CrossFit Open Rx’d, Scaled and Foundations: Choosing Your Version

Start with the released workout

Each CrossFit Open workout comes in Rx'd, Scaled and Foundations versions. Athletes can mix versions across weeks. That flexibility matters because workouts can demand different skills and kinds of effort. Being comfortable with a movement in a regular class does not automatically answer how it will feel in the released workout.

Read the instructions for every version you are considering. Look at the movement standards, the prescribed work and the way the result is scored. Then compare those demands with what you can actually repeat with control. A label on the leaderboard is much less useful than understanding the task in front of you.

You can arrive at the Open with a preference and still change your mind when the release makes the choice clearer. It is perfectly reasonable to say that a particular movement needs more practice. Choosing well gives you a meaningful attempt and feedback you can use afterwards.

What Rx’d means for your decision

Rx'd is the prescribed version of the workout. Before selecting it, check whether you can meet the relevant standards rather than simply start the workout. Fatigue changes how a familiar movement feels, so a successful repetition in isolation is only part of the picture. Talk through the likely demands with a coach.

The attraction might be testing a skill you have worked on or seeing how your current training translates into the prescribed challenge. That can be a useful goal when the requirements fit. If the choice mostly comes from not wanting to be seen choosing another version, pause and read the workout again.

You do not need to promise Rx'd for every week. A later release may bring a movement or demand that changes the calculation. Let the actual workout make that decision with you. A thoughtful choice can be more satisfying than spending the attempt staring at something you cannot yet complete.

How Scaled can give you a clear challenge

Scaled adjusts the workout challenge. Read its specific instructions rather than assuming it is identical to Rx'd with an easy switch. The released version sets the standard for that attempt, and those standards deserve the same attention you would give the prescribed workout.

Scaled may suit someone still building a particular skill, someone returning to training or an athlete for whom the released demands fit better in that version. The reason can change between weeks. You are choosing a workable task, not explaining your entire training history to the room.

Ask your coach how the version matches your current movement quality and stamina. It is also useful to ask where people tend to lose their pace or their standard. An appropriate Scaled workout can still ask for a committed effort. The aim is to understand that effort before the clock starts.

Foundations is an entry point worth considering

Foundations provides an entry-level version of each workout. If you are new to CrossFit or still learning the patterns involved, begin by reading this option alongside the others. Familiarity, control and confidence all matter when an effort is being judged and recorded.

A coach can help you understand how the published Foundations movements fit your current abilities. Ask for a demonstration when a standard is unclear. Choosing an entry-level version does not remove the need to prepare, warm up appropriately or communicate an injury concern. It gives you a more accessible starting point for the released challenge.

You can enjoy learning how a competition attempt feels without making your first Open a rushed skill assessment. Foundations can provide a useful experience of pacing, standards and submitting a result. The next stage of training can build on that experience rather than treating it as a verdict.

Changing versions across weeks

Athletes can mix Rx'd, Scaled and Foundations versions across Open weeks. Perhaps Scaled fits an unfamiliar skill in a release, while another version suits the next workout. Make that decision when the instructions are available. You do not have to borrow a previous week's choice to remain consistent with a label.

The official rules and leaderboard guidance explain how results are treated. Check those details if comparisons or advancement are important to you. We are not inventing a ranking formula or a 2027 qualification consequence for switching versions. Choosing appropriately and understanding the scoring are separate parts of being prepared.

After each attempt, take note of what your choice helped you learn. Was the movement repeatable? Did your opening pace let you keep the standard? That reflection makes the next week's conversation more useful. You can adjust without turning the change into a drama.

Bring the right questions to a coach

Instead of asking only whether you are an Rx'd athlete, ask whether this workout's requirements match what you can do reliably. Show the coach where you feel unsure. Discuss a sensible pace, how to recognise the standard slipping and what preparation the movement needs.

If pain, an injury or a health concern affects the attempt, say so before starting. A coach can help with training choices, while clinical questions may need a qualified health professional. There is no competitive benefit in hiding information that would change an appropriate recommendation.

At CrossFit BC in Olympic Village, we invite you to train with our coaches and choose the version that fits the release. We have coached Vancouver since 2008. If you are new to the gym, start with the 3-Class Experience in trial-friendly classes. For the competition itself, use our registration guide and keep the current official rules close by.

Go deeper

What is the CrossFit Open?

Dates and registration

Masters and age groups

How to prepare