We here at Brute Fitness can’t be more excited of this new year! One of the main reasons is because we know that a new season of the road to the games is about to begin. That means another chance to try to make a spot into the regional level and new stellar athletes to watch as they rise through the ranks of the open, then regionals, then on to the games. This season is going to be the most exciting to compete in and watch yet. Each year the games have gotten larger and larger with more sponsors and more money on the line for the title of Fittest male/female/team on the planet. The overall ultimate title to receive as far as I’m concerned.

So lets talk a little about the road to the games and how it all works so all of you Brutes can begin to get yourself ready for the upcoming CrossFit Open. So first thing is the Open or what use to be called sectionals. The open is a worldwide online competition where each person is competing in there own respectable region as to where they live. It is over the course of 5 weeks, starting Feb 22. CrossFit will post a new WOD every Wed and you have untill the following Sunday to complete it at an approved affiliate, where you will be judged by a lvl 1 certified CrossFit instructor. After you have completed the WOD you will then have to go online to your account and enter your score or time and have it sent to be approved by the affiliate you completed it at.  First thing is you have to start off by going to the CrossFit games site and create an account. Then starting Feb 1 is the first day to actually register for the open. It will $20 to register. There is no reason why you should not do this. We will be doing the WODs at Brute Fitness and then everyone will have the option to do it on the following sat to be judged for the actual thing. After you have entered your score online it automatically ranks you with every other person in your region. With a click of a button you can see where you rank against all the other crossfitters in the world.

After the open is over if you have pushed through enough pain and put in the hard work and are in the top 50 competitiors in either men or women then you will be invited to the next level which is the CrossFit regionals. At this level you will have to travel to a venue for your region where you will be going up against the other 49 men or 49 women that joined you in the top 50 of the CrossFit open. This will consist of a 3 day event with multiple wods each day testing all of your fitness levels to the max to find the top 2-3 men and women to then continue on to the CrossFit Games where you are one step closer to claiming the ultimate title of The Fittest Man/Woman/Affiliate on Earth.

Ok so now if you have made it past regionals and for most is the chance of a lifetime. It means for most that you have put in the hard work through blood sweat and tears. You have busted your ass day in and day out in the gym to be able to say now that you are in a small elite group of the fittest athletes on the planet. However the crown is now so close but yet still so far away. Now over three days of grueling, gut wrenching wods you have to compete to make it to the top. This is where everyone lays everything on the table and says I am here and i want this more than you. You will be tested mentally physically and emotionally more than ever before because no matter how bad you want that title the person next to you wants it even more! But if you give it all never stop and never give up you might just be able to make it to the top.

So after all this being said it has to start somewhere, and that is with the Open. make sure to go and register online. If anyone has done a wod at Brute Fitness than you need to be doing this. For $20 you have nothing to lose. It is a chance to see just how you compare with the others in the southeast. and maybe just maybe you have worked hard enough to make it to the next level.  Go ahead and register now and be ready for Feb 22 when it starts. We will be doing all the WODS they post and judging on Saturdays. This is a great way to test your fitness level and try to take it to another level. For more information about the Open, click the link or ask Jonah or myself about it and how you can compete in it also.

On February 22nd, the team competition starts with the Open. All of a team’s members must register on the Games site. The team captain then must set up a team account and add the members of their team. For the first time ever, affiliates may have more than one team. Once the Open begins, however, athletes cannot be added or moved between teams. Team athletes will complete the five Open workouts like individual competitors. If an athlete chooses to register with a team, the athlete can still compete in the individual competition at the Regional level, if they qualify. A team’s top three male and female scores in the week’s workout will contribute to the team’s standings. At the conclusion of the Open, the top 30 teams in each Region will advance to Regionals. A team’s Regional roster must draw from the group of athletes that represented it during the Open. Teams are comprised of three men and three women. Over the course of three days, six team members will complete workouts together. Sometimes, only two members will do the workout, sometimes four, sometimes all six. No more than three teams will advance to the CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup. We will be having at least one team signed up to hopefully make it this year so if you are interested then please come talk to Jonah or I.

The Masters competition is for athletes ages 45 and older. For the second year, the Masters level competition will be split into four age categories – 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60-plus. Masters athletes will register in the Open, complete the workouts just as the indviduals. Some age divisions will have modified standards, but all workouts must be completed as prescribed. Masters competitors will not have to compete at the Regional level. The top 20 in each age category will receive invitations to compete at the CrossFit Games.