If you found yourself wishing the CrossFit® Open was over, mid-workout, you were not alone. It’s challenging. It’s hard. That being said, what truly makes the Open great is the hard stuff. The hard stuff is what we end up learning from. Conversely, the CrossFit® Open is also awesome. It brings us closer as a community, it pushes our limits and tests skills we’ve been working on all year.
What if you were to shift your perspective and refocus your mental energy? I’m here to remind you that progress isn’t made without putting in the work. Hard work. Because in the end, the only thing that ‘sabotages’ our Open performances isn’t Dave Castro, the new movement standards, or the workouts – it’s ourselves.
Here are four lessons we can learn from, moving forward:
1. The Open is a great reminder: control what you can control and forget about the rest.
Can you control what the workout is going to be? No. Can you control how much you’ve practiced each movement the previous 12 months, your attitude going into workouts, and the reaction you have when you face adversity? Yes. And that’s a much better use of your energy.
2. Last minute learning = hitting the panic button
It happens every year. Dave announces a movement like double unders, muscle ups, or some other high-skill movement during the Open, and the procrastinators panic. Sure you can get your first [enter gymnastics movement here] during the Open without preparing for it, it’s possible. But you shouldn’t expect success if you haven’t been practicing, drilling yourself, breaking down the movement, and doing the work. On that same note, you shouldn’t make a scene if your failure to prepare leaves you with failed reps and a lackluster score on the leaderboard. Instead, own your lack of preparation and get back to the drawing board.
3. You can’t hide from movements you hate
There are athletes at gyms around the world who hide from certain types of workouts, or even particular movements. Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “crap that’s me!” The CrossFit Open exposes athletes like this with stunning accuracy – myself included. in the Open, you don’t get to cherry pick. You can’t hide from your weaknesses. Starting this year, it’s time to grind through it. Don’t let your weaknesses get to you. You’re a badass, you do CrossFit; who gives a crap if you think you “look stupid” while struggling through those double unders you hate? This is the year to put in the work. And once the dust of the Open has settled (like now) take time to make a game plan for how to fix those weaknesses.
4. Dave Castro’s job isn’t to coddle your ego, it’s to transform it.
Raise your hand if the mention of handstand push-ups still makes you want to cry a little bit (raises hand). A lot of interesting commentary surfaced the week after 18.4 came to a close – this is a good read if you haven’t already seen it. Did the new standard suck? Of course it did. But remember, CrossFit is supposed to be hard! Handstand push-ups are no exception. It’s the challenge of it – both mentally and physically – that actually leads to true growth and transformation. The new standards were set for that very reason… to challenge us, the quality of reps, and to perform the movement in a safer manner. So let’s stop wallowing and carrying about how Dave Castro was mean and shift our mindset. Bottom line: be humbled and happy any weaknesses were exposed. That should be your motivation for something to achieve. You have a year to work on them.
In closing, training for the 2019 Open starts now. What are you going to do about it? The Open teaches us as much about our character as it does our physical abilities. And that’s awesome! We’re exercising for fun, learning new things, and spending time with good friends. How incredible is that? If you’re ready to crush your weaknesses, let your coaches know what you’ll be working on. If you need help with a specific movement, let us know… we’re here for you! April means it’s time to update the goal board with new 3-month goals. Be sure to add your name and set a goal or update your new 3-month goal!
—Coach Chris