And so it has begun. The 2018 CrossFit Open is underway, and CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro has certainly started off the competition on an exciting foot. Open Workout 18.1 is an AMRAP triplet:
As always, athletes start on a 3, 2, 1 countdown before beginning the workout.
8 Toes-to-Bar
10 Dumbbell Hang Clean & Jerks (5 each arm; men use 50 pounds, women use 35 pounds)
14/12 Calories Rowed on a Concept 2 Rower (men/women)
As many reps as possible in 20 minutes.
As usual, athletes registered for the Open will have until Monday at 5pm PST to submit their scores online.
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As is tradition, Castro announced this year’s first Open workout flanked by two of the sport’s top athletes: 2013 Games Champion Samantha Briggs and 2017 seventh-place finisher Kristin Holte. (Briggs finished in 9th place at last year’s Games in Madison, Wisconsin.) The announcement continued a trend of international destinations for the live broadcasts, which for 18.1 was hosted at Ginasio Poliesportivo Dr. Antonio Leme Nunes Galvao, also called Morumbi Stadium, in São Paulo, Brazil.
After Sam Briggs was introduced, she came jogging out sporting gymnastics grips on her hands, giving fans an early clue as to some of the movements involved. This is the second Open workout in history with an AMRAP format AND 20-minute time domain. Right after Castro’s announcement, Briggs and Holte faced off to set early top times for the workout, and their scores are sure to be chased by top CrossFit athletes around the globe.
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According to reports, tickets for the live announcement — events which have grown from throw downs hosted in local boxes to broadcasts with mass-market appeal — sold out weeks ago.
Interested in watching the rest of this year’s CrossFit Open announcements? Click HERE to find out how to watch them live every Thursday evening throughout the Open!
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As per usual, the workout announcement came amid plenty of anticipation. Earlier on Thursday, Castro had taken to Instagram — his preferred social media platform for announcements and workout clues — to say 18.1 would feature a move brand new to the yearly CrossFit Open.
And the buildup certainly didn’t disappoint. And with a new movement — dumbbell hang clean & jerks — this is sure to be a workout that some athletes tackle multiple times.
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This year’s Open is already gearing up to be a thorough (and for some athletes, grueling) test of fitness. Who do you think will come out on top in each division? And who are you most excited to see move on to the next stage of competition?
Featured image from @crossfitgames on Instagram