That “Open” Feeling Part 2:

Wondering why you should sign up for the Open?! Take a second to read part 2 of why your friends love this time of year at the gym!

Jane F.
The last time I officially did the Open was 2014, before there were any scaling options.  The burpee thruster wod nearly killed me.  I literally thought I was gonna die; 84 thrusters at 65lbs and 84 bar facing burpees, was definitely not fun.
So the next few years I stayed in the background because that is where I am comfortable.  But then January rolled around and before I could change my mind I went on and signed up for the Open. Because I know,  as hard as it is, ultimately it is such a fun experience and everyone is so supportive and wants you to push yourself as far as you can!  And as we all know so well, life is short, and Ali will be cheering us all on so let’s make her proud!
 

Pedro P.
Over the past 3 years I’ve been participating the Open, it’s fun and there is nothing like the energy and camaraderie in the gym during those workouts. Every year I look forward to it and I feel kind of sad when it is over.  We work hard for 11 months and this is the perfect opportunity to test the effectiveness of our training and see how much we have improved.  Because we push ourselves harder, the open is where the magic moments happen. That first muscle up, finishing a set of heavy squat snatches or even stringing together some toes to bar. It’s really amazing what we can accomplish during these WODs.  We are so much more capable than we think, just sign up and have some fun. You wont regret it!
 

Dave L.
I enjoy the Open because of the extra buzz around the gym.  Like many who participate, I have no illusions of making it to regionals but you wouldn’t know it based on how we cheer each other on, it’s really in your face stuff.

I’m pretty competitive and I like to see how I stack up against others in my age group and how well I do from 1 year to the next.  We suffer through it together and wear our sore muscles like a badge of honor.  We talk about how much we hated it or how we thought we were going to puke but guess what, we all survived and are stronger for it.  I’ve said for years that crossfitters are masochists and the open proves just that.

Is it tough?  Absolutely!  Will it hurt?  Yes, but only for awhile.  Will you feel an amazing sense of accomplishment when you’re done?  Hell F’n yeah!

There’s no excuse.  It’s $20, pony up and join the fun!
 

Brian C.
Before I had started CrossFit, I used to talk with a friend about Crossfit and then later, the Open. CrossFit alone sounded daunting, and the Open was like something I would never do – just being in ok shape was enough for me.

Then, I started Crossfit and a few months later the Open was upon us. “Are you going to sign up?” people would ask. “Nope, there’s no way I can do any of that”. After talking with my fellow members and coaches, I did sign up – and loved it. Could I perform a 25 foot overhead walking lunge with a 95lb bar? No, but I did perform a 25 foot front rack walking lunge with a 45lb bar. The following weeks were more scaled workouts, but there was one workout that I felt could RX and so I did – felt pretty damn proud of myself. No one judged me on whether I scaled or RX’d a workout, whether I could perform a bar muscle up or not. I was encouraged to do what I can, and challenge myself safely when I could, and so I did. That’s when I came to love the challenge of the Open. Push yourself, but don’t break yourself. Encourage and support others, whether they are performing RX, using a prescribed scaling option, or something else. What matters is the fact that we are all out there challenging ourselves to be better, and to grow as a community.

To me that’s why I love Crossfit and the challenge of the Open. Oh, and it’s pretty cool to be able to see my name on the same list as Mat Fraser 😉

Steve L.
Competing in the Open is a lot of fun for me. The workouts are definitely harder than normal, but there is a really good chance you will PR at least once during the 5-week competition which is a great feeling. You also get a chance to meet new people at the box. Since they announce workouts on Friday and you need to get your score in by Monday, people that you don’t normally workout with tend to show up at odd times to finish their workouts before the deadline. That’s a big benefit for me since it gets a little lonely at 7 AM sometimes! I highly recommend you sign up for the competition. You won’t regret it.

 
 
 
 
 

Jason F.
The Open is the best opportunity each year for every person who trains in CrossFit to try and push them self outside their comfort zone.  I love it because there is consistency in the structure (5 weekly announcements) yet always surprises in the design of the workouts.  It’s a great chance to cheer on our fellow Torque athletes, as well as compare some scores with relatives, friends, coworkers, or whoever else you know that takes on the challenge.  The live announcements are pretty cool, and the ability to scan through the results on the worldwide leader board to see how you stack up is motivational.  It adds a sense of leaving a snapshot of where your fitness is each year, and is certainly humbling when the fittest in the world are also on that same leader board!