The 2019 Open is Just Around the Corner!
Believe it or not, the (first) 2019 CrossFit Open is almost here! It’s an awesome opportunity to test your fitness, get out of your comfort zone, and most importantly, have a lot of fun with some good people! The Open (for those who don’t know) is a 5-week online worldwide fitness test that kicks off the season for those who approach CrossFit competitively.
“But Tommy, I’m not a competitor, why would I do this?” I’m glad you asked! The Open is WAY more than just a competition. It’s a great way to challenge yourself to do something you usually might shy away from. More than that, I’ve seen so many people hit PR’s and do things they never thought they were capable of during an Open workout. Something about having your whole community cheering for you really pushes you in a way we don’t usually see in the gym on a regular day.
Now that I’ve inspired you to sign up (lol), there’s a lot of things you can do to make the most of your Open experience.
Come to the workouts that you may not be the best at. Dave Castro (the guy who writes the Open workouts) figures out every year what people have been neglecting and puts those things into 1-2 really tough WOD’s. Don’t let Dave win! Come in and work on the stuff you don’t like!
Have fun with it! None of us are going to the CrossFit Games, so don’t let these workouts stress you out. Ultimately, this is about community and giving your best effort each week. As long as you’re focused on those two things, the Open is something you will love and want to do again year after year.
Come in for Friday Night Lights! Each Friday of the Open, we’ll take on the workout for that week. Morning classes are run as normally scheduled, and for the afternoon/evening we cancel our classes and run the workout in heats. We’ll turn the music up loud, host some really cool local vendors, and hang out after to cheer on the next heats/maybe even have a beer or two ;)
Book a skill session for extra help on the things you want to improve. Without a doubt, Muscle-ups, Double-Unders, Handstands, Snatches, and Rowing are all going to make an appearance at least once over the 5 weeks as well as a bunch of other movements that usually give folks a hard time. Set some time aside to work on those things with either myself or another coach and set yourself up for success.
To sign up for the Open: click here. Once you sign up, you’ll have access to the worldwide leaderboard. After you log your results each week, you’ll be able to see where you stack up! If that makes you a little nervous, don’t sweat it. There are a couple different versions of the workout (RX, Scaled, and different age groups) and you can pick which one you’re feeling each week!
Quick note on the skill sessions: We started offering these at my last gym in Iowa last year leading up to the Open. For the folks who took advantage, we saw a TON of PR’s both during and outside of the Open Workouts, including one guy who went from struggling with single-unders to rocking out Doubles like a champ. There’s a ton of value in breaking things down in a 1-on-1 setting and starting at the basics.
If you’re interested in signing up for one, you can follow this link to reserve your time.
See y’all in the gym!