CrossFit Open 26.2 — Full Workout Breakdown

Week two of the 2026 CrossFit Open just dropped live from CrossFit Black Edition in Cascais, Portugal — and it's a test that cuts straight to the heart of what separates athletes. Three rounds of dumbbell overhead walking lunges and dumbbell snatches, with a escalating pull-up ladder: pull-ups, then chest-to-bar, then ring muscle-ups. A 15-minute time cap. Here's everything you need to know.

The Workout

Movement Standards

Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunge

Each 80-foot segment is broken into four 20-foot sections. The dumbbell must remain in the overhead position with a full grip — resting the head of the dumbbell on an open hand is not allowed. Critically, each 20-foot section must be completed with one arm. Switching arms mid-section does not count. You can switch arms between sections. The trailing knee must make contact with the ground at the bottom of each rep. Both legs must reach full extension at the top before the next step.

Alternating Dumbbell Snatch

The dumbbell starts on the ground. Athlete snatches the dumbbell overhead, alternating arms each rep. The rep is credited when the dumbbell is locked out overhead with the arm fully extended, hips and knees extended, with control. Touch-and-go is allowed — the dumbbell must return to the ground between reps, but does not need to be released from the hand. Both single and double leg squat styles are permitted.

Pull-ups (Round 1)

Standard pull-up: dead hang start with arms fully extended. The rep is credited when the chin clearly passes above the bar. Kipping is allowed. The bar must be at least 5 feet from the dumbbell (judge will confirm setup).

Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups (Round 2)

Same dead hang start. The rep is credited when the chest — any part below the clavicle — makes contact with the bar. Kipping is allowed. Athletes who don't have chest-to-bar are where scores diverge most sharply in Rx.

Ring Muscle-Ups (Round 3)

Begin each rep hanging with arms fully extended and feet off the ground. Athletes must pass through some portion of a dip before reaching lockout. Kipping is allowed, but uprises, rolls to support, and other gymnastics movements are not permitted. The rep is credited when elbows are fully locked out and shoulders are directly above or slightly in front of the hands. Any reps completed with the dumbbell closer than 5 feet to the rings don't count.

Breaking Down the Structure

26.2 is a classic Open ladder — it starts accessible and gets progressively more exclusive with each round. The lunge and snatch repeat every round, which means your limiting factor shifts entirely to the pull-up variation. Here's how the field splits up:

Strategy & Tips

The Lunges — Arm Fatigue Is the Hidden Killer

The 80-foot lunge appears three times. By round three you've done 240 feet of overhead dumbbell lunges — and that's before touching the pull-up bar. Rotate arms between each 20-foot section to distribute shoulder fatigue. Don't try to hold one arm the whole 80 feet to save time. The seconds you save are not worth the shoulder burnout that follows.

Dumbbell Snatches — Stay Smooth

Twenty alternating snatches sounds manageable but these follow the lunges every round. Keep a consistent, efficient technique — resist the urge to muscle the dumbbell up. A loose hip hinge and a fast pull is faster and less fatiguing than a slow grind. Touch-and-go if you can, but a brief reset between reps is fine.

Pull-ups — Bank Time Early

Round 1 pull-ups should be done as efficiently as possible. Go unbroken if you can — these are the easiest pull-up variation in the workout and you want as much of the 15-minute cap left as possible for the harder rounds. Even a minute saved here is a minute to grind through chest-to-bar.

Chest-to-Bar — Break Early and Often

Don't try to go unbroken on the C2B. Sets of 5–7 with 5-second breaks is faster than going 12–15 unbroken and then resting 30 seconds with exhausted shoulders. Keep moving. The worst thing you can do is stare at the bar recovering — jump back on before your heart rate drops too far.

Ring Muscle-Ups — Tight Kip, Patient Setup

If you get to the rings, don't rush the setup. A rushed first muscle-up missed costs more than a 5-second deliberate setup. False grip can help but isn't required. Take an aggressive kip, drive the hips through, and get into the dip fast — the transition is where most athletes lose muscle-ups under fatigue.

Common No-Reps to Avoid

Tiebreak

A tiebreak time is recorded after the pull-ups in each round (after the 20 pull-ups, after the 20 C2B, and after the 20 muscle-ups). If you hit the time cap, your score is total reps. Athletes who tie on reps are separated by their tiebreak time at the last completed segment.

Elite Performance at the Announcement

At the live announcement in Cascais, Portugal, Lucy Campbell, Mirjam von Rohr, and Aimee Cringle took on 26.2 immediately after it was revealed. Von Rohr — the back-to-back Open champion coming off a win in 26.1 — was the athlete to watch. Campbell's barbell and gymnastics background made her a strong contender for this format, and Cringle's steady improvement in the sport made for a genuinely competitive three-way matchup that gave the community a benchmark for elite pacing on this workout.

Need a Judge? Find a CrossFit Gym Near You

To submit a verified score for 26.2 you need a judge at a licensed CrossFit affiliate, or a video uploaded to your competition dashboard. The deadline is Monday, March 9 at 5:00 PM PT. Find a CrossFit affiliate near you on WodFind's directory of over 5,700 gyms across all 50 states.

See our full 2026 CrossFit Open guide for all three workouts, and our 26.1 full breakdown if you're still working through week one strategy.