CrossFit Open 26.3: What It Involves and How to Participate Before 16 March Deadline

The third and final workout of the 2026 CrossFit Open has been released, giving athletes around the world one last chance to post a score before the 16 March deadline.

Known as Open 26.3, the workout was unveiled during a live event at Wodapalooza in Miami Beach and streamed through official CrossFit channels.

According to the CrossFit website, participants now have until 5 p.m. PT on 16 March to complete the workout and submit results through the CrossFit Games platform. The Open, which began in late February, is the first stage of the season that ultimately leads to the CrossFit Games.

What the CrossFit Open 26.3 Workout Involves

Open 26.3 is a 16-minute, for-time workout built around burpees and barbell movements, with the weight increasing as the workout progresses.

Burpees are a full-body exercise that combines a squat, a push-up, and a jump into one fluid movement. Meanwhile, barbell movements involve lifting a weighted barbell, which tests strength, coordination, and power by moving the weight from the floor to the shoulders and then overhead.

Athletes must complete three blocks, each consisting of two rounds of movements. Every block includes the same structure — burpees over the bar, cleans and thrusters — but the barbell weight increases each round.

Each round includes:

• 12 burpees over the bar
• 12 cleans
• 12 burpees over the bar
• 12 thrusters

After two rounds, athletes increase the barbell weight before moving to the next block. The workout ends once the final thruster is locked out or when the 16-minute time cap is reached.

For the standard 'Rx' division (ages 16–54), the weights increase as follows:

• Women: 65 lb → 75 lb → 85 lb
• Men: 95 lb → 115 lb → 135 lb

A tiebreak time is recorded after each completed set of thrusters, which helps rank athletes who finish with the same number of reps.

Movement Standards Athletes Must Follow

Like all Open workouts, Open 26.3 includes strict movement standards to ensure scores are comparable worldwide.

According to the instructions, for the lateral burpee over the bar, athletes must bring both their chest and thighs to the floor before jumping over the barbell with both feet, leaving the ground.

During cleans, the bar must travel from the floor to the shoulders with full extension at the top. Hang cleans are not allowed in the official version. For thrusters, athletes must perform a full squat with hips below parallel before driving the bar overhead with arms locked out at the top.

Scaled divisions allow certain adjustments, like including stepping over the bar instead of jumping, but still follow the same basic structure.

Scaled And Beginner Divisions Are Available

The Open is designed to be accessible to athletes of many levels, which is why CrossFit provides several divisions and scaled options.

Teen athletes, masters competitors and scaled divisions use lighter barbell loads, while beginners can enter the Foundations division, which offers adjustable weights and simpler movement standards.

Adaptive athletes can also participate through programming provided by WheelWOD.

Anyone aged 14 or older can sign up and complete the workout at a CrossFit affiliate gym, another training facility or even at home.

Elite Athletes Already Set the Benchmark

During the live announcement event, several top athletes performed the workout in a demonstration heat.

Danielle Brandon completed 274 reps, while Arielle Loewen finished with 277 reps. Teen standout Olivia Kerstetter led the demo field with 285 reps, setting an early benchmark for competitors watching around the world.

Scores are now populating on the global leaderboard as thousands of athletes submit results.

How to Participate Before the 16 March Deadline

Athletes who want their score to count in the Open must complete a few steps.

According to the website, the aspiring participants need to register through the official CrossFit Games website. Perform the workout at a gym or approved location and have a judge validate the workout or record a video for verification.

Later, submit the score before March 16 at 5 p.m. PT. Once scores are finalised, the top 25% of athletes in each division advance to the next stage of the season, which is the Quarterfinals.

With the final Open workout now underway, athletes around the world have just a few days left to make their mark on the leaderboard.