7 Reasons We Love Painful Open Workouts
The Open is a little bit like Christmas – except it’s five weeks straight of waiting up to see what Santa brings us. And Dave Castro is “Santa.” And our weekly Open announcement is our “present.” Prescribed pain wrapped up nicely with a bow. What kind of people are we?
CrossFit has a funny way of making us not only look forward to/enjoy the (painfully) fun Open workouts, sometimes even getting us to do it one or two more times again. So why do we do it? No pain, no gain?
1. We get to compete against the world.
Sure, you may just be at CrossFit for a good workout, but the Open taps into your competitive side – where you rank in your region and where you sit in the world. The objective workouts of the Open give perspective – showing us how much we’ve improved since last year and how far we have to come.
2. We’re all in this together.
Though it’s a competition, at the same time you feel bonded to the girl in Asia who tied your 17.1 score or the stranger in front of you at the coffee shop talking to his friend about his sore lower back from the dumbbell snatches. The fact that everyone is doing the same workout connects us. Not to mention, the Friday Night Lights gym atmosphere is infectious.
3. We’re addicted to becoming better.
We’ve tasted improvement and can’t get enough. To keep working to become better every day. There’s nothing better than doing something you thought you’d never be able to do. The Open both tests and challenges us.
4. We push ourselves harder.
Though the Open workouts are merely simple assessments of fitness that could easily appear in a class WOD, because of the nature of the competition, we are often able to push ourselves farther – both mentally and physically – to get better results.
5. We know there’s potential.
And that motivates us. Every year we see it – people, new and old to CrossFit, get their first muscle-up or pull-up or box jump in the Open. We surprise ourselves and one another, especially when the entire gym is cheering.
6. We accept that bad workouts are part of the process.
The Open is an opportunity to learn about ourselves – our fears, our weaknesses, our strengths. It allows us to set goals and process disappointment/excitement, which become a part of our unique stories. What’s important is that we keep trying.
7. We like the endorphins.
A hard workout kind of makes everything else in your day feel do-able, right?
Did we miss any reasons why YOU love the the Open? Shoot us a note.
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