Should You Do The CrossFit Open?
Written by Tricia Moore
Every year, it’s a question we hear from both our veteran and new athletes, “Should I do the Open?”. Or, “Hey what this Open thing all about?” Here are 5 reasons you should do the CrossFit Open!
What is the CrossFit Open?
The Open is a three-week test of fitness, guided by CrossFit Headquarters (HQ). HQ will release one new workout per week, for three weeks, and the entire global community will participate. The backbone of CrossFit as a lifestyle and fitness modality is to ask you to challenge yourself, wherever you are in your athletic and personal development. The Open contest will meet you where you are, and allow you to record and document your results online.
Participating in this event feels different for each of us. Some will explore new movements they haven’t done, others will train their hardest to go “prescribed” (Rx’d), many will scale as needed, but each of us will bond and cheer for our peers, coaches, and friends.
5 Reasons You Should Do the CrossFit Open
1) To connect with the global CrossFit community.
Without question, we have an awesome community at Invictus. That’s in part why it’s the best CrossFit gym in San Diego. However, the Open gives you the opportunity to expand that community internationally. Rather than only sharing your experience with your core group of CrossFitters, you will share the experience with others just like you around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people just like you will be celebrating the same hardships, triumphs and sense of accomplishment. Not to mention a spicy dose of shared suffering, CrossFit style.
2) Because you might surprise yourself.
Stepping out of our comfort zones is always easier said than done. We humans are wired to seek balance, safety, routine, and familiarity. However, signing up for the Open will give you and your friends three new workouts to try, and allow you to test yourself against some of the best athletes in the sport.
Last year many people learned they could handstand walk when it was revealed to be in one of the Open workouts. The year before that, many nailed their first bar muscle-up. The added pressure can often be a huge help to spur you on to surprise yourself! It was for me.
3) Learn just how good the top athletes actually are – it will change your perspective!
It is interesting and engaging to measure your own score against the top athletes in CrossFit. This gives a powerful understanding of just how fit and talented they actually are. Watching the top CrossFit athletes slay some of the most complex CrossFit movements on Instagram is impressive and motivating, but very different from comparing times when you’ve both just finished the same workout. It’s incredibly inspiring.
4) It is suitable for all fitness levels – it is designed for everyone.
Since 2015, there has been a scaled division in the Open. This is great because whatever level you are, each workout can be scaled to suit you, yet still lets you compete, and record your score. Scaling a workout allows you to reduce weight, simplify more complex gymnastics movements, and/or reduce overall volume. For example, in a scaled workout, one might work with an empty bar or do jumping pull-ups instead of muscle-ups…and it doesn’t matter. You still get the chance to participate, enjoy the atmosphere, sense of international community and measure your times against others of your level (if you want).
5) Because it’s fun!
Just enjoy the experience and give the Open a go. As Coach Bryce says, “Smile – you GET to do this.”
How & When to Register as an Athlete or Judge
Ok, so you’ve decided to give this “Open”-thing a try. Now what? Well, if you want to see your name on the worldwide leaderboard or if you have hopes of crushing the workouts and making Games, you will need to officially register on the Games site. If you are just doing it for fun and don’t need to see your name on a fancy website, then you needn’t do a thing other than show up to your gym on the days they program the workouts.
The other reason you might need to register is if you would like to be an “official” judge for the Open. In this case, you need to register for and pass the Judges’ Course. The course offers an introduction to the skills a judge will use during any CrossFit competition. It includes general information on competition rules, regulations and common movements. Anyone who intends to manage an affiliate, judge an aspiring Games athlete or review Open video submissions must take and pass the current course. It’s also required of the Online Qualifier and Games judges.
Free Guide to Crushing the CrossFit Games Open
We have created a guide which will take you through everything from goal setting, mental preparation, scheduling when to tackle the workouts, pre-event warm-ups and more. This download will focus on the 99.7% of us who will participate in the Open as recreational athletes. Most of our preparation tools and guidelines will be the same whether you’re trying to win the CrossFit Games or simply win some bragging rights against your buddies in the gym.
