The Magic of the Open
Every year when the CrossFit Games Open rolls around, something special happens inside a CrossFit gym.
You can feel it in the air.
The nerves are a little higher. The cheering is a little louder. Athletes push a little harder than they normally would on an everyday workout. Something about the Open brings out a level of effort and excitement that is hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it.
And after participating in every single Open workout since the beginning, I can confidently say this: there is nothing else like it in the entire fitness world.
A Worldwide Fitness Test
The CrossFit Open started in 2011 as the first stage of qualification for the CrossFit Games. It was designed to cast a massive net across the world to help identify the fittest athletes on the planet.
But what makes it so unique is that it isn’t only for elite athletes.
For about the cost of dinner out, anyone can register and take part in the exact same competition that the best athletes in the world are doing. Every Thursday a workout is announced, and athletes across the globe have the weekend to complete it and submit their scores.
Within minutes, you can see where you rank on a worldwide leaderboard against thousands of other athletes.
You can compare yourself to your age group, your peers, or even just the other members in your own gym.
That level of accessibility is almost unheard of in sports.
You can watch the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals, but none of us are stepping onto the field with those athletes. In CrossFit, however, everyone starts from the same place. The best athletes in the world and the everyday athlete in a local gym are all doing the same workouts.
That’s powerful.
Discovering What You're Capable Of
Another reason I love the Open is what it reveals about our fitness.
Every year the workouts shine a light on our strengths and our weaknesses. Some movements or workout styles will feel natural and play to our abilities. Others will expose areas where we still have work to do.
For beginners, the Open often serves as a baseline. It shows you where you are today so you can see where you're going tomorrow.
But here’s where the real magic happens.
Every single year during the Open, athletes accomplish things they’ve never done before.
Someone gets their first pull-up.
Someone lands their first box jump.
Someone lifts a weight they once thought was impossible.
Someone strings together their first double-unders.
It happens over and over again, year after year. Something about the pressure of the moment, the cheering of the community, and the
structure of a competition helps people dig just a little bit deeper than they thought they could.
And suddenly a barrier breaks.
Once that door opens, it rarely closes again.
Why It Feels So Real
Part of what makes the Open so special is the competitive environment.
When you perform an Open workout, a judge stands beside you counting your reps. Standards matter. Movements are evaluated. Your score is recorded and submitted.
It feels official.
You’re not just doing a workout — you’re testing your fitness.
And the community aspect makes it even better. Members gather to cheer each other on. Friends count reps. Teammates celebrate victories together. The entire gym rallies behind each athlete as they take on the challenge.
It turns a simple workout into an experience.
Our Intramural Open at Broken Chains
At CrossFit Broken Chains, we take the Open one step further by hosting our Intramural Open.
Each year we divide the gym into three teams and appoint team captains to lead them. Throughout the Open, athletes earn points for their team by showing up, completing workouts, hitting the leaderboard, and supporting their fellow teammates.
The energy in the gym during these weeks is incredible.
Members who might normally train quietly suddenly find themselves surrounded by teammates cheering them on. New friendships form. Veterans encourage newcomers. And the entire gym becomes part of something bigger than a single workout.
It’s one of my favorite traditions we have at Broken Chains.
The Work Doesn't Stop When the Open Ends
What makes the Open so valuable isn’t just the three weeks of competition.
It’s what happens afterward.
The Open shows you what you're capable of and highlights the areas where you can improve. Maybe you discovered you need to work on gymnastics movements. Maybe heavy lifts are your strength. Maybe conditioning is an opportunity for growth.
Now you know.
And that knowledge becomes fuel for the next year of training.
If you got your first pull-up during the Open, now the goal is to string together more.
If double-unders finally clicked, now we build consistency.
If a movement challenged you, it becomes a focus for the year ahead.
The Open gives us a snapshot of our fitness today — and motivation for where we want to go tomorrow.
Why I Love the Open
After all these years, I still believe the Open is one of the most brilliant ideas ever introduced in the fitness industry.
It’s inclusive.
It’s challenging.
It’s community-driven.
And it allows everyday people to test themselves on the same stage as the best athletes in the world.
That’s something incredibly special.
At CrossFit Broken Chains, we lean into that magic every year. We celebrate the effort, the breakthroughs, and the courage it takes for someone to step onto the floor and give their best.
Because in the end, that’s what the Open is really about.
Not just finding the fittest in the world.
But discovering what you’re capable of becoming.
