5 Tips to Prepare for the CrossFit Opens
Here are our five tips for those taking part in the Open for the first time this year.
The first CrossFit Games Open was in 2011. At that point, I had already been doing CrossFit for a few years. I had already made it my go-to workout and was doing multiple CrossFit sessions every day.
I was confident in my CrossFit abilities. But I remember when the Open was first announced, I was nervous. Even with the confidence I was gaining from my time in the gym, the Open was something new to me.
As with most new things in life, the Open can be viewed through the lens of fear or excitement.
I didn't know what to expect, but I knew my mindset and how I approached it would matter a lot.
This year will be my ninth participation in the Open. I have not missed an Open since the first one in 2011.
The workouts are different every time, but I've gained experience with the format and learned how to approach the Open workouts better.
It always reminds me of the nervousness I felt my first year. It can be intimidating for sure.
But it doesn't have to be that way. The experience you're about to have will far outweigh any nervousness and hesitation you're feeling right now.
If this is your first year, here's what I recommend!
1. Stop viewing Scaled workouts with negativity.
Every year, people come up with the same excuses as to why they can't register for the Open. Most of the time, these excuses are related to the fact that they don't think they're ready or that they don't know how to do certain moves yet.
The first thing I tell my members who tell me this is that the open workout will be the Friday workout, so if they want to come to the gym on a Friday, they will do the open workout whether they signed up or not.
The next thing I remind them is that the workouts are scalable. CrossFit is infinitely scalable, so of course the Open workouts can be tailored to any ability. There’s even a division and a ladder leaderboard now.
As a coach, I think the hardest thing to teach people is how to feel good about scaling a workout – whether it’s an Open workout or a regular class workout.
We all have a little bit of ego in us, but the only way to get good at CrossFit is to forget that ego and allow yourself to start from the bottom. Build a good foundation and take the time to learn good technique because then you will set yourself up for consistent progress.
Scaling is not a negative thing in any way. There is a maturity that comes with knowing when it is smart to scale. You are showing that you want to improve and are willing to take the steps necessary to do so. There is no shame in it, so don’t use it as an excuse not to participate.
2. Don't set goals - be "open".
Show up to Open practice with a positive attitude. That’s all your coaches expect of you. Don’t set any other expectations for yourself.
I know this may sound weird. But if this is your first year competing in the Open, just showing up to all five practice sessions will allow you to learn and improve a lot.
Instead of stressing yourself out with unnecessary expectations, really enjoy the Open.
Practice having a positive mindset. Practice having the resilience to come back the following week, even if you think the previous week’s workout was the hardest you’ve ever done.
Look at the big picture. Realize how cool it is to be a part of this community. Next year, you can compare your performance to last year and set your expectations accordingly.
3. If your club organizes events during the open - participate in them.
There are people who only come to classes in the morning, another group who only come in the evening, and often these groups do not mix. The Open reverses the situation.
During the Open, the community within a branch comes together in a way that we don't often get the opportunity to do during the year.
Many gyms host a Friday Night Lights where as many members as possible get together to do the Open workout at the same time every Friday night for five weeks.
Another thing we do at my club is divide ourselves into teams. Each coach has a team for the Open and we have our own internal ranking, which makes it a friendly competition to see which team is the best at the end of the Open.
I look forward to this every year. If your club has events like this during the Open, sign up! Go for it!
You'll meet new people who may be training in classes you've never attended. You'll see how important your club community is.
Everyone is here for the same reasons - because you are people who prioritize your fitness and health and are trying to improve yourself.
Don't be surprised if some of the people you meet become close friends because of this.
4. Actually look at the leaderboard - it can be motivating.
After completing an Open workout, you'll go to Games.CrossFit.com and record your score.
Your score is then entered into the online leaderboard where you can see the scores of everyone else around the world participating in the Open.
I like to remind people that the rankings aren't just for elite athletes. Everyone, including first-time Open competitors, should look at the rankings.
The leaderboard lets you see where you stand in the world. You can't do that any other time of year in CrossFit.
We tend to compare ourselves to the people in our gym. You know how you stack up against the guy who works out next to you every day, but it's cool to see how you stack up against others in your state, country, and age group.
Competition is a good thing. We all need competition to improve ourselves. It's healthy and can be a motivating factor.
Also, I always like to look at the leaderboard and see how many people in the world are doing the same exercises as me.
It's really cool to see that hundreds of thousands of people do the exact same workout every Friday.
5. Use your Open results for next season
Often times during the Open we see people learning new skills. Whether you want to do your first pull-up, your first toe-to-bar or your first muscle-up, the Open creates that spirit and challenge to get there.
This is something we all really enjoy as coaches. It’s so rewarding to see athletes who have always been diligent achieve new skills.
This gives them the energy to keep coming to class and working hard. So why stop there?
I try to help athletes take these new accomplishments and use them as a means to set a new goal.
Let's say you successfully complete your first chest-to-bar pull-up in the Open, I would immediately start talking about your first barbell muscle-up.
Every move can be developed. Mastering one gives you the confidence that you can do the next one. The Open creates so many of those moments that you can build on.
The things you accomplish or don't accomplish during the Open should help you set your goals for next year. You've done this, so between now and next year's Open, let's focus on being able to do that.