How to Prepare for the 2025 CrossFit Open
How to Prepare for the 2025 Crossfit Open
One of the questions every crossfitter has each year is, “What movements are going to be in this year's Crossfit Open?”
Every year, individuals make educated guesses on what we might see in the first three events and how the workouts are going to be structured.
In this blog, we will explore the MOST common movements in the crossfit open, HOW to properly prepare your body for these movements, and what to watch out for during your training process.
What is the crossfit Open?
The Crossfit Open has been around since 2011 and is an event that is performed all around the world at local crossfit affiliates testing individuals on their current skill levels. This series of workouts gives each crossfitter a ranking overall.
The crossfit open serves as the first stage of qualifications for the Crossfit Games. The open is meant to be accessible for all individuals with prescribed (RX) workouts and scaled divisions.
A judge, who has gone through the proper training, watches you perform your workout making sure that all standards are met for movements and all reps and sets have been completed within the time domain.
The Open used to consist of 5 weeks of workouts. Now, one workout is released every week for 3 consecutive weeks, giving individuals until Monday to complete their best score (with a certified judge present to verify).
What Movements can we expect in the 2025 Crossfit Open?
Since 2014, here are the top 5 movements that have appeared in every Crossfit Open.
Thrusters
Double Unders
Toes to Bar
Chest to Bar Pullups
Barbell Cycling
Here are the next most common movements that have appeared in the open
Wall balls
Burpees
Deadlifts
How do I properly prepare my body for the 2025 Crossfit Open?
The top 5 movements that historically appeared in Open workouts require a couple key skills necessary for being successful in completing high volume of these movements. Below are tips, tricks, and exercises to help build strength, volume, and capacity in these 5 key open movements.
Thrusters:
Require thoracic (upper back) mobility and muscular endurance
Try these dumbbell pullovers to improve latissimus dorsi length and increase spinal mobility to maintain an upright torso during the squat portion of the thruster.
Shoulder External Rotation
Warm-up your front rack position with this PVC external rotation stretch
Double Unders
These require not only muscular endurance of the achilles complex, but also muscular power
Try these explosive front foot elevated barbell hops to improve speed, power, and strength of your calves.
Toes to Bar
Not only do toes to bar require significant latissimus dorsi and core strength, but they also require quick repetitive back extension in the arch position. Individuals can have a decreased tolerance to this repetitive motion which can lead to back soreness and fatigue. In order to improve volume, try these reverse hypers from a bench to warm-up your posterior chain and improve the strength and capacity of your muscles in an arched position.
Chest to Bar Pull-ups
Whether you plan on kipping your pull-ups or performing butterfly pull-ups, you might begin to notice increased soreness and fatigue in your biceps which can affect the amount of volume you can do. Add these incline bicep curls into your routine to increase your bicep capacity.
Barbell Cycling
When it comes to barbell cycling, it is important to spend time at lighter weights working on form. With snatches, deadlifts, power cleans etc., all these movements involve a hip hinge. Even though we spend time working on maintaining a neutral spine, it is inevitable that you will get some spinal flexion (forward bending) of the spine as the loads get heavier or the muscles begin to fatigue. Try warming up these movements with an elevated Jefferson curl and work on building up the strength of your spine in these flexed positions so that your back does not blow up during the barbell cycling in the open!
Feeling stuck in your performance and want help?
If you’re struggling with any of these movements or feeling discomfort during your training, working with a performance physical therapist can make a big difference. At Samson Strength and Performance PT, we specialize in helping athletes recover from injuries, improve movement efficiency, and optimize performance.
If you're experiencing pain with any of these movements, it might be time to consider a personalized plan to help you recover and get back to your workouts pain-free and without modifications. The Open is right around the corner, don’t let your pain keep you from achieving your goals!