The CrossFit Open is an annual event where a large cohort of the CrossFit community, around the world, comes together to complete 3 different workouts. Each workout has a few different levels to accommodate members of all different abilities. The event is $20 to participate in the global leaderboard. And usually, CrossFit gyms around the world will have weekly events to get the workout in and take on a pretty large responsibility.
So, the real question is why should I do the Open?
Personal Benefits of the CrossFit Open
Sure, you might say to yourself that you are not competitive, or that you don’t like working out in crowds, or you think it’s a waste of money. Honestly, each of those can be true…
If you are not competitive, you might not get the rush of the leaderboard results that others in your gym might get.
If you don’t like working out in crowds, you might not get the jolt of adrenaline when the clock starts and the crowd cheers.
If you think $20 is a waste of money, and all you are looking at is the financial correlation to your name on a leaderboard to get 57,381 in the world, then you are also probably right in that camp too.
However, I think the open does more to benefit you personally than any of those examples might suggest.
In the gym, day to day, it is really easy to get caught up in going through the motions every day. Training can get boring. The movements can be a drag. Even the environment can get a little stale. Everyone goes through that experience.
BUT, when you put a little money on the line – or show up to the gym outside of your normal workout environment to exercise, or the crowd of people is cheering you on and encouraging you through personal wins or challenges – something special happens.
As a coach of ours likes to say, magic happens in the open.
The personal benefits come through pushing yourself a little harder in the workout. When that crowd cheers, the adrenaline makes it a little harder to want to give up on yourself. When you exercise at a different time, in a different environment, you learn that you are more capable than you give yourself credit for. You might even expand your physical horizons as a result. When you put down $20, you might take that workout just a little more seriously and challenge yourself in a way that you otherwise wouldn’t.
Any and all of these outcomes will make you a better person. Exposure to discomfort does that. You get better at handling the discomfort each time you flex that muscle.
Don’t think the open is for you? Give it a try, you will probably surprise yourself.
Community Benefits of the CrossFit Open
The CrossFit Open isn’t just about you and the things that you can get out of it either. I think that is a common misconception. I’ll hear people respond with the “What’s in it for me?” or “It’s a waste of $20 just to find out that I am 90,362nd in the world at those three workouts.”
If that’s your only approach, sure you are probably right, come to the party, hang out, get a workout in. You’ll enjoy it mostly the same.
Fortunately, the benefits extend far beyond just you.
This event benefits your local CrossFit affiliate. The way that this event brings people together within the gym community is unmatched. At no other point in the year does the gym get to see all of the people, from all of the different class times come together and celebrate their fitness. The CrossFit Open creates the space for people within the community to meet each other, workout together, and build friendships that will last years.
It also benefits the global community. The more people that see the open, your friends on Facebook, Instagram, etc will see what you are doing. They will be impressed. They just might walk in to their local gym and see what this thing is all about that we know and love.
It might also benefit your family. At our gym, we encourage spouses, partners, kids, and grandparents to come check out the big event. It has a way of creating a space that, with so many people, is easy to blend in and just observe what we do. The Open even has a way of curating excitement and curiosity towards the training program. This has led family members to join our gym and create meaningful, long-lasting health changes in their lives.
Big Deal, So What
Yes, it can look easy for me to promote the CrossFit Open. I am a CrossFit Affiliate owner after all. But, I do believe that a little competition with yourself, a little change in environment, and a little additional investment is a GREAT thing that you can do for yourself. In a world that spends a ton of money on comfort, it might be worth it to spend a little on some healthy discomfort.
All of this is to say, I get $0 for anyone signing up for the Open. Just Do it.
