While we hit benchmark workouts at our gym throughout the year, the CrossFit Games Open is the time to test our fitness!
WHAT IS THE Holy City Fitness OPEN?
The CrossFit Open is comprised of five workouts over five weeks. (You can read this blog post if you want to learn more!) Open workouts are identified by their year and the order in which they appear. For example, the first one this year will be called 19.1 The workouts will be released every Thursday from CrossFit.com during the five weeks of the Open, and you can watch the live announcement of the workout that will be streamed on the CrossFit Games website.
Holy City Fitness will be programming The Open workouts that are announced for one day in the week following the announcement. This means that regardless of when you come to class that day, you’ll be doing The Open workout that was announced the previous Thursday.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CROSSFIT OPEN?
The Open is the first qualifying stage of the CrossFit Games. Any athlete who wants to compete at the Games must first make it through the Open in their region.
Let’s be real – neither you nor I are going to the CrossFit Games. BUT. You will likely find yourself hitting one or more PRs and learning some interesting data on your performance in the gym, which can be a guide for setting realistic goals for the months and years to come.
And more importantly, we are going to HAVE SO MUCH FUN.
THAT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WHY SIGN UP? I’M NOT GOING TO THE GAMES…
You’re repping for Holy City! You don’t need to sign up with CrossFit.com, you just need to sign up with us. The HCCF Open is free to all members, regardless of membership type. And if you’re on a limited membership, the specific weekly HCCF Open Event will not count against your classes for the month.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HCCF OPEN EVENT?
While the workout will be programmed all day on that particular day, we will host a single HCCF Open Event once per weekend. It might be Friday Night Lights at 4:30pm, it might be Saturday morning, it might even be Sunday morning followed by brunch! Because you’ll be doing the workout anyway, we want you all to join in on the fun and come to the specific event time.
YEAH, BUT I DON’T KNOW. I’VE DONE CROSSFIT FOR A FEW YEARS ALREADY. WHAT’S THE POINT?
If you’ve been doing CrossFit for a year or more, all it takes is a little competition to really bring out the best in you. It’s easy to lose intensity in your workouts if you are never pushed past what you think you can do.
It can also be a harsh reality check if you’ve been coasting in class or not really sticking to standards for the sake of speed. All those times you hit Rx’d next to your name on SugarWOD, maybe it wasn’t the case. Perhaps your takeaway will be that you need to count your reps properly, work towards virtuosity in your movements, or at the very least, achieve full range of motion on your reps!
Finally, consider that the Open is simply a snapshot of your fitness at one point in time. Maybe you are rehabbing an injury, just coming back to the gym after a layoff. The easiest thing is to make an excuse and not participate. The Open can be the catalyst to get you back on track at the gym.
WHAT ABOUT ME? I’VE ONLY BEEN DOING CROSSFIT FOR TWO WEEKS!
Even if you are a complete beginner (yes, those of you who finished On Ramp last month), you can participate in the Open. Every Open workout will feature a scaled workout option.
Think of this Open as an opportunity to set a performance baseline for CrossFit. I promise you that you will be amazed at your progress if you continue with your CrossFit training and retest the following year.
I’M A STUDENT, AND I’M GOING TO MISS 1 OR 2 WEEKS BECAUSE OF SPRING BREAK. SHOULD I STILL SIGN UP?
Yes! We will form teams, and we will make sure everyone is divided evenly, so your team will still be represented while you’re gone. You can also still earn points for your team by completing the workout elsewhere, participating in the weekly wellness challenges, and more.
OK, I’M CONVINCED! HOW DO I REGISTER?
From a laptop: Click this link and sign up so we know you’re in!
From a mobile device: Go into your Member Portal and click on Events in your menu. Click on the HCCF Intramural Open and register yourself.
Then the next time you’re in the gym, head over to the whiteboard by the barbells and put your name up there!
That’s it! You’ll receive additional communication in class and via email and social in the coming weeks on what awesome stuff is planned.
…AND, THERE’S A BONUS WEEK!
On Friday, March 29th, we will have a 6th BONUS week. Think of this as the wrap-up party. A workout that we promise will remind you why you love HCCF, beer, BBQ, and debauchery, and one last chance to earn extra points for your team!
