The CrossFit Open is less than 3 weeks away and we want YOU on Team Foundry! But, what is the CrossFit Open first of all? And why should you participate?
WHAT IS THE OPEN?
The CrossFit Open is an awesome way to put all of your training and progress to the test! Each week for 5 weeks, CrossFit HQ will release a workout and all participants worldwide have four days to complete the workout and submit scores to the online leaderboard. The Open is for ALL levels, especially this year with the new RX and Scaled Divisions.
The online leaderboard is completely customizable so that you can measure your results against your past efforts, your CrossFit friends, other Foundry members, athletes in the Chicago area, as well as the best athletes in the world!
WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT?
The Open is an opportunity for athletes of all levels to participate in something fun and challenging. While it is a competition for some of the best CrossFitters in the world to prove that they are the best of the best, the Open is designed for everyone! It’s so much more than just a competition, but how?
BENCHMARKS
Each Opens workout will provide you with a new benchmark. Just like any other WoD we do in class; it’s testable and re-testable, but this time everyone is doing it too! The workouts are designed to challenge your general physical preparedness (your current level of fitness)—strength, stamina, speed, mobility, and skill. You may discover some weaknesses, but you will definitely achieve new movements and weights you never thought were possible! By the end of the 5-week Opens season, you’ll have a set of 5 new benchmarks that you can look back on, retest, and use to guide you in developing your fitness as you move forward.
AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY
That being said, an important part of progressing is to identify the areas that limit you the most. We can’t get better if we only do what we’re good at. We need to have our weaknesses highlighted—not to embarrass us, but to help us see where we need to become better and to set new goals. The Opens workouts will hit you with a different test of fitness each week (gymnastics, strength, endurance, and Olympic lifting). Some things may be in your wheelhouse and you’ll crush those workouts, but there will also be the workouts that bring you to a screeching halt. And that’s okay! We want you to experience both ends of the spectrum so that you can come away from the Open knowing what areas you need to focus on and what areas you rock at. Turn your weaknesses into strengths, and make your current strengths even stronger!
SET NEW GOALS
The Open is also the perfect time to set and achieve your goals. Set goals across the 5 weeks—perhaps you want to eat clean for the entire Opens season, or you want to attempt all workouts as prescribed. Set goals for each individual workout—how fast do you want to go, how consistent do you want to be in your rep scheme, how many reps do you want to get, what time are you aiming for? Set goals for each individual movement—get your first set of consecutive double unders, PR your snatch, get your first muscle up, etc. The Opens is a great platform and a truly special environment to test your fitness. Use it to motivate you this year, and moving into next year! It’s a little change of pace, a burst of excitement in the middle of training to keep you going strong. Remember, hundreds of thousands of people (including the whole Foundry community) are doing these same exact workouts worldwide!
IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY AND FUN!
Lastly, and most importantly, the Open promotes a sense of camaraderie and community across many levels. Crossfitters from The Foundry, the Chicagoland area, the MidWest, the United States, and all over the world will share the experience of these 5 workouts. Our main focus is The Foundry community—getting all members from Printers Row and Union Station to come together, support each other, be vulnerable together, compete together, and be awesome together! Every single athlete is ready for this!
So what are you waiting for? Get on board and sign up today!