CrossFit Open 23.1

ByReika Morgan

The  2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games season officially begins with the announcement of 23.1. If you want to know more about the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open, or simply want to review the important dates click here.

The first of three WODs was announced on February 16th live from La Caja Mágica, in Madrid, Spain. Four of Europe's best Games athletes, Laura Horvath, Gabriela Migala, Lazar Djukic and Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson faced off to inaugurate the 2023 season.

The live announcement was presented by GOWOD and can be viewed on the official Open website or Youtube live at 21:00 CET (Noon PT, 3 p.m. ET,  8 p.m. GMT, 7 a.m. AEDT).

There's still time to register for the 2023 CrossFit Open.
Click here to sign up and prove your fitness!

What is the CrossFit Open 23.1?

To the shock of all (and fear of many), 23.1 is a repeat of CrossFit Open workout 14.4:

23.1: (14.4 REPEAT)

Complete as many reps as possible in 14 minutes of:
60-calorie row
50 toes-to-bars
40 wall-ball shots
30 cleans
20 muscle-ups

Rx:
♀ 14-lb ball to 9-ft target, 95-lb cleans
♂ 20-lb ball to 10-ft target, 135-lb cleans

14.4 marked the first appearance of the Concept 2 rower in an Open workout. Back in 2014, this mini-chipper consisting of 5 exercises left many athletes of the era out of breathe, out of grip, and thinking: “imagine making it back to the rower”.

For full workout details, Check out the official CrossFit website.

First Thoughts

The first thing is very apparent we have a lot of pulling. This means you’ll want to break up reps early and often. Stick to small, manageable sets on the toes to bar and the same goes for most people on the cleans. That said, 14 minutes is a lot of time, and we don't want any of it! Stay disciplined with your rest breaks.

For athletes who are not looking to attempt the muscle ups, aim for a quick tiebreak time. Go all out to finish the cleans because it will give you a lot of more points on the leaderboard.

Otherwise, if you’ve been practicing them this year, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to get your first ever ring muscle up.

Pacing Ideas

The great thing about a repeat is that it gives us a reference point based on previous performances.

Based on data from 14.4, here’s what it took to finish in the top 10%:

Females: 180 reps (with a tiebreak of 11:48 or less)
Males: 189 reps

As for 23.1, we expect to see higher numbers then in 2014 however if you're looking to qualify for quarterfinals, female athletes would be pretty safe getting one ring muscle up. A solid goal for males is to aim for at least 10 ring muscle ups.

Equipment Set-up

This mini chipper demands a lot of equipment so make sure you're prepared. Keep you material close, and check everything beforehand. Get your barbell collars on, chalk on deck, wall ball target well-marked, and extra batteries for your rower on hand just in case.

Coach Chris will walk you through some more of our pre-workout tips below:

Even if you don't think you'll be able to get to the rings, give yourself the option by having them ready. You never know.

Better safe than sorry! Click here to see the official standards and floor plan for 23.1.

Movement Guide

Take a look at some of our movement tutorials and quick tips to make sure your execution is on point for 23.1:

YouTube video
YouTube video
YouTube video

Deadlines and Score Submission

If you haven’t signed up for the Open yet, don’t forget that you have until 20 February at 17:00 PT (or 21 February at 1:00 GMT) to register and to submit your score.

There are workouts available for teens, masters, and adaptive athletes with workouts that can be completed in a gym or at home. The open is for all levels, so there’s literally no excuse not to do it!

Grab a judge, a few friends, and get ‘er done.

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