Open Workouts: CrossFit Open 26.2 data shows ring muscle-ups as the major separator as 26.3 is revealed

open workouts are now squarely in focus as the 2026 CrossFit Open moves from hard numbers on Workout 26. 2 to the reveal of the final test, 26. 3. At 8: 00 ET on March 13, 2026, CrossFit Games published an analysis of 26. 2, detailing where athletes stalled and how participation shifted across countries and divisions. Separately, the final 2026 Open workout, 26. 3, has been revealed live from Wodapalooza in Miami Beach, setting up one last push before the Open scores lock in what comes next.

26. 2: Ring muscle-ups emerge as the decisive roadblock

The second workout of the 2026 CrossFit Open—presented by Air National Guard—combined alternating dumbbell snatches, dumbbell overhead walking lunges, pull-ups, chest-to-bar pull-ups, and muscle-ups. The muscle-ups were on rings, a change from the bar muscle-ups seen in the past two Opens, and the full workout carried a 15-minute time cap. Athletes who did not finish recorded total reps completed plus tiebreak times.

In its breakdown, CrossFit Games highlighted the muscle-ups as “by far” the biggest challenge. The scale of that barrier showed up in the submission totals: 9, 918 women and 41, 773 men logged at least one ring muscle-up. CrossFit Games also noted a “huge pile-up” at the 112th rep, with most athletes who cleared that point getting time-capped during the first 10 muscle-ups.

Completion rates reinforced how punishing the time cap was at the prescribed level: only 4% of women and 13% of men finished the Rx’d version within 15 minutes.

Participation and country splits: Who stayed Rx’d, who finished, who got a muscle-up

CrossFit Games said the advanced pulling in 26. 2 drove fewer athletes to choose Rx’d compared to 26. 1, and it documented differences across leading countries. By Rx’d participation rate, the top three countries were South Korea (88%), Australia (84%), and the United States (78%).

Finishing Rx’d was rare, but still unevenly distributed. CrossFit Games listed Spain as the top country for finishing 26. 2 Rx’d at 10. 1%, followed by Australia and Italy at 8. 4% each. Looking specifically at who managed at least one muscle-up—a key threshold on this test—the top countries were Australia (29. 5%), Spain (28. 8%), and France (28. 2%).

At the division level, CrossFit Games pointed to a drop in Rx’d participation tied to the difficulty of the muscle-up. For women ages 18–34, 70% performed the comparable workout as Rx’d versus 78% on 26. 1. For men ages 18–34, 88% performed 26. 2 as Rx’d compared to 92% on 26. 1.

26. 3 revealed in Miami Beach as the Open heads to its final test

With the numbers from 26. 2 still settling, attention is shifting to the final workout. The final workout of the 2026 CrossFit Open—26. 3—has been revealed live from Wodapalooza in Miami Beach. The structure is a repeating two-round pattern built around burpees over bar, cleans, and thrusters, with the weights increasing each set.

Workout 26. 3 is programmed as:

• 2 rounds: 12 burpees over bar, 12 cleans (95/65 lbs), 12 burpees over bar, 12 thrusters (95/65 lbs)
• 2 rounds: 12 burpees over bar, 12 cleans (115/75 lbs), 12 burpees over bar, 12 thrusters (115/75 lbs)
• 2 rounds: 12 burpees over bar, 12 cleans (135/85 lbs), 12 burpees over bar, 12 thrusters (135/85 lbs)

Immediately after the announcement, Danielle Brandon, Olivia Kerstetter, and Arielle Loewen took on the workout.

Quick context: What 26. 2 results mean for the next step

CrossFit Games emphasized that the Community Cup is the next step after the Open in the 2026 CrossFit Games season. The tier an athlete competes in for the Community Cup is based on the level received after completing and submitting scores for all three Open workouts.

What’s next: Final scores, tier placement, and the last impact of open workouts

As athletes turn from 26. 2’s ring muscle-up bottleneck to the escalating barbell demands of 26. 3, every submitted score will directly shape Community Cup tier placement once all three workouts are on the board. CrossFit Games’ 26. 2 analysis makes one message unavoidable: execution under a strict time cap can define an entire week, and the final submission window will decide how those open workouts ultimately rank athletes within their divisions and versions.