The 2022 CrossFit Games Open kicks off on Feb. 24, 2022. Before the turn of the new year, details of what the workouts might entail remained a mystery. On Dec. 31, 2021, CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro appeared on the CrossFit Games YouTube channel to tease aspects of the Open to look forward to. Most notably, he mentioned two “new elements” never before seen in the Open will be included in 2022, though he did not relay any specifics.
Check out the full video below, featuring four-time CrossFit Games competitor Sean Sweeney. The “CrossFit Cowboy” writhed on the floor of a gym in Aromas, CA, after completing one of the workouts slated for the 2022 Open on the morning of day two of Open workout testing.
[Related: Use CrossFit Open Results to Improve Your Programming and Fitness Routine]
Sweeney gasped for air as he rolled on the floor while wearing his NOBULL cross trainers and versa grips next to a jump rope and chalk bag by a power rack. Given these context clues, he presumably completed a fast-paced workout that involved double-unders and muscle-ups (potentially on the gymnastic rings suspended nearby). Sweeney went on to ask what time he scored before expressing how fatigued his legs and shoulders were.
For Sweeney to admit being as gassed as he was following a workout is nothing to scoff at. He’s a regular on CrossFit’s biggest stages. His four CrossFit Games performances resulted in the following finishes:
CrossFit Games — Sean Sweeney
- 2016 CrossFit Games — 30th
- 2018 CrossFit Games — 22nd
- 2019 CrossFit Games — 24th
- 2021 CrossFit Games — 36th
Sweeney’s profanity-laden feedback to Castro in the video was mostly censored while he recovered from his legs having “exploded” during the workout.
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[Related: Check Out CrossFit Games Champ Justin Medeiros’ Garage Gym]
After “several months of testing,” Castro seems pleased with the Open workouts programmed thus far.
The workouts are going to be…something special…tests that everyone enjoys. They’re uniquely fun and at the same time will be very painful. There might even be a new element or two in one or two of the tests.
Adding new features to the Open is somewhat routine for Castro. In the 2021 CrossFit Open, he introduced wall walks in Workout 21.1. The new exercise made an additional appearance in Event Four, won by Scott Panchik and Mallory O’Brien, of the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Castro concluded that the programming for the three-week-long 2022 Open is essentially complete and that it will be “stiff, yet rewarding.” Expect the 2022 CrossFit Open to push athletes harder than it has in the past, as it seems Castro is pulling out all the stops for the upcoming season.
2022 CrossFit Games Season Schedule
Below is the full schedule for the 2022 CrossFit Games season:
2022 CrossFit Open
- Workout 22.1 — Feb. 24-28, 2022
- Workout 22.2 — March 3-7, 2022
- Workout 22.3 — March 10-14, 2022
2022 Quarterfinals
- Individuals — March 24-27, 2022
- Teams — April 7-10, 2022
- Age Groups — April 21-24, 2022
The 2022 Occupational Games will take place May 20-22, 2022.
2022 Semifinals
- Week One
- Individuals & Teams — May 20-22, 2022
- Age Group One (14-15, 16-17, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49) — May 26-29, 2022
- Week Two
- Individuals & Teams — May 27-29, 2022
- Age Group Two (50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+) — June 2-5, 2022
- Week Three
- Individuals & Teams — June 3-5, 2022
- Week Four
- Individuals & Teams — June 10-12, 2022
- Last-Chance Qualifier — June 29-July 1, 2022
2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games
The 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games will be held Aug. 4-7, 2022, in Madison, WI.
Featured image: @crossfitcowboy45 on Instagram