Well, the CrossFit Open is officially over and I am so excited that I participated. I started CrossFit a year ago (right after the Opens) and have been really enjoying the workouts and the community.
What is the CrossFit Open?
The CrossFit Open is an annual competition that CrossFit athletes around the world compete in to qualify for the CrossFit Games. It consists of 3 workouts, released weekly that everyone completes and then posts their scores to the CrossFit site. Some gyms, like mine, create a super fun atmosphere to compete together to instill a sense of comradery and competition. Our gym calls it “Friday Night Lights’. Two of our coaches became captains and picked teams (blue and red teams). I must admit, it was a little scary because I was NOT athletic in grade school or high school and was afraid to be picked last (haha). I was picked for the blue team, which is great because I own a TON of blue gym clothes (who knew?) We competed for points (workout points but also fun points like who brought snacks and drinks for after the workout, who posted on social media, etc.). It was a BLAST.
As it all comes to a close, I have been introspective about what I enjoyed, what I didn’t enjoy and what I want to work on in the next year. Admittedly, there is a LOT of stuff I want to work on (more on that later in the post).
So, if you are a CrossFitter and are interested in seeing where I landed in the workouts, here are my scores:
23.1 – Scaled: 187 reps
23.2 – Rx: 72 reps, 85# thruster
23.3 – Scaled: 126 reps
How I felt:
- Humbled – there were times when I looked at the clock and swore it hadn’t moved at all during the workouts (especially the shuttle runs!)
- Happy – I LOVED the Friday Night Lights concept, meeting people at the gym that I didn’t know yet from other class times and getting to really feel the sense of community that CrossFit offers.
- Nervous – Biting my nails every Thursday at 3:00PM waiting for the workout to be announced each week was exciting but VERY nerve wracking! Plus, making sure you do each movement according to the standard so that you didn’t get no-repped during the workouts was also a little nerve wracking.
Here are some of my takeaways:
- First and foremost, I really enjoy the challenge of CrossFit and the Opens solidified that I really want to get better at the sport.
- I really enjoy the competitive and collaborative nature of Friday Night Lights and so I think I would like to seek out a fun local competition and also help out if the gym wants to host intermittent social workouts on a random Friday night.
- There are so many movements that I need/want to work on! Specifically, getting stronger on pull ups, technique on barbell lifts, and overall conditioning.
- I am really proud of myself taking on the challenge. A year ago I was hobbling around the neighborhood in tears after a back injury and this past month I took on some pretty tough workouts. I was talking to another member of the gym after the workout one night and he told me that he had endured cancer and a badly torn bicep and he can directly identify that the mental strength he got from working out as the reason that he was able to keep going when he was dealing with such tough health issues. Pretty awesome stuff.
I’ll leave you with this awesome video from my coaches that really summarizes the feeling of the Opens at our gym. I have belonged to many gym facilities but there is something very special about the people and the vibe at Five Star.
Stay tuned for my next challenge – I will be taking on the workout “Murph” on Memorial Day. If you are interested in how I am training for the 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats and another 1 mile run, I’ll be posting my plan soon!