The open is right around the corner and hopefully you have logged in and registered to be a part of the Outlier CrossFit The Darkside team! Today we are going to talk about how to get the most out of the open and how to hopefully get the highest scores and possibly set some new PRs along the way!

Let’s talk a bit about how some of the best CrossFitters do what they do and how you can maximize your output in the open. The majority of what determines how well you do is the game that happens between your ears! Most people think that when we are put to a test like a CrossFit benchmark or a competition work it is all the body. Actually, your mind and your attitude is most responsible for how well you do, for most people that is. The main thing to remember about the workouts that are made for the open is that they are tests and not training workouts. They are going to be designed to mess you up and not be conducive to any training program that anyone is on. HQ has gotten really good at creating workouts that test all the levels of your fitness in every aspect. With these workouts a game plan is essential. So let’s look at what a workout game plan looks like.

Let’s keep it simple and assume they say we are doing something like a “Fran Amrap ” for open workout 1! You would be able to look at each movement and figure out how long that takes you to complete one rep. From there you could establish how long each set will take you. Taking into account your strength and conditioning level you can figure out how many reps you can do in a row without hitting failure. This number is important because you always want to make dropping the bar or resting a planned rest. This has a dual importance for both the body and the mind. If you know your limits then you will save your body a big bounce back and recovery phase from doing a max effort set. You will be able to recover faster and save time. If the set is planned then you mentally will be able to focus better because you won’t have the negative thoughts pop up that “you can’t do that again…or it’s too heavy…” or really any thought that may get you to slow up. Staying mentally fighting and positive is key to maintaining any plan/rep scheme you have set up for yourself. Remember that the plan should be doable but definitely not comfortable!

The next part of a good plan is not only built on plans for how many reps to do at a time but also how much rest to take. Making use of the clock or the amount of breaths you take can be good ways to keep moving. If a set of pull ups takes you 25 seconds then you shouldn’t need another 25 seconds to recover, you should need the shortest amount of time possible in order to hit the rep scheme you have planned. If looking at the clock seems to much to handle then you can count breaths, this can also help make sure you take big full breaths that help you recover. If you only give yourself 5 breaths before you have to pick up the bar again, you better bet they are going to be the biggest slowest breaths you can take. Remember that you only need to recover enough air to get the next set in the books, not enough air to finish the rest of the workout. Remember the next set should always be doable not comfortable!

The best way to increase your scores and to bump your performance up is to remember this! The person that gets the best scores and the times that you set your best attempts aren’t the times where it was the easiest, it was when you worked the hardest and dealt with the most suck. I have vivid memories of my best Fran time and my best Amanda, they were terrible but I pushed through pain in order to get the score I was aiming for. If you can get your mind wrapped around the fact that the effort is gonna hurt and not be fun, you will find the fun! You will be able to push through more if you know it’s for a short amount of time! Just keep telling yourself that you can deal with it that it isn’t too much and that you will get it over with. There was a workout not too long ago where I was having a hard time pushing through and a friend of mine said something that got me going. I was hunched over barely breathing and I hear him yell from across the room, “ Come on, enjoy it!” That phrase struck a chord in my mind that has stuck with me. We all do this CrossFit thing because it is so challenging. The pain and the hurt is a part of the fun. Which reminds me also of one of the best phrases I love telling people. It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun!

So the next time you are pushing through a workout or a competition remember to stay focused and push through the pain, it’s partially why we do this crazy thing!

Coach P