How and Why to do The CrossFit Games Open

Every year when the Open rolls around, I hear a bunch of excuses for why people hate it and aren’t doing it. I’m here to tell you that all of your excuses are selfish. How do I know that? Because that little selfish part of me also hates the Open. I hate not winning everything, I hate not beating so-and-so, I hate scoring lower than I wanted to, and I hate being really nervous every week for 5 weeks straight. All of those feelings are selfish and hide what the Open is really about.

The Open is about our CrossFit community coming together and people becoming better versions of themselves. These things aren’t measured by rank on the leaderboard, but by the determination in our hearts. So stop thinking that everything is about your scores and embrace the Open for what it should be. More info on the Open here: http://games.crossfit.com/about-the-games/the-open

So what is your excuse?

I am new to CrossFit, so I haven’t really mastered it yet.

The Open is a fantastic way to incorporate yourself into the community at our gym. You will have the full support of every single member at Calibrated because we all want to see you succeed. Don’t worry if you still don’t have your first double under, pull up, handstand push up, muscle up, etc. You can still submit a scaled score for that workout. Plus if you’re close to getting a skill, an Open workout may be just the right incentive to finally achieve your goal.  

I hate burpees, etc.

Everyone hates at least one movement. Commiserate with your fellow gym members and make that movement suck just a little less. Use the Open as an opportunity to get better at your least favorite movement(s). Maybe you hate burpees, but love thrusters. Inspire that person who hates thrusters to be better. 

I’m not a competitive person.

Okay, I understand, competing is not your thing. What about supporting, inspiring, celebrating - do any of those things catch your fancy? Then support our community, support another gym member who really wants to do the Open, but is a little timid. If they see you back out, it’ll be easy for them to back out too. Inspire people at our gym, or inspire your family/friends who want to get into shape. Showing people that you care about being fit and healthy goes a long way. I love the Open because I am continually inspired by our own members. Their motivation is contagious. Finally, celebrate your fitness together as a gym. Life is too short not to celebrate. Plus, we have an awesome cookout at the end of the Open to celebrate everyone’s hard work.

I hate performing in front of people, I get too nervous.

During the Open you aren’t performing in front of people, you’re performing WITH people. Stop getting inside your own head and thinking this is all about you. Everyone at Calibrated is on the same team and we all want to perform well as a gym. Think of it as a group effort and feed off of the energy of your fellow teammates, you’d be surprised to see what a little adrenaline can do when directed properly.

I’ll be embarrassed if I do poorly on a workout and I don’t want everyone to know.

I have a hard time remembering my own scores on Open workouts, let alone anyone else’s. No one is going to judge you as a person based on your scores in the Open. If they do, they are a troll and don’t deserve your concern.

I hate falling short of my goals and being disappointed.

The Open is the biggest platform imaginable for measuring your progress year-to-year. If you don’t participate, then how do you even realize your goals on a large scale? I’ve competed in the Open every single year since it first began. And in those 5 years and 25+ Open workouts, I can say that I am 100% satisfied with my performance on 2 workouts at most…okay honestly, only 90-95% satisfied. So I’ve fallen short of my goals on 25/25 of the Open workouts that I’ve done? NO! Truth is, I’ve learned something about myself on 25/25 workouts. I’ve made myself a better athlete and a better person through doing those workouts. I use the Open as an opportunity to clearly define my goals. If I fall a little short of a few of them in the process, that experience just makes me better.

I won’t do as well as I did last year.

The Open is the perfect motivation for getting where you want to be. Sure it will suck seeing your name further down the leaderboard, but you’re going to have to eat that piece of humble pie and move on. Make this year your new starting point and use it as inspiration to work harder for next year. Maybe your placing won’t be as good as previous years, but use this year to focus on things besides placing, for example: having fun!

I have no realistic chance of making it to Regionals, so why bother?

This is my favorite excuse of all. According to the CrossFit Games website “In 2015, the top 0.303% of men and 0.215% of women in the Open were invited to Regionals.” So you’re saying that over 99% of the 260,000+ people that participated in the Open last year were just wasting their time? Maybe I should go tell all of the children that play youth sports to just quit now because they have <1% chance of going pro or making it to the Olympics. Youth sports build an invaluable amount of character. Doing the CrossFit Open builds an invaluable amount of character. Don’t believe me? Give yourself one goal this year: to be selfless enough to participate in the Open without focusing on just you and your scores. Participate in the Open to make yourself try harder, to set new goals, to be a better teammate, to inspire someone, and to build our community of fitness.

I want to participate but I am seriously injured.

Ok fine, this is the only acceptable excuse. Take the judges’ course and help judge your fellow Calibrated members! To everyone else who isn’t injured, don’t take your fitness for granted. Do the Open for your friends who can’t.

Photo credit: Prince Swaray

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