the CrossFit Games.
Format & Schedule
Each Thursday evening, CrossFit HQ announces the week's workout. Athletes have until Monday to complete and submit their score. Workouts can be performed at a registered CrossFit affiliate (gym) with a judge, or filmed at home for online validation.
Scores are entered on the CrossFit Games competition platform. Your overall standing is determined by adding up your placement rank across all three workouts — the lower the total, the better.
How Scoring Works
Each workout is scored independently, and your placement rank for that workout becomes your point value. Your overall Open score is the sum of your three placement ranks.
Example
If you placed 500th on workout 26.1, 1,200th on 26.2, and 800th on 26.3, your overall score would be 500 + 1,200 + 800 = 2,500. That puts you in the top 5% of the field. The lower the total, the better your ranking.
Score Types
Depending on the workout, your score is one of:
- Time— Complete the workout as fast as possible (e.g., "finish in 11:43")
- Reps— Complete as many reps as possible within a time cap (e.g., "268 reps")
- Weight — Lift as heavy as possible (less common in the Open)
Athletes who finish a workout outrank those who hit the time cap, regardless of cap score. Among finishers, faster times rank higher. Among capped athletes, more reps rank higher.
Rx'd vs. Scaled
Every Open workout has two versions:
Rx'd (As Prescribed)
The full workout with standard weights and movements. This is what competitive athletes do. All Rx'd athletes rank above all Scaled athletes on the leaderboard.
Scaled
A modified version with lighter weights and simpler movements. Designed for newer athletes or those who can't safely perform the Rx'd movements. Scaled athletes have their own sub-leaderboard but rank below all Rx'd athletes.
Divisions
The Open splits athletes into 17 divisions by age and gender:
| Division | Athletes (2026) |
|---|---|
| Men 18-34 | 127,113 |
| Women 18-34 | 105,959 |
| Teens Boys (14-17) | 29,171 |
| Teens Girls (14-17) | 22,673 |
| Men 50-54 | 21,970 |
| Women 50-54 | 17,264 |
| Men 35-39 | 14,691 |
| Women 35-39 | 11,248 |
| Men 40-44 | 8,486 |
| Women 40-44 | 6,051 |
| Men 45-49 | 5,397 |
| Women 45-49 | 4,143 |
| Men 55-59 | 1,077 |
| Women 55-59 | 1,049 |
| Men 60+ | 1,195 |
| Women 60+ | 1,108 |
| Adaptive | 640 |
| Total | 379,235 |
CrossFit Open 2026 — Division Sizes
The 2026 Open Workouts
26.1
Wall Ball Chipper | Time Cap: ~12 min | Score: Time or Reps
A high-volume chipper featuring wall balls, box jump-overs, and med ball box step-overs with escalating rep counts. Designed to test pacing and aerobic capacity.
26.2
Barbell Cycling | 15 min cap | Score: Time or Reps
A 132-rep workout testing barbell cycling speed and gymnastics efficiency. The most "completable" workout of the three — 82% of top-10k men finished within the cap.
26.3
Heavy Barbell Separator | Score: Reps (max 288)
Repeating rounds of burpees over bar, cleans, and thrusters with escalating barbell weights. Six total rounds, with the weight increasing each round. The defining workout of the 2026 Open.
The Road to the CrossFit Games
Open
379,235 athletes compete online over 3 weeks
Quarterfinals
Top ~25% advance to an online competition with harder workouts
Semifinals
Top athletes compete in person at regional events worldwide
CrossFit Games
The fittest ~40 men and ~40 women compete for the title
Explore the Data
We've analyzed every score from every athlete. Dive into the numbers: