You’re probably seeing this functional workout all over your Instagram, so here’s everything you need to know about the Crossfit Open.
Videos of people walking backwards up walls first started appearing on Instagram on Friday. The wall walk was followed up with dumbbell snatches and box jumps – everyone’s videos showing the same moves performed at similarly fast-paced rhythms.
Of course, it’s not unusual to see videos of people completing circuits like this online – but the reason everyone was sharing the exact same workout was for a particular reason: the CrossFit Open.
Given that so many of our favourite athletes and fitness influencers (and even our gym-going friends) are getting involved, we wanted to know what exactly this competition is – and how to get started ourselves. So we spoke with Jess Rosart, manager of functional training gym WIT, to explain everything there is to know about the CrossFit Open 2022.
What is the Crossfit Open?
“It is a worldwide, online competition that’s accessible to anyone,” Rosart says. “It’s mainly run through the CrossFit affiliate gyms and brands, but a lot of people will do it virtually or in studios that aren’t affiliated with CrossFit because it’s a nice fitness challenge to test where you’re at and be able to go back and compare year on year.”
After you’ve completed the workouts, you submit your score online and can compare yourself to your previous weeks or years – but also to every other contender in the world.
What are the CrossFit Open workouts 22.1, 22.2, 22.3?
A new workout is released on the CrossFit Open’s website every Thursday for three weeks – along with guidelines to follow and breakdowns of the exercises. The first one came out last Thursday (24 February) and was called 22.1. The next one is 22.2 and the following is 22.3.
Usually, they are made up of three exercises which you have to complete as many times as possible in 15 minutes.
“There are a few different ways you can complete the workouts. There’s a version called RX, and that’s the required standard of weights and movements and the highest level to which you can complete the Open. Then there’s also the Scale workout, and a new entry for the year which is a Foundations workout,” says Rosart.
In 22.1, the RX workout for women was to be completed with 35lb (16kg) dumbbells and 20-inch boxes for the jumps, and the scaled version was performed with 20lb (9kg) weights. “The Foundations level is for somebody who’s very entry level; maybe they’ve never done CrossFit before and just want to test themselves in new movements and weights,” she says.
“For example, the wall walk is much smaller so you don’t have to get your chest as close – it means there’s an option for those who still want to build their skills.” In the Foundation workout, there’s also the option for lighter weights (10lb or 4.5kg) and smaller, 12-inch boxes.
Who can take part in the CrossFit Open?
Thanks to the virtual and Foundation entries, people of any fitness level can take part. “The Open is the first step for really competitive people to get to the CrossFit Games. But it’s really accessible for everyone, especially this year,” says Rosart.
While it is all online, Rosart recommends that beginners test themselves at a gym that runs CrossFit Open testing sessions. The trainer there can help you properly warm up, walk you through the exercises safely and score your session to ensure you’re following all the competition guidelines.
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“It’s also really, really fun atmosphere. At WIT, we have a party after the final week of the Open to celebrate everyone’s achievements. Most people do something they didn’t think was possible at an Open event – about five years ago I got my first bar muscle-up during one of the workouts,” she says.
It’s no surprise that this year’s event has taken off on social media, Rosart adds. Firstly because the last two years of lockdown meant that there wasn’t an option to complete the Open as people didn’t have access to a lot of the kit. “But the whole idea of functional fitness is huge now and more people want to be involved – there are the Turf Games and local competitions which all have a really big presence online. Coming together in gyms after two years is really special – and definitely why more people are posting about it.”
The question is, will you be one of them?
Images: Getty
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