What to Expect During the CrossFit Open

What to Expect During the CrossFit Open at Breathe

If you’re new to Breathe CrossFit this year, let me paint you a picture of what the Open looks like here.

For 3 weeks, the gym is completely taken over.

Every conversation is about the workout. Every class ends with people discussing strategy. The whiteboard is covered in team standings.

Friday nights turn into full-blown events with 50+ people packed into the gym, music blaring, everyone screaming.

It’s intense. It’s loud. It’s competitive.

We don’t just have people do the Open workouts and post their scores.

We turn it into a full competition with teams, points, and prizes.

Captains are nominated by coaches (people who are outgoing, supportive, good leaders).

Draft day is Feb 15. We split participants by division (Rx, Scaled, Foundations), then draft like high school dodgeball.

Placement (top 3 in your division): 10, 9, 8 points

Showing up to Friday Night Lights: 3 points for completing, 1 for cheering

First-time achievements (first muscle-up, first pull-up, etc.): 5 points

Social media posts tagging Breathe: 5 points

Flash challenges (random during FNL): 10 points

Standout participants (sportsmanship, perseverance): 50 points

Every Friday for 3 weeks, we host Friday Night Lights starting at 6pm.

Heats run every 15-20 minutes. Music is loud. Everyone is cheering. The energy is INSANE.

If you’ve never experienced FNL, it’s hard to explain. But it’s the highlight of the Open.

Week 1: Sports Night (wear your favorite team jersey)

You earn team spirit points for dressing up. It’s silly. It’s fun. It’s not that serious.

The Saturday after the last workout, we’re doing a kids heat.

Kids do a scaled version of the workout. Parents cheer. It’s wholesome and adorable.

Then we’re doing a potluck and cornhole tournament to wrap up the Open.

Because the Open isn’t just about individual performance.

Yes, some people are competitive and want to crush the workouts. That’s great.

But for most people, the Open is about showing up for your team, cheering for your friends, and doing things you didn’t think you could do.

You don’t have to be the fittest person in the gym to contribute to your team. You just have to show up.

If you’ve been on the fence, stop overthinking it.

This is the most fun you’ll have all year.