CrossFit Open workout 24.3 is upon us, and thrusters are making a dreaded, if expected, comeback for the competition’s final week. The workout was revealed by Jocko Willink, a retired Navy SEAL turned author, podcaster and entrepreneur, during an announcement show on the CrossFit Games YouTube channel.
After the unveiling, CrossFit Games athletes Arielle Loewen, Roman Khrennikov, Jay Crouch and Sydney Wells became among the first to tackle the third CrossFit Open test. Aside from Loewen, all of the contenders were drafted in at the last minute after Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr’s withdrawal due to a wrist injury. The six-time champ still plans to complete the workout over the weekend and compete in the 2024 CrossFit season.
Read on to find out how to do CrossFit Open workout 24.3, and how to get a great score with top tips and tricks from PZL Programming head CrossFit coach Alex Conroy.
What is CrossFit Open workout 24.3?
Five rounds for time of:
- Thruster x 10 (95lb/43kg for men, 65lb/29kg for women)
- Chest-to-bar pull-up x 10
One minute of rest, then five rounds for time of:
- Thruster x 7 (135lb/61kg for men, 95lb/43kg for women)
- Bar muscle-up x 7
Compared with the rest of the 2024 CrossFit Open, this workout is far from accessible. You will tackle five rounds of 10 thrusters and 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups, take a mandatory minute of rest, then move on to five rounds of seven thrusters at a heavier weight and seven bar muscle-ups.
There is a 15-minute time cap. The time it takes you to complete the first section will be used as your tie-break score if you don't finish the workout and reach the same number of reps as another athlete.
How to do CrossFit Open workout 24.3 scaled
Five rounds for time of:
- Thruster x 10 (65lb/29kg for men, 45lb/20kg for women)
- Jumping chest-to-bar pull-up x 10
One minute of rest, then five rounds for time of:
- Thruster x 7 (95lb/43kg for men, 65lb/29kg for women)
- Chin-over-bar pull-up x 7
The scaled version of CrossFit Open workout 24.3 uses the same format as the RX version. The only differences are that you will use lighter barbell weights for the thrusters, swap chest-to-bar pull-ups for jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups, and substitute bar muscle-ups for chin-over-bar pull-ups.
For the foundations version of the workout, everyone will perform the first round of thrusters with a stick. Men will then use a 45lb/20kg barbell for the second round, and women will use a 35lb/15kg barbell. The chest-to-bar pull-ups are substituted for a bent-over row using a barbell weighing 45lb/20kg for men and 35lb/15kg for women. Then, the bar muscle-ups are exchanged for push-ups.
For all weights in the foundations division, CrossFit states: "The load is a suggested starting point. If you are completing all the tests in the foundations division, you are free to decrease or increase the load as your skill level allows."
CrossFit Open workout 24.3 movement standards
This is a challenging workout—don’t make it more difficult by racking up costly no-reps. After all, no one needs more thrusters in their life. Take a look at CrossFit’s movement standards below to make sure you’re doing each exercise correctly, across the RX and scaled divisions. Then you can walk away from 24.3 with a happy judge and, more importantly, your best possible score.
Thruster
- The crease of your hip must pass below the top of your knee in the bottom of the squat position.
- Your hips, knees and arms must be fully extended at the top of the rep. This is the point where the rep is credited.
- Each round must start with the barbell on the floor. You are allowed to squat clean the first rep to save time, but this is not a requirement.
- You cannot re-bend the knee between the squat and press part of the movement. In practice, this means you can’t perform a front squat followed by any type of jerk or push press.
Chest-to-bar pull-up
- All grip types are allowed.
- You must start each rep with your arms fully extended and your feet not touching the floor.
- Your chest must make contact with the bar “at or below the collarbone” for a rep to count.
- You can use strict, kipping or butterfly pull-up variations.
Bar muscle-up
- Each rep must begin with your arms fully extended and your feet off the floor.
- Your feet must not rise above the pull-up bar during the kipping portion of the movement.
- Any part of your arm other than your hands touching the pull-up bar will result in a no-rep. You are also not allowed to remove your hands and rest on your torso at the top of the rep.
- The rep is credited when you lock out your arms and your shoulders are directly over, or slightly in front of, the pull-up bar.
Jumping chest-to-bar pull-up
- The pull-up bar needs to be at least six inches above the top of your head when you are standing upright.
- Weight plates, boxes and other stable surfaces may be used to get closer to the pull-up bar where needed, as long as the top of your head remains more than six inches away when standing upright on the surface.
- Both arms must be fully extended at the bottom of each rep.
- The rep will count when your chest touches the pull-up bar at or below the collarbone.
Chin-over-bar pull-up
- Start with your arms fully extended and your feet off the floor.
- A rep is credited when your chin is above the pull-up bar.
- No-reps may be awarded for starting a rep with bent arms or “not breaking the horizontal plane of the pull-up bar with the chin”.
How to get a great score according to a CrossFit coach
To help you get the best possible score in CrossFit Open workout 24.3, we asked PZL Programming head coach Alex Conroy for his top tips on tackling this test. He says there are two types of people who will attempt the RX version of this workout: those comfortable with the gymnastic elements and those not so comfortable with the gymnastics elements— and each type should take a different approach.
Type One: Comfortable With Gymnastics
- Try to keep the first round of thrusters unbroken. Either go for speed and pull that bar down if you know you can, or pause at the top, take a breath, then go again.
- Once you get to the rig, go for unbroken chest-to-bar pull-ups if these are a strength for you. But remember, there are a lot of bar muscle-ups to come later on, so break these up if that means your muscle-ups will hold together better.
- There is nothing wrong with pacing the first section—it's definitely a trap and you can easily get sucked into racing it before falling apart in the second section.
- Once you get to the minute of rest, chalk-up, stand tall and get your lungs open to try and settle your breathing.
- Approach the second round of thrusters with respect, breaking them into smaller sets if needed.
- The jump up to the rig for the bar muscle-ups isn't going to feel great—your quads will be pumped and your grip is going to be toast. Focus on being efficient and using your hips. Don’t go to failure here.
Type Two: Not So Comfortable With Gymnastics
- This is a detour away from the accessibility of weeks one and two. Focus on the workout as a whole to maximize what you can achieve. If this means breaking the thrusters into two or three smaller sets (of a six and a four, or a four and two sets of three), do it.
- Approach the gymnastics in a way that suits you. You can chip away at the chest-to-bar pull-ups in singles, just keep focusing on your next rep as each one will move you up the leaderboard.
- If you get through part one of this workout, you’ve excelled. Then you can just chip through the heavier thrusters and, who knows, maybe the magic of the Open will get you that first bar muscle-up!
How To Warm Up For CrossFit Open Workout 24.3
As one of my old schoolteachers used to tell me on a weekly basis: “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” That rings true for Open workouts, and the final part of your prep should always involve a comprehensive warm-up. Luckily, the team at mobility app Pliability has put together a few moves to help prime your body for 24.3.
1 PVC external rotation
- Stand upright holding a PVC pipe at one end in your right hand.
- Lift your right elbow so your upper arm is parallel to the ground, allowing the pipe to hang down outside your left arm.
- Grip the bottom of the pipe in your left hand and gently pull it across your body, causing your right forearm to rotate to your right-hand side.
- Hold this position and breathe into it for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side. Do this for two rounds on each arm.
2 90/90 hip rotations
- Start sitting on the floor with one leg in front of you, one leg out to your side, and both knees at a rough right angle, as pictured above. This is called the 90/90 position.
- Lift both knees so they are pointing upwards, then allow them to fall down to the opposite side. As you do this, twist your torso so you are facing the leg that was out to your side. You should feel this stretch in your hips and lower back.
- You can place your hands on the floor behind you as you do this for stability.
- Continue to slowly move between sides for 90 seconds.
3 Kang squat
- From a standing position, push your hips back and reach down to grip your toes while keeping a flat back.
- From here, push your knees outward and pull your hips down into a full squat position. Your torso should now be upright.
- To return to standing, lift your hips first to feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, then straighten your knees. Your back should remain flat during this phase, too.
- Repeat this sequence for 90 seconds, aiming to sink deeper into the squat with each repetition.
4 Wall Y with thoracic extension
- Stand facing a wall with your forearms raised, upright, and flush against a wall.
- Hold a band in both hands so it’s taught at chest height, with your hands beyond shoulder-width apart.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down, then slowly slide your forearms up the wall until your arms are locked out overhead, forming a Y-shape.
- Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position, then repeat this sequence for 90 seconds.
When is the CrossFit Open workout 24.3 score submission deadline?
You have until 5pm PDT on Monday March 18 (12am GMT on Tuesday March 19) to submit your score for CrossFit Open workout 24.3.
How do you submit your CrossFit Open score?
To register a score for the 2024 CrossFit Open you will need to set up an account on the CrossFit Games app or website then register for the competition, which costs $20.
Once you’ve done this, you can submit your score for 24.3 via your personal dashboard, which can again be found on the CrossFit Games app or website, any time before the submission deadline at 5pm PDT on Monday March 18 (12am GMT on Tuesday March 19).
If you complete the workout at a CrossFit-affiliated gym, you can submit your score along with the name of the person who acted as your judge.
If you do the workout anywhere other than a CrossFit-affiliated gym, you need to video yourself completing the test and submit this alongside your score. To do this, upload the video to a hosting site like YouTube or Vimeo, then you will be asked to share the link to the video while entering your score on the CrossFit Games app or website.
