THE OPEN IS COMING…
The first official workout at Reebok CrossFit 09 was The Open 13.1!
So what is this Open thing that people are starting to talk about??
The Open is the first step in qualifying for the CrossFit Games.
"Oh but that's not me" I hear you say........... however, this first step is designed to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.
The CrossFit Games state that they identify the Fittest Men and Women On Earth, so in order to help validate that claim, it needs to be easy to enter. And The Open is as simple as creating a log in, paying your $20, anxiously wait for the announcement of the first workout on Friday afternoon (praying that it doesn't include that one movement you suck at....), getting in the way of the classes on Friday night while you try to practice all the movements and gain some confidence, turning up to the gym on Saturday morning to warm up early, cheer on everyone in the earlier heats, then have your 3rd nervous pee before it's your turn.
Submit your score (it will be validated by us!), spend a few days anxiously leaderboarding, wonder if you should repeat it for a better score (your coach will likely tell you NOT to...), and then wait even more anxiously for the next workout to be announced, and start the cycle all over again.
The best part is the laughs and replays afterwards....
Are you sold? Trust me, it is great fun!
You can take a look at every single Open workout from the past few years HERE.
But chances are you may be looking at the workouts, and you've found a massive roadblock in there. Well, now you know what you need to work on! You've got 6 weeks to practice!
Keep the next few Saturday mornings free for our Open Prep Workshops after class. We'll be drilling down on skill work, all the things that might hold you back (double unders, pullups, box jumps, handstand pushups and muscle ups......). It's free to any member, you DON'T have to sign up for The Open.....
Want to find some focus? Enter The Open!
So what can we predict for The 2016 Open? Well last year there were some big changes, with the announcement of a Scaled category. Not only does this mean that you can get in on the fun even if you are brand new to CrossFit, but going by last year, it also means that the regular Open events will be heavier, more technical and tougher than in the past...... In 2015, we saw HSPU for the first time, and muscle ups in the beginning of a workout, instead of as the usual final movement separator. What new movement might we see this year? Squat snatches? Pistols?
The Open workouts will be released every Friday, and we'll be performing them in house on Saturday mornings in class.
It will be awesome fun, the atmosphere will be off the charts, and we'll get the BBQ cranking on the final weekend to celebrate the end of the season.
Yes some of the workouts will be right at the edge of your capabilities, (it's not uncommon to see people with a score of 1 rep, as they battle to achieve a movement or weight they have NEVER completed until then).
You'll be fine if you focus on a) the great technique you've learned, and b) the rest of the community screaming your name!! We see PR after PR after PR on Open weekends, it's awesome to watch.
We see people finally 'getting it', understanding what they are capable of, how hard they can push, and how good it feels.
Registration is already open, for more information, see the CrossFit games website HERE, or talk to a coach.
If/when you do register, be sure to select Reebok CrossFit 09 as your affiliate.
BUT, if it's not your thing, no pressure! This doesn't mean you have to stay home on Saturdays, or will become some sort of second class citizen.... There will probably be only a third of the gym doing The Open, so class will be business as usual, with all the regular programming options available, no matter your goal. On Saturday afternoons, our top athletes from both gyms will get together to chase scores good enough for qualification to Regional competition.