There was one thing missing from last year’s CrossFit Open: Dave Castro’s much-loved CrossFit Open workout hints.
The former Games director has previously shared infuriatingly vague clues on social media shortly before each workout is revealed, but they were missing last year after he was let go from his role at CrossFit. Fortunately, his subsequent rehiring just months later means the posts are back for the 2023 season and they’re as obscure as ever.
Yesterday, less than 48 hours ahead of the first CrossFit Open 2023 workout announcement, Castro posted a picture of part of a traffic light; an illuminated red arrow pointing left. The caption: “23.1.”
Speculation was rife among CrossFit fans on social media, with the image collecting more than 29,000 likes and hundreds of comments within 16 hours of being posted.
Despite its cryptic nature, members of the CrossFit community are convinced they have cracked his latest clue for Open workout 23.1, claiming it points to a repeat of Open workout 13.2.
This CrossFit workout is a 10-minute AMRAP consisting of three exercises: five shoulder-to-overheads, 10 deadlifts and 15 box jumps. The RX weights (those used if you complete the workout as prescribed) are 115lb/52kg for men and 75lb/34kg for women.
The idea is that those three exercises relate to the three colours on a traffic light. The number 13.2 is also 23.1 backwards.
What’s more, 13.2 was posted as CrossFit’s workout of the day on 26th January (opens in new tab). Athletes often look at what’s posted in the lead up to the season opener , which has previously been a good indicator that the company plans to use it as part of its competitive season, as was the case with the first workout from the 2019 CrossFit Games.
However, while many hazarded guesses as to what Castro’s cryptic hint could mean, others were just happy to see this long-standing CrossFit Open tradition return. Below Castro’s post, former Games athlete Jacob Heppner wrote: “This makes me happy, seeing this again.”
Another commenter added: “I don’t care what it [the workout] is, you posting a clue just warms my heart.”