The CrossFit Open is back, and 26.1 is our first big fitness litmus test of the year. For thousands of athletes worldwide, from garage-gym heroes to elite Games contenders, this workout marks the official start of the CrossFit season and the road to the CrossFit Games.
Open Workout 26.1 is the first of three tests in the 2026 CrossFit Open, which runs from 26 February to 16 March. A brief for each workout drops on Thursdays, and athletes have until Monday evening (Pacific time) to complete it and upload their scores to the CrossFit Games leaderboard.
What Is 26.1?
This first Open test of the 2026 season is a lung-searing, quad-burning mix of wall balls and box transitions. It’s a full-body slog that punishes inefficient pacing and sloppy reps under fatigue:
20 x Wall Ball Shots18 x Box Jump Overs30 x Wall Ball Shots18 x Box Jump Overs40 x Wall Ball Shots18 x Medicine Ball Box Step Overs66 x Wall Ball Shots18 x Medicine Ball Box Step Overs40 x Wall Ball Shots18 x Box Jump Overs30 x Wall Ball Shots18 x Box Jump Overs20 x Wall Ball Shots
The workout has a 12-minute time cap. Men in the Rx category will be shooting a 9kg wall ball to a 10ft target and using a 24-inch box.
Men in the ‘Scaled’ category will use a 6kg wall ball with the same-size box, while those in the ‘Foundation’ category will use a 6kg ball and a 20-inch box.
Rich Froning’s Coaching Tips for 26.1
If 26.1 looks light and simple on paper, don’t be fooled. This is a pacing workout disguised as a leg-burner. And according to some of the sport’s most trusted coaches, the athletes who perform best won’t necessarily be the fittest on paper. They’ll be the most disciplined.
CrossFit GOAT Rich Froning offered the following tips on the Mayhem YouTube channel ahead of 26.1.
First, do the maths. Froning recommends treating the workout like a 12-minute AMRAP and working backwards from where you want to be at the cap. Write rough split targets next to each segment on a whiteboard so you know whether you’re ahead or behind. ‘You’re going to have to do some math,’ he says, especially with that brutal set of 66 wall balls in the middle.
On the wall balls, efficiency has to trump ego. If you’re not in the one per cent going unbroken, decide your rep strategy before you start. Froning favours descending sets, for example 11 into 10 into 9, rather than trying to force consistent sets of 10. Cap your rest by breaths: three breaths, then back on the ball. No pacing around the gym questioning your life choices.
Mechanically, he recommends catching the ball as you descend into the squat so reps keep cycling. Stay upright, and let your legs drive the power, rather than muscling it with your shoulders as fatigue builds.
On box jump-overs, stay low, minimise extra footwork and only jump as high as you need to. Pick a pace you can hold at around 85 to 90% effort until the nine-minute mark, then, if there’s anything left in the tank, put your foot on the throttle and hang on until the buzzer.
Godspeed.
Related Stories
With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.
