CrossFit Media Library

On this episode of the CrossFit Show, James and Chase are joined by Denise to determine the draft order for the Open!

On this week’s episode of the Sport of Fitness Podcast, host Chase Ingraham and General Manager of Sport Dave Castro to discuss the 2026 Open. Then Adrian Conway joins the show to go through their top 20 athletes to look for in the 2026 season.

Lisa Neumann is a powerhouse on and off the field. A professional rugby player with the Welsh Rugby Union, she never set out to go pro, but once she entered the competition sphere, she thrived. At CrossFit Pembrokeshire in the United Kingdom, Neumann channels the same drive that fuels her on the field.

Each week CrossFit offers in-person courses around the world as well as a variety of online courses.

Forget cramming. The best CrossFit Open prep is the training you've been doing all year. Top coaches like Nick Saban and Josh Everett teach the same lesson: trust your process, not a last-minute program. Use the Open to reveal where your year-round training is working and where it needs adjustment.

What do you think Open Workout 26.1 will be? Dave Castro — CrossFit’s General Manager of Sport — has been deep in the lab at The Ranch in Aromas, California, testing this year’s Open workouts alongside his team and athlete Rafael Sancen. What’s your guess? Register now for the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard, at Games.CrossFit.com.

James and Chase discuss the details of their Open draft and the chat will get to choose the loser's punishment. Denise Thomas joins the show to talk all things Open.

The Open is the perfect time to more than a worldwide competition; it is a shared commitment to show up, work hard, and see what we are capable of. If we consider the Open our “annual check up,” then this year we want to help you show up as the best version of you to knock it out of the park. This six-week lead-up is the perfect time to look at how you fuel all that potential. Not in a restrictive, joyless, count-every-calorie kind of way, but in a CrossFit way. The practical way. 

The 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard, is here. This week on the Sport of Fitness Podcast, Chase Ingraham is joined by Seminar Staff trainer James Hobart to talk about the 2026 Open. 2025 Open champion Colten Mertens will join the show later to talk about last season and what we can expect from him in 2026. The countdown is on. The first workout drops Feb. 26. Sign up today.

The CrossFit Open is more than a test of fitness — it’s a challenge that builds mental toughness, resilience, and confidence. While it provides valuable insights into our progress, it also forces us to perform under pressure, face our fears, and push beyond our comfort zone. Whether it’s conquering a tough movement, racing the clock, or battling self-doubt, the Open is our chance to choose growth over fear and walk away stronger, fitter, and prouder. This year, embrace the challenge — do the hard thing and make it count.