What is the Open?
The CrossFit Games Open was, and can still be, the beginning of the competitive CrossFitter’s journey to the CrossFit Games Finals in Madison, USA. It’s an opportunity for everyone to test their fitness. Games athletes aside it’s the most fun time of year for CFG, the whole gym comes together, crammed into the one arch and screams support for one another. The format is simple, register online with a small fee (cost), and wait for 5 workouts to be released over 5 weeks between February and March. You have 4 days per week to give each workout your best shot and get your score online. During this time you can follow your global, continental, nationwide or even local gym ranking as the weeks go by. At the end your score is saved online, providing you with a snapshot of your fitness levels at that time.
Why do the Open?
For most of us, it’s a chance to test our fitness. This may sound scary, but CrossFit as a training program and the Sport of Fitness are inextricably linked. As Greg Glassman says: ‘we fail at the margins of our experience’ and CrossFit’s effectiveness is due to its aim of forging broad, general and all inclusive fitness in order to prepare you for the unknown and the unknowable (everything life can throw at you.) The Open is hard, the movements and scaling are out of our control with the reps and standards counted/judged by our peers. This keeps us honest and accountable, stretches our capacity and, at times, tests our patience. I have lost count of the number of no-reps I’ve had to give, despite an athlete giving absolutely everything to only miss a toes to bar by mere millimeters. It’s heart wrenching. However, over the years I’ve also seen the countless hours those same athletes then dedicate to their progression. Working on their weaknesses to ensure they never feel that frustration again and, as an almost by-product, improving their fitness. The Open is a chance to see where you are, to get an honest reflection of your capacity giving you knowledge on what actually needs to be worked on rather than what you want to do each day. If it’s your first month at CrossFit, think how far you’ll have come by 2020! If it’s your 5th Open and you’ve let things slip then this can be your chance to get comfortable with being uncomfortable for 5 weeks. It could be exactly what you need to kick your training up a gear.
What it means to us.
Did you know that most gyms don’t really participate in the Open? For the last 5 years we have been one of the biggest teams in Europe and at times one of the top gyms in the world for number of participants. A box in Glasgow, of approximately 70 in Scotland, regularly features among the biggest in America (where over 7500 gyms exist). This is a major source of pride for us. Looking inside the gym, the Open brings a camaraderie, atmosphere and support unlike any other time of year. The community comes together with one goal in mind: to help get the best out of one another. As if these weren’t reasons enough to sign up to the 2019 CrossFit Games Open, here’s what a few of our members have to say:
“The Open for me has been the most exciting time in the box. Throwing down over the weekend, aiming high and trying to be the best I can be at CrossFit. I got my first muscle ups in the Open with a crew of CFG members cheering me on. It’s a chance to measure my fitness and although I may not beat my previous Open places, I want to still be the best version of me. The encouragement from everyone around makes you work harder and faster than ever before. CFG really comes to life cos even if it’s a workout I struggle at, I get support from so many others pushing me to do one more rep! The Open is all about community for me, everyone in the same boat, going for a PR in a lift or a quick time but always supporting one another. The whole gym comes together. This will be my 7th Open at CFG and can’t imagine sweating it out anywhere else.”
“I used to find the open really stressful. The thought of someone standing there judging my movements made me not want to do it. But now I think of the open as a way to test how I have progressed in the last year. And everyone is so supportive, the atmosphere makes the workouts more doable.”
“This year marks my 5th consecutive participation in the CrossFit Open as a member of CrossFit Glasgow. Without hesitation, I sign up for the open every year and do so for a number of reasons. I sign up for the community. To support and be part of something great. To push others as they push me to overachieve. I sign up for self-assessment. To gauge whether the last 12 months of training has resulted in a level of progress deemed satisfactory and to determine the needs of the next 12 months if not. Finally, I sign up to the Open because it’s fun. Pure and simple. Collapsing to the floor, lungs burning, clothes saturated in sweat after pushing yourself beyond your own perceived limits having just seen Jesus mid-way through the horrors of the now unveiled wod is fun*…I think. To those considering it, sign up for the Open. Age, ability and capacity are all immaterial. The Open welcomes all – hence the name.”
*Fun is subjective
“I have been at CFG now for 4 years. And this will be my 3rd year doing the CrossFit Open. The CrossFit Open is unique and If I can do it, anyone can. I love the feeling of satisfaction I get every time I complete the workout and log in to register my score, to see where I compare to myself from the year before. It’s unique, no other fitness organisation that I know of does this. The atmosphere is amazing at the box the place is electric and everyone is buzzing. The workouts are gonna be programmed anyway so get signing up team. Oh and did I mention the cakes? Yip there are cakes everywhere during the Open but a special mention to Neil’s cupcakes!”
“I like the Open because it’s a chance to test your abilities at any fitness level. You are your own judge and as long as you give it your all, you will feel awesome because the workouts are challenging. I love CrossFit because there is always a movement that you will be great at and others you need work on, so when the workouts are released for the Open, there are chances for everyone to shine. Even though it’s an individual challenge, it’s conducted in a community environment which always pushes your performance further.”
“I like to be measured against my peers and most importantly against myself on my previous years scores to see my continued improvement.”