Hey there community. I hope you are all having a great morning, kicking goals and drinking good coffee. Cause life needs good coffee.
I wanted to write a post to all of you today to shed some light on the CrossFit open that will start tomorrow. Most of all of you would have heard of it by now, but if some of you haven’t, I will explain a bit about it so you’re up to speed.
The CrossFit open is a worldwide competition, aimed at people training in the CrossFit methodology. It gives them a chance to test out their fitness that they have working towards the past year, against their selves, their fellow mates in the community, in Australia and worldwide. Nowhere else in the world do you have such a big Competition that is inclusive to all and tests all facets of Fitness.
How it works:
Each week, at about 12pm Friday, a workout will be released by CrossFit HQ on the CrossFit Games website. The workouts will be divided into two categories: Requested and scaled. The requested is for the seasoned CrossFitter, while the scaled is aimed at the beginner to intermediate CrossFitter. That Friday night from 5.30pm – 7.30pm (Oly class will be cancelled for the duration of the open) all registered competitors are required to come into Nepean CrossFit to complete their workouts. If you are unable to come in at that time, then it is up to you to find a mate to judge you for that workout before the cut off on Tuesday morning at 11am (I think). They don’t have to be a registered judge, (you can become a registered judge by doing the course online) but it is recommended. Once you have finished your workout, you will need to give me or Dan your workout slip and log your workout score online through your CrossFit Games login before the cut off time.
We are all inclusive. If you’re on the fence, thinking that it is in the all too hard basket, please remember that we are all inclusive. If there is something difficult in the workout for that week, remember that all the members and coaches at Nepean are here to help you. We want you to have fun as we do also. We will make every workout accessible for all our members at Nepean CrossFit.
Something that I hear every year, and it gets old; “I am not going to register because I don’t want to/or will go worse than last year”. My personal standings over the last 7 years of competing in the CrossFit open has fluctuated by the hundreds if not thousands. Each year there are many factors of this that include; life stuff getting in the way of training, injuries, mood, nutrition, younger fitter athletes coming into the sport… etc…. But I am not, and I urge you not to also, let those excuses hold you back from having a quality Open experience that will bring you closer to your community and your fitness goals. This is your reward!! Your reward for working so hard throughout the year towards your health and fitness goals. It doesn’t matter where you finish up. It doesn’t matter who you beat. It doesn’t even matter if you beat an old workout score. What matters is that you come into the gym, throw down with your mates and have fun in the process. Everything else is a bonus.
Whatever your reason for not doing the open, if you are contemplating it, my advice is do it! In my 7 years of competing and coaching athletes in the open, I have never met anyone that has done the open and then regretted it.
For all the CrossFitters doing the open, here are a couple of pointers to get a great open experience for 2016:
- Know the workout before you arrive to the box. Watch the video on the CrossFit games website and know the standards, reps, weights, height etc.. If you have to video your submission, know that stuff too. The Coach has a lot on his/her plate. You will take a load off their plate if you do this.
- Know the judging standards and do the judging course if you can.
- Arrive early to the box and do your own individual or team warm up. There will be no scheduled warm up. This will be up to you to get done. Some of the open workouts have gone into to the hour at extremes for some in the past year. So we will try to get everyone in and out in a timely fashion where we can and minimise on warm up time so this can happen.
- Be there for the workout announcement at 5.30pm sharp.
- Listen to the Coaches in the gym, we are here to help.
- When judging, please be clear and concise on your no reps, and please explain why you are no repping.
- Make sure you no rep if it is a no rep. No Bro Reps!!
- No yelling or swearing at the judge. This will not be tolerated.
- Have a chat to your judge at the start and explain what you will be doing throughout your workout.
- It is the athletes responsibility also, to keep track of their reps.
- If you arrive, which is totally ok, please put yourself in a heat immediately and warm up.
- Organise your own score card, judge and workout equipment needed.
- Don’t leader-board for the open. (the people that do this will know what this is)
- Make sure you log your score before the cut-off on Tuesday morning.
- If you are travelling through the open, see if you can find a CrossFit box near where you are going to stay. You can do the workout there. You then log your score and they will validate for you. If you can’t find a box, you can then go to another gym, but you will have to record and submit your workout.
- Make your first workout attempt an all-out attempt. Give it everything you have. Some workouts you will not be able to repeat. But if you have to repeat it, make sure you are recovered and find someone to judge you.
- Don’t experiment with new foods around competing. Eat stuff that you are used to. The last thing you need come Friday night is an upset stomach or worse!
- Know your strengths and weaknesses in each workout. Annihilate your strengths and cruise through your weaknesses. Pace yourself and give yourself more rest through the weaker part of your workouts. Where as, with your strengths, go hard, less rest, move efficiently.
- Have fun. Enjoy the process.
http://games.crossfit.com/
https://oc.crossfit.com/
