For the first time, the CrossFit Open will have an adaptive athlete division. Sean Woodland catches up with adaptive athlete and co-founder of the Adaptive Training Academy, Logan Aldridge, to get his take on the upcoming season.

Aldridge worked closely with CrossFit to help advise the development of the adaptive division for the 2021 Open. “For this to finally happen where we’re part of the CrossFit infrastructure in the Open is phenomenal,” he says. “We’re so honored and grateful for the opportunity and platform.”

In creating the adaptive division, Aldridge says, “The biggest concern from our perspective was making sure we had a balance of inclusivity from all aspects of people living with different disabilities or impairments, but also to the standard of the CrossFit Games as a sport, be competitive.” Aldridge worked with the broader adaptive community and CrossFit to create subcategories for the adaptive division to provide adaptive athletes with a safe and inclusive platform without compromising the competitive aspect of the sport.
 

As coaches prepare for the Open, Aldridge stresses the importance of becoming a more thoughtful trainer by learning to “effectively (and) safely train someone regardless of what sort of condition, injury (or) impairment they may be suffering from or struggling through.” The Adaptive Training Academy provides education to make fitness more inclusive and accessible to everyone.

Aldridge believes the inclusion of the adaptive division in the Open will “light a fire underneath those who have been struggling to find purpose or motivation to pursue their health … and also attract those individuals who are performing at the highest level in their respective sport to come in and recognize the fun and the competitive opportunity in CrossFit and functional fitness.”