Let me take you back to one memorable Friday night in November 2019.
I had only started CrossFit earlier that year, and this was my very first CrossFit Open. I was still figuring things out, learning how to move a barbell properly, building confidence, and honestly just trying to survive the workouts.
At the time, my clean and jerk PB was 45kg.
Then came workout 20.4 and Friday Night Lights at Ultra.
The workout was brutal:
30 Box Jumps
15 Clean & Jerks (30 kg)
30 Box Jumps
15 Clean & Jerks (39 kg)
30 Box Jumps
10 Clean & Jerks (52 kg)
Everything after that was single-leg squats and even heavier barbells, movements I couldn’t even do yet. I honestly thought I’d be time-capped well before this bar.
By the time I reached the bar at 52kg, I still had about eight minutes left on the clock, and I genuinely didn’t think I’d even touch it. This was 7kg heavier than I’d ever lifted before. But the lights were on, the gym was buzzing, and the encouragement from everyone around me was impossible to ignore.
So I went for it.
It was… hideous. A real grind. Somehow, I got the bar overhead. Not pretty, not polished, no way it would’ve counted on a weightlifting platform, but it got overhead.
I missed my next two attempts
And then, somehow, I managed another rep at that weight.
I didn’t better that number for another three years.
That night didn’t make me the strongest I’ve ever been. But it changed something important.
It showed me what I was capable of when I stepped outside my comfort zone.
And that’s exactly why the CrossFit Open matters.
What Is the CrossFit Open?
The CrossFit Open is a three-week global event where one workout is released each week, and athletes all over the world complete it, submit their scores, and see how they stack up.
But here’s the truth, you don’t need to care about rankings, leaderboards, or qualifying for anything.
At Ultra, we run Friday Night Lights during the Open, and you don’t even have to officially register to take part.
It’s simply one of the best opportunities all year to:
The Magic of Friday Night Lights
Every year during the Open, we see moments that people remember for years.
First pull-ups.
First muscle-ups.
First heavy lifts, they never thought they’d hit.
People pushing past limits they didn’t know they had.
There’s always something special about training in that environment.
The music is louder.
The crowd is closer.
And the encouragement hits differently.
You don’t have to be “good at CrossFit.” You don’t have to Rx the workout. You don’t even have to submit a score.
You just have to show up and have a crack.
Why You Should Do the Open (Even If You’re Nervous)
The Open isn’t about being the fittest person in the gym.
It’s about:
Some of the most powerful moments we see each year come from people who were nervous to sign up and end the Open standing taller, stronger, and more confident than when they started.
Save the Date
The CrossFit Open kicks off on Friday, February 26th and runs for three weeks.
Whether you officially register or simply join us for Friday Night Lights at Ultra, we’d love for you to be part of it.
Because your breakthrough moment might not happen on a quiet Tuesday morning.
It might happen on a Friday night, under the lights, with your community behind you, lifting something you never thought you could.
And trust me… those are the moments you never forget.
