We’re a couple weeks from the “Crossfit Open”, the official start of the competition season in Crossfit. Here’s the thing though. Over 90% of the people who sign up to do The Open have any aspirations of ever competing in Crossfit (a local competition or fundraiser aside). One of the most common things I hear as a coach when talking about it is “why”. Here are three reasons to sign up, of which everyone can relate to at least one.
THE PAST
I talked with a long-time 306 member the other day at the whiteboard about doing ten Crossfit Open’s so far right here in Saskatoon. This member has no aspirations of competing in Crossfit yet she is signed up for yet another one! Why? This member uses it as an opportunity to see how far she has come. She can look back at those ten years of results whenever we redo an Open workout so see how progress continues as we age. While that direct correlation is there, there is also the larger scale. A worldwide percentage on finishing. While we may not beat an Open score from ten year younger self, as everyone ages, we can see how our worldwide percentage fairs. Looking back at the past and how far we have come is one reason to do the Open.
THE PRESENT
The second reason I have to do the Open is for the present. It’s an opportunity to test where you are right now. The Open is always a good mix of strength, conditioning and skill. The movements are kept on simple side to keep them accessible to everyone. After completing each of the three workouts and entering your score, you will be able to see your worldwide percentile ranking. It gives a clear picture if of what you might want to work on going forward. As an example, if you rank really high in a heavy barbell event, but have a lower ranking in a gymnastics heavy event, perhaps some more time on the skill and body weight would benefit you. The Open is a great way to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie right now.
THE FUTURE
I’ll again use a story from a member for this one. This member’s life went through some changes this year and they were not able to make it in to the gym as much as they would have liked. Life happens. I get it! This member has already signed up for the Open and plans to use the results as way of “setting the scales”, finding their starting point again. See, we don’t need to be our “best self” to sign up for the Open. We can use it for our future self to look back on and see how far we have come. We can use it for motivation to be better next year. The Open is a great way to motivate us for the future.
So there they are. I am absolutely certain that everyone reading this can relate to at least one of these. Which one is yours? Embrace it and we will see you on the leaderboard! -Coach TJ