This year I was excited to be able to take part in the 2018 CrossFit Open. Although occasional doubt may creep in about how I will fare in this battle of intense iron and athleticism. I know deep down that I will lay it all on the line and will get a true answer to my fitness level. My inbox fills with messages from some who fear that they will not make it through the WOD. But I just assure them that it’s okay if they don’t make it through the WOD because it’s just a part of their fitness journey and there’s something to be learned about their performance.
Most of the Open WODs really challenge you to get outside of your comfort zone and push just a little bit harder. Is it the cheering of the crowd and your fellow crossfitters or is it the fact that your competitive juices have kicked in and you want to get a few more reps than some of your fellow athletes? Regardless, it’s 3-2-1-GO! It feels amazing to be in the WOD and you’re feeling the fatigue set in but then you hear a fellow athlete from your fitness community yell, “Come on, you can do this! Keep moving!” From a coach’s perspective, there’s so much joy in hearing the cheers because it’s usually me on the other side, encouraging athletes to continue to move safely and effectively. Those type of cheers take self doubt off of the mind for a minute and push me to tell myself that I can and will keep moving.
One main thing I can take away from the 2018 CrossFit Open is that it’s okay to scale the workouts to get the intent, especially when there’s a movement that you’re still working to improve. I can teach someone how to do double unders, but I have never taken the time myself to master them myself. Therefore, I drag myself through the door when I see double unders in a WOD. Double unders are a skill I have yet to master, but having to scale one of the Open WODs rung the bell in my head that I must spend the time working on them or I won’t improve.
Overall, my 2018 CrossFit Open experience felt like an incredible revealing of some strengths, some things I didn’t know I could do – (RING MUSCLE UPS!) and some opportunities for improvement. So now is a good time to look at the goals i’ve accomplished and write out some new goals and plans to improve. It’s very humbling to scale a WOD when you want to RX, although you know that if you scale, you will move better with more efficiency. So trusting our box’s programming is key to getting results and knowing when to scale to get the full intent. For me, I always believe quality reps over quantity; it’s best to move light weight well before you can move heavy weight.
Crush it,
Coach Vern Hatton