Those new to CrossFit may not be aware of it, but we are only weeks away from the most fun time of year in any CrossFit gym. I am talking about the CrossFit Open. The Open, as it is called, is a five-week test of fitness. During those five weeks, every Thursday night CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro will announce a workout. Then athletes will have until Monday evening to complete that workout in the presence of someone judging them, and then enter their scores online. They then get to compare themselves to others around the world on that workout. The Open is designed to be accessible to all athletes, and for the past two years has included an option for scaling workouts.
The Open is unique in sports because it means CrossFit is the only sport where non-professionals will do the exact same work as the professionals. This means for those five weeks you will be doing the exact same workouts as 2016 CrossFit Games champions Mat Fraser and Katrin Davidsdottir. The exact same workouts! This is truly unique. You may be a great softball player, and hit .450 in your local softball league, but you can’t compare yourself to Major Leaguers based on the performance since the quality of the pitching differs. In the Open, Mat Fraser will be doing the workouts in a CrossFit affiliate, just like you will, in the presence of a judge… just like you!
So, here are the top three reasons you should participate in the Open:
1. YOU WILL REGRET IF YOU DON’T. IF YOU ARE THINKING, BUT THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR, I’M NOT READY… IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU HAVE A MUSCLE UP OR DOUBLE UNDERS AS THEY HAVE A SCALED DIVISION NOW! ONCE THE OPEN STARTS YOU WILL BE DOING THE SAME WORKOUTS AS THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE GYM, BUT THEIR INTENSITY LEVEL WILL BE HIGHER THAN YOURS BECAUSE THEY ARE REGISTERED.
2. IT’S FUN! THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE ENERGY IN THE GYM DURING OPEN WORKOUTS. EVERYONE STEPS UP IT UP. EVERYONE CHEERS EACH OTHER ON. THERE IS ALWAYS TALK OF STRATEGIES FOR TACKLING A WORKOUT. EVERYONE IS IMPATIENT TO SEE THE THURSDAY NIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEXT WORKOUT. PLUS, THERE IS ALWAYS FRIENDLY COMPETITION AMONGST FRIENDS.
3. YOU GET TO BE A PART OF THE WORLDWIDE CROSSFIT COMMUNITY. DURING THE OPEN, CROSSFITTERS FROM EVERY NATION AND CONTINENT ARE ALL PERFORMING THE SAME WORKOUTS. DURING THE OPEN YOU REALIZE THAT ALTHOUGH YOU WORKOUT AT CROSSFIT PICKERING, THERE IS A WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY OF MORE THAN 13,000 CROSSFIT AFFILIATES WHERE PEOPLE ARE PERSEVERING THROUGH THE SAME WORKOUTS AS YOU. LET’S FACE IT, CROSSFIT OFFERS US FITNESS, BUT ALSO COMMUNITY. UNLIKE A TRADITIONAL GYM, WE ARE HERE FOR EACH OTHER TO CHEER ONE ANOTHER ON AND CELEBRATE OUR SUCCESSES TOGETHER.
So, at only $20, there really is no reason not to sign up for the Open. Registration starts Thursday, January 12, and the first workout, 17.1, will be announced on February 23. Sign up and participate!
At CrossFit Pickering we will use the Open to celebrate our local community, as well as the CrossFit community as a whole, and we will have fun throughout the five weeks. Even if you are still in your Bootcamp, you can participate! We also add a little twist by having teams at CFP who compete for most enthusiasm and participation!
Bench x 50 low weight should be able to do 20 in a row without resting
AMRAP 15 minutes
4 HSPU – dumbbell press with 1 leg up, box assisted, or wall walks
8 lunges
6 dips
crossfitpickering.com 