CrossFit publishes five semifinal workouts

CrossFit dropped the full workout set for the 2026 Age-Group Online Semifinals on Monday, May 4. That matters because this is the last online hurdle between top teenage and masters athletes and the CrossFit Games floor in San Jose this July. The gap until now was simple — qualified athletes knew the window, but not the tests. Now they do, and the clock starts May 7. ### What is this stage, exactly? The Age-Group Online Semifinals is the final qualifying stage for the 2026 Masters CrossFit Games and Teenage CrossFit Games. Athletes earned their way here through Quarterfinals, then got invited to complete the semifinal workouts from their affiliates or approved locations instead of at a live event. CrossFit says all five scores must be submitted between Thursday, May 7 at noon PT and Monday, May 11 at noon PT. ### Who actually gets in? The field is already narrowed. The top 300 teenagers in each division from Quarterfinals advanced, along with the top 400 masters in the 35-54 divisions and top 300 in the 55+ divisions. From this online semifinal, 20 boys and 20 girls qualify in each teenage division, while masters qualifying spots range from 15 per sex in 35-39 and 40-44 down to 5 per sex in the 70+ division. ### What are the workouts testing? Basically, everything CrossFit likes to call broad fitness. Workout 1 pairs 5 rounds of 7 squat snatches with 3 rope climbs under a 15-minute cap in one published division example, which means barbell cycling, pulling strength, and pacing all show up immediately. Workout 3 is a repeat of the 2015 Age-Group Online Qualifier, a 25-minute cap. ### Why does Workout 3 stand out? Because CrossFit didn’t just write five brand-new tests — it brought back an older qualifier workout. That gives experienced athletes and coaches something rare in this sport: a known benchmark. But the catch is that “known” does not mean easy. Two long row-thruster-pull-up rounds are the kind of event that punishes bad pacing fast, especially once grip and lungs start failing at the same time. ### What about the strength piece? Workout 4 is the clearest pure-strength test in the set. Athletes perform 1 deadlift every minute, climbing through a prescribed loading ladder until they miss, then use the remaining time in that minute to rack up as many cleans as possible for a tiebreak. That is a neat little trap — max strength matters, but so does bar setup, attempt timing, and having enough left for the clean sprint after the miss. ### Why does the online format matter so much? Because online semifinals are not just about fitness. They are also about execution under rules. CrossFit’s workout pages spell out camera angles, spacing requirements, equipment standards, and no-rep risks — even details like keeping a barbell 5 feet from the rope or pull-up bar. In a live competition, a floor judge manages that in real time. Online, the athlete has to get the setup right alone. ### How does this fit into the bigger season? It lands in the middle of a much larger semifinal calendar. CrossFit’s 2026 season has 12 semifinal events or stages across in-person and online formats, including recent masters competition at Magic City Games and upcoming stops like French Throwdown, Torian Pro, and Syndicate Crown. The age-group online stage is one lane besides everything. ### Bottom line? The news is not just that CrossFit published five workouts. It is that qualification is now concrete. Athletes know the movements, the caps, the standards, the deadline, and the number of Games spots on the other side. From May 7 to May 11, the season stops being theoretical and turns into five scored tests.