The time has come: registration is now open for the 2014 CrossFit Games Open-signaling the start of another great CrossFit season to come. In 2014, more than 200,000 people around the world are expected to take part in the Open, up from 138,000 in 2013. And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t join in on the fun as well. Here are some of the reasons why.
1. Discover your strengths & weaknesses
If you’re new to CrossFit, don’t be scared to try your hand at the Open. It doesn’t matter if you can’t do the workouts exactly as they are prescribed-you can be 100% guaranteed that there will be other people in your box who have to scale as well. If anything, you may discover a hidden strength in the CrossFit repertoire you didn’t know you had-perhaps you are the one person on the planet who loves burpees. On the flip side, the Open will highlight the areas needing improvement it could be as simple as realizing that you need to focus on improving your flexibility to help you squat. And this goes for all levels of CrossFitters, from novice right through to Games athletes. The Open will expose movements and workouts that you excel in, and what areas need work.
2. Amp up the competitive spirit
Taking part in the Open will give you a small snippet of what it’s like to compete in the sport of CrossFit, which will be a significant change from your usual training regimen (unless you compete regularly, of course). There will be similarities to the usual WODs at your box-you’ll be going against the clock and most likely in the same gym environment where you usually workout. Open WODs seem to add some pressure to even seasoned CrossFitters. There’s a judge counting your reps and even no repping you! Ask the more seasoned CrossFitters in your box what their experiences of the Open have been. You’ll find that many of them feel more nervous about doing a Open WOD, as if there seems to be more riding on it…which of course there probably isn’t, but the mere fact that you are now doing the same workout that 200,000 other people are doing—including athletes like Rich Froning—can create a sense of competition that you haven’t experienced in CrossFit before.
3. Builds your sense of community
More often than not, the vast majority of us who do CrossFit regularly will have a day or session when we feel burnt out, our body and mind won’t function, and we lose sight of why we spend the money, time and effort doing CrossFit. Sometimes, we need a reminder that CrossFit, at the end of the day, is supposed to be fun. The athletes who train to compete at Regionals or the Games will inevitably prepare differently for the Open and may take it more seriously, but for the rest of us the Open reminds us that we are part of a wonderful international community (and box community on a smaller scale). If you’ve ever sat in your office at 1pm wondering what the night’s WOD will bring, the Open will do the same, to the 100th power. As you finish 14.1 you’ll inevitably start to wonder what 14.2 will bring – and the thoughts will only increase in frequency as the days and weeks pass. And if you’ve ever discussed your performance on a WOD with your fellow CrossFitters for longer than you’d like to remember, the Open will also do just that, to the 1000th power. So yes, the Open is much like a regular day at the box – just a little more fun.
As you struggle through whatever 14.1 will be, the goal should be to simply have fun with it, and remind yourself of all the reasons why you love and do CrossFit in the first place.
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Good luck!
To register for the 2014 CrossFit Games Open visit the CrossFit Games site here.
