What to Take From the CrossFit Open

Congratulations to all of you who have completed the 2015 CrossFit Open!!! The open is the best thing we could ask for as a CrossFit athlete. The open gives us a goals, motivation, and direction. This is where we learn what to focus on next, and where to take our training. It is a yearly reality check and push to keep us on track and excited about our improvements and opportunities.

Since the open is over, now is the time to evaluate your performance and start working toward improvement. Recognizing the workouts that you struggled with is one of the greatest tools you can have as you continue with your fitness progression. What workouts were the most challenging? Which ones did you do better on? Think about the different movements, rep schemes, lengths, and focus of each WOD. Evaluating your weaknesses is the first step in turning them into your strengths.  Ask yourself these questions; what were your physical limitations? What were your mental limitations? Did you lack strength, endurance, mental focus, or skill?

If you found you lacked strength, it's time to suck it up and start hitting those heavier weights in the WOD. Yes it may take you longer, yes it is going to hurt both mentally and physically, but the more reps you get in under your belt, the easier it becomes. If you need help assessing which WODs you should be lifting heavier and which WODs you should use a weight you can do quickly, ask one of your trainers. Always be sure to tell them your specific goals so they can help you make the right choice.

If endurance was your issue, your focus needs to be to keep moving. Keep your body going during the WOD. If you break, make it short and sweet. Try to stick with a consistent pace. This may mean cooling your jets in the beginning of the workout. Going all out in the first 3 minutes will make the last 12 a struggle. It may take some time to learn how to pace yourself but remember the goal is to keep moving. If you find you started out too hard, slow down, but keep moving. If you feel like you can push a little harder speed up the last half. Be patient and teach your body how to breathe and stay calm under stress. A great guide is to think about your pace as 80% effort for the first 80% of the WOD and all out for the last 20%. This works well in most situations. Remember to note how you feel after the workout so you can quickly learn your threshold and understand how to best pace yourself no matter what WOD is thrown at you.

Mental focus can be the only thing holding you back. As much as CrossFit is about physical strength and skill, it is three times more of a mental battle. If you lack the confidence in yourself and your abilities, you will not do your best. If you are overwhelmed with the time, the reps, or the movements, you have doomed yourself from the beginning. Practice mentally preparing yourself for each WOD. Think of a strategy and tackle one thing at a time. Take all your doubts and counteract them with positive mental notes that will help you keep pushing. A healthy mental attitude will make all the difference in your performance.

There are always a lot different skills and movements in the open. If you found that your downfall was a skill, or multiple skills, its time to start practicing. This is where you will need to put the extra time in. Maybe its 10 min before and/or after the WOD or, even better, take advantage of the open gym time. Get a plan together on how you are going to improve on this specific skill. Where are you at now and what progression do you hope to take? Just like your goals on the goal wall, you want to give yourself a timeframe and decide on a plan that fits within that. Ask your trainers for advice on what you can do to improve, check out progression programs online, ask your fellow CrossFitters what has worked for them. Make a plan, implement it, and be patient enough to see it through.

Whether you decide this year’s focus is strength, endurance, mental focus, skill work, or some combination of the four, get to work! You don’t necessarily have to carve out hours more of time, just ensure you are narrowing your focus and goals as you are doing the daily WOD. 10-20 extra minutes to work on a skill or two will not only make you a master of the skill, but will improve your workouts. Struggling through a WOD with a little extra weight will only make you better. In fact, that case will kill two birds with one stone; strength, and mental toughness. Please communicate with your trainers on what your goals are and ask them to help you get there. Support and accountability is essential to staying on track and reaching your goals.

Sign up for the Open!

This week starts the first week of the 2015 CrossFit open.  This is a worldwide competition that starts the journey to the CrossFit Games. To be part of it, all you have to do is sign up. Everyone signed up will post their scores for this years 5 workouts and see where they rank.  

If you did the open last year, you know how cool of an experience it is to participate in such a huge competition. You are not only competing against your fellow box athletes but CrossFitters around the world! Everybody does the same workout, everybody posts their scores, and everybody gives it their all.

This year CrossFit is introducing a scaled division. This is an amazing opportunity for some of you who have steered clear of the open due to some of the more challenging movements like double unders or pull-ups. This is your year to join in and see where you fall, experience the push, and feel the support and community that you have around you.

Set aside your fear and sign up for the open. It is $20 that you will never regret spending. If it makes you feel any better, you will be doing these workout at CFM anyways. You mine as well reach higher than your box and compete with the world!

Here is the link to sign up!: https://games.crossfit.com/competition

Is Your Competitive Edge in the Way of Your Training?

Imagine the feeling you get right before a WOD. You enter “beast mode.” You’re focused, determined, and chomping at the bit waiting for the 3-2-1 Go! “How fast can I do this?” “That seems heavy,” “who can I beat?”, “this is going to suck!” It’s all running through your head creating anxiety, adrenaline, and determination. While these thoughts seem like negative stressors, they’re not all that bad. These are the thoughts that turn you into an athlete, a CrossFitter. The problem lies in letting your competitive edge get in the way of your training. In your everyday CrossFitting at your box, you are training. This is where you seek to better your weaknesses and improve the quality of your work. It takes a different mental strength. You first need to know the standards, know your weakness, and be patient enough to take a step back, slow down, and train them.
 

You look at the whiteboard each day and see the WOD written with prescribed weight, rep scheme, and skills. Before throwing the weight on the bar, or deciding whose time to beat from the previous classes, you need to consider the movements and where you are in your training. Is that an ideal weight for you to perform the movements in a reasonable time? Are the skills in the WOD ones you need to work on, or some of your greatest strengths? Are you going to be able to meet CrossFit standards with quality reps, or will you have to give up good form for speed? Assess your personal situation, and make good decisions. It is more beneficial for you to be able to move properly vs. move faster and at the same time it is better to keep moving vs. having to take too many rests during work times. 

Everyone is in a different place with their CrossFit training and although the aspect of competition is a big part of CrossFit, your daily training is the opportunity for you to perfect your performance. The most important thing is that you are always doing YOUR best.  Does it really matter if your time was faster than “so and so” when you would have been “no repped” on half of the reps in a competition? Does it matter if you could move more weight if your form is all over the place and you put yourself at risk for injury? Scale the workout for you. Understand what the WODs structure is meant to train, and base your scaling on how to keep the WOD effective, challenging, and safe.  Push yourself, but don’t sacrifice form or quality for time or load. The metcon WODs are meant to keep you moving and test your efficiency and endurance. The key is good form and precise technique. Train these first, and everything else will come.

 

If you are having trouble scaling appropriately, ask a trainer for some help. Let them know your goals and what is important to you, they can help you get the best out of the WOD.

Transformation Tuesday: Michelle the "Competition Queen"

Todays "Transformation Tuesday" comes from our Macombie of the month Michelle! Michelle has participated in 10 CrossFit competitions in 2014 and plans on competing even more in 2015. She is the "Competition Queen" and is not afraid to jump in and give it her all amongst local CrossFitters. Here is what she has to say about what she loves about competing, and how it has helped her grow:

The best part about competing is the feeling of accomplishment when you’re done, the feeling of community you get from all the different CrossFit families that come out to support everyone, and seeing that no matter your age, gender, weight, or athletic ability, you will be cheered on until you are done.

I have learned a lot from competing, about myself and others, and you’re never going to know how you’ll do if you don’t try. Don’t be afraid of failure, failure motivates you to keep pushing and working harder. Failure forces you to set the bar higher.

For as long as I can remember I have always loved to compete; from bumper bowling as a toddler, to all the sports I played through school, to where I am now. Competing can be very stressful; you will have good days and bad days. Every competition is different and some will push you to your limits, but that is the best part; being pushed to your limit, overcoming it, and setting PR’s. The time on the clock and the place on the leader board mean nothing if you didn't give 110%. Being first is always an awesome accomplishment, but giving everything you had and finishing means more than first place. When you walk off that floor there should be no doubt in your mind that you left every ounce of effort you had out there. 

-Michelle

We are proud of Michelle's fearlessness and hard work. She always gives it her all and never settles for less than her best.

Here is a list of all the competitions she participated in last year:

1-Underdog Competition w/Larry, Sarah, & Ben

2-Spring Fling w/Larry

3-Double Trouble Throwdown w/Sarah

 4-Bad Boy Breakout Games w/Larry

5-CFM 10 Skills Challenge w/Andrew W.

6-Clash of the Monsters II (Individual)

7-Wodtober Games w/Larry

8-Skunkbear Games (Individual)

9-Tank Tops & Booty Shorts w/Sarah

10-Compete with a Cougar/Wod with a Sugar Daddy w/Larry

Great Work Michelle!

 

If you have a transformation story please send it to crossfitmacomb@gmail.com. We want to celebrate your transformation with you and feature you on "Transformation Tuesday." :-)

MFFL Results

Congratulations to everyone who competed in the MFFL on your first place finish! You all did an amazing job pushing your limits and representing CFM!

CFM - WOD #4 10 Skills Team Challenge

Updated for Scaling
Please review the following for the standards and points of performance for the movements outline in WOD 
#4 of the CrossFit Macomb 10 Skills Team Challenge.

As Many Rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

100 Russian KB Swings 2 pd / 1.5 pd
100 Wall Balls 20 lbs / 14 lbs
100 Toes to bar

All equipment will start on the ground. Only 1 Partner Works at a time. All kettlebell swings must be completed before starting the Wall Balls, and all wall balls must be completed before starting the Toes to Bar. Both athletes must move together with their judge before starting the next movement station, do not leave your working partner behind. On completion of the Toes to bar both athletes, with their judge will head back to station one to restart another round. Continue until time expires.

Movement Standards
Russian Kettle Bell Swings -  At the top of the swing, the kettlebell must be above eye level with arms locked out. The judge must be able to see your eyes underneath the bell, centered over the feet with the hips and knees fully extended and the arms straight. At the bottom, the wrists must touch the thighs and the bell must pass between the legs. Any failure to not have met these standards will result in a "no rep."
Scaling will be by load: A - 2.0 pd / 1.5 pd; B - 1.5 pd / 1.0 pd; C - 1.0 pd / 0.75 pd

Wall Balls - The athlete must have their hip crease clearly below the knee with their ball in their hands at the bottom of the rep, the ball must make a clear contact point with the wall to the designated target. If the athlete does not complete a full squat and if the ball does not make contact with the wall or is below the specified target, it is a "no rep."
Scaling will be by load: A - 20 lb / 14 lb; B - 16 lb / 12 lb; C - 14 lb / 8 lb

Toes To Bar - The athlete must be hanging from the bar. Strict or kipping is allowed. Both feet must make a clear contact with the bar AT the SAME time. The feet must make a clear passing behind the pull up bar at the bottom of the rep, once the feet have showed a clear indication of being behind the pull up bar, the athlete can then perform the next rep. If the feet do not go behind the pull up bar at the bottom, and if the feet do not make contact with the bar, or only one foot hits first, this will result in a "no rep."
Scaling will be in kind. A - Toes to Bar; B & C - V-ups (from the floor pull your hips and shoulders off the ground to touch your feet).

CFM - WOD #3 10 Skills Team Challenge

Please review the following for the standards and points of performance for the movements outline in WOD #3 of the CrossFit Macomb 10 Skills Team Challenge.

As Many Rounds as Possible in 10 minutes of:
70m Partner Sled push, 90 lbs
5 Partner Burpees

Partners push sled together. Sled has to be pushed past the 70m mark to count as a rep. Partner burpees are performed facing each other. Partners touch hands at the bottom of the burpees. Each round consists of 12 reps. Seven reps for the sled push, one for every 10m, and one rep for every successful partner burpee.

Movement Standards:

Sled push - BOTH athletes must push the sled with their hands on the sled, and stay within their lanes. Sled must cross the 70m mark to count as a rep and to be turned around.
Scaling will be by load: A - 90 lbs on sled; B - 45 lbs on sled; C - sled only.

Burpees - Both athletes must release their hands from the ground to touch one another's, clear indication of contact must be made. The knees and hips need to be at full extension, and feet HAVE to leave the ground with the athlete clapping BEHIND their head once they jump. Any result in not clapping behind the head, feet not leaving the ground, or not reaching full extension will result in a "no rep." Frogs aren't cool.

CFM - WOD #2 10 Skills Team Challenge

Please review the following for the standards and points of performance for the movements outline in WOD #2 of the CrossFit Macomb 10 Skills Team Challenge.

Partner 1 (Female) performs Clean and Jerks
Parner 2 (Male) performs Thrusters

Partner 1 has 10 minutes to find max load Clean and Jerk.
Then Partner 2 has 3 minutes to do as many Thrusters as possible of the max Clean and Jerk weight. Weight cannot come off the bar.
This WOD will receive two scores. One for the Clean and Jerk weight, and one for the most number of reps of Thrusters performed.

Movement Standards

Clean & Jerk - The female athlete must perform the Clean & Jerk, any variation of the Clean is allowed (power, split, squat and muscle.) Any variation of the Jerk is allowed (push, power, squat, and split.) The athlete must show complete control of the barbell locked out over head with both their feet clearly underneath the barbell to complete the rep. The judge must signal you to set the bar down, if you set the bar down before the judge clears you, it will result in a "no rep."

Thrusters - The male athlete will Clean the bar up from the floor, squat clean is allowed, and go into the bottom of the squat with the hip crease clearly below the knee. The hips, knees and elbows need to reach full extension with the bar clearly over the athletes head with the bar on top of the shoulders (we should be able to see your ears through the arms.) Any sort of "thrust-jerks" are NOT allowed, and will result in a "no rep."

CFM - WOD #1 Standards - 10 Skills Team Challenge

Please review the following for the standards and points of performance for the movements outline in WOD #1 of the CrossFit Macomb 10 Skills Team Challenge.

"DianenarF"

15-12-9 rep rounds of:
Deadlifts 225 lbs / 155 lbs
Handstand Push-ups
Then...
9-12-15 rep rounds of:
Thrusters 95 lbs / 65 lbs
Pull-ups

One partner does both movements in the couplet and then the other partner does both movements of the couplet. Alternate until completion. Only two bars and move weight as necessary. 15 minute time cap.

Movement Standards

Deadlifts - plates must start from the floor on each rep, with the arms outside of the legs. A rep is completed once the shoulders are clearly behind the bar, and hips and knees are at full extension. Any failure to complete these standards will result in a "no rep."

Scaling will be by load: A - 225 lbs / 155 lbs; B - 185 lbs / 115 lbs; C - 135 lbs / 95 lbs

Handstand Push Ups - the athlete can start with head on the mat, or arms at full extension. The head must make clear contact with the mat on your descent. Kipping or strict variations are allowed. The elbow must be clearly locked out with the feet against the wall to complete the rep. If your feet fall off the wall before the arms reach full extension, that is a "no rep." Men must have an Abmat with two 25 lb plates on each side, while women will have just an abmat.

Scaling will be by variations: A - Handstand Push Up; B - Piked Handstand Push Up; C - Gymnastic Push Up

Thrusters - the athlete will clean the bar up, squat clean is allowed, and go into the bottom of the squat with the hip crease clearly below the knee. The hips, knees and elbows need to reach full extension with the bar clearly over the athletes head with the bar on top of the shoulders (we should be able to see your ears through the arms.) Any sort of "thrust-jerks" are NOT allowed, and will result in a "no rep."

Scaling will be by load: A - 95 lbs / 65 lbs; B - 65 lbs / 45 lbs; C - 45 lbs / 30 lbs.

Pull Ups - strict, kipping and butterfly variations are allowed. The athlete must show locked out arms at the bottom and start of each rep (no jumping pull ups for RX), and your chin must be clearly visible over the bar. If the feet make contact with the ground at any point during your set, this will result in a "no rep."

Scaling will be by variations: A - Pull-up; B & C - Ring Row.

Show Off Your Skills

The CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge is coming up fast! This is where you get a chance to test your improvements and ability to perform. The ten skills are why we CrossFit. These are the ten things that we sweat for everyday to improve and strengthen. Here is a list of the ten physical skills and how they relate to your body:

1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance: The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.
2. Stamina: The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.
3. Strength: The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.
4. Flexibility: the ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint
5. Power: The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.
6. Speed: The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.
7. Coordination: The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.
8. Agility: The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.
9. Balance: The ability to control the placement of the bodies center of gravity in relation to its support base.
10. Accuracy: The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity. *

  

The CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge is an opportunity to see what you are capable of as well as see where you can improve. Competition can be intimidating but there is no need to feel pressure. You will be surprised at how motivated you are and how much more you will push yourself when your teammate is counting on you. The great thing about the CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge is that everyone has them to some degree or another, and everyone can improve on them to some degree or another. Some are strong in one skill and some are stronger in others. You never know where you stand until you test yourself. So go ahead find a partner and get yourselves signed up! You will never regret doing it, but you may regret not.

Also every participant in the CFM 10 Skills team challenge will be entered to win a FREE pair on Reebok CrossFit Nano 4.0. Find a partner and sign up before space runs out.

Sign up here for the CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge!

More details are on the Facebook Event Page CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge.

*List from reebokcrossfitfirepower.com

CFM August Newsletter

Injury and illness is an unfortunate part of life that we have to struggle with.

It's About the Journey
We have all been there at some point when our body isn't physically capable of performing what used to be a fairly simple task. The only way to avoid injuries, accidents, or illnesses is to live in an isolated bubble, safe from the dangers of life.
Since we are not designed to live this way, we have to learn to live with the inevitable setbacks of life. Knowing this then, the lesson is in the journey that we take through these trials.
I don't like using myself as an example, but I'd thought that would I share some of my journey's though accidents and injuries in hopes to help you.
August is the anniversary of my fateful accident. Of which, I consider it a miracle that I can write about it today. I was in a motorcycle accident in which I was cutoff on the expressway by a semi-truck in the middle of construction zone. I knew the semi didn't see me so I tried to burst around him. I looked down at the speedometer and I was pushing 75mph when I hit the construction barrel that he pushed me into. I lost control of the bike, dumped it, and started sliding with my motorcycle diagonally across 2 lanes of the expressway. I slid over 250 feet, on my stomach, in front of the semi and cars trying to pass him on the left. Again, miraculously I walked away from that accident. My injuries left with a severely bruised pelvis, 50% of the skin on my forearms, and only 10% of the skin on my hands. My stomach and knees were also badly burned and embedded with gravel and dirt. This accident and these injuries obviously left nearly incapable of doing anything by myself. I'd like to say that despite my injuries I was able to continue with my training, and coaching, and continued to see gains and improvements while doing this. Well that answer is no, and in fact I was left to simply heal. For someone like me this is harder then hitting a PR or doing "Fran" in under 3:00 minutes. Through those couple months I was forced to allow other people do things that I was perfectly capable of doing on my own just a few days before. But through the kindness and blessings of family and friends and all the members of CrossFit Macomb, I was supported to take the time to heal and recoup from this accident. Again the focus of this should not be the accident or what it did to me, but the fact that I had a support group surrounding me to not be discouraged and to get back to full strength. It was this journey that I learned the most about who I surround myself with matters more than what I do or what I can do on my own.
Everyone goes through these struggles. When they are physical struggles, remember that it takes time to get back to where you want to be. But the journey and the time you spent doing that is what is important. And the people you surround yourself with and who help you are what is important. Don't let isolated accidents or injuries define who you are. Let the journey and energy you put in to get through them define you. And by the grace of God, you can look back and reflect it on with the confidence of being tested and found complete.

CrossFit Lite
CrossFit Lite has been going well. Enabling people to kick up there health and overall fitness.
Starting in September we are going to be adding CrossFit Lite classes at 9AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Here is the schedule starting in September.

5:45 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
9:00 AM on Monday, Tuesday (Lite), Wednesday, Thursday (Lite), and Friday
4:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
5:30 PM on Monday (WOD & ELEMENTS), Tuesday (Lite & ELEMENTS), Wednesday, Thursday (Lite & ELEMENTS), and Friday (WOD & ELEMENTS)
6:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
7:30 PM on on Monday (WOD & ELEMENTS), Tuesday (ELEMENTS), Wednesday, Thursday (ELEMENTS)
and
9:00 AM and 10:30 AM on Saturday

See our full schedule and sign up for classes by clicking here or on the picture

CFM 10 Skills Challenge - Date Changed
We moved the date out to September 13th.
This gives you more time to sign up. If you sign up by August 18th then you will receive a FREE competition t-shirt. Registration closes by September 10th.
All of the WODs are completely scaleable and for all skill levels. Find a partner and sign up before space runs out!

Sign up here
http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=20703&stype=-8&sView=day&sDate=8/9/2014

WODs are posted on the Facebook event page
https://www.facebook.com/events/798785143485485/

Did you also hear that we are giving away a FREE pair of Reebok CrossFit Nano 4.0's?

Every participant will be entered into the drawing and we will pick the winning name after the 4th WOD. Don't miss your chance to get a new pair of shoes!

August Macombie
This month the August Macombie for the "One-Armed CrossFitter" award goes to Kelly S. Kelly broke her wrist doing a squat clean two months ago. A movement she had done hundreds of times before. Although, this time when she landed the squat clean her elbow was pointing down and came in contact with her knee. Everything lined up (in)correctly and something had to give. This landed her in a cast for 6 weeks. Kelly was resilient and continued to come and workout through scaled movements and put focus on form and conditioning while her wrist healed. She really started to surprise me with what she still could do with one arm in a cast.
Kelly wanted to add this to her Macombie.

"My favorite thing about CrossFit Macomb would definitely be the people. Not only are the trainers friendly and helpful, but every person that goes there is just as supportive and nice. When I broke my arm, the first thing I thought about was how horrible it was going to be not being able to CrossFit. It had become part of my daily routine at that point, so it was tough having that major of a setback. But even with a broken arm, the trainers were super helpful with all different types of scaling and sometimes coming up with completely different WOD's, just for me. Not only were the trainers beyond helpful, but every one of my CrossFit friends and even CrossFit members that I had never talked to before were asking about my arm.
Since coming back from my injury, I've been pretty timid about using my arm, but I am definitely making my way back to where I used to be slowly but surely.
CrossFit has not only put me in better physical shape but has also changed my mentality and outlook on many things. For now, my short term goal would be to get my wrist and arm back to where they were before the injury. After I accomplish that, a long term goal of mine has been to compete in local competitions and just continue CrossFit in general. "

Upcoming Events

August 7th: Swim WOD 11AM @ Richmond Pool, Beebee Street Park (See Lisa)
August 23rd: Pure Michigan Invitational (Come see the best of Michigan compete at CrossFit Maven)
August 30th: SwampFoot 4 Mile
September 1st: Labor Day - NO CLASSES
September 13th: CFM 10 Skills Team Challenge

Click on the links for more details on any of these events.


Remember, doing work is the best way to see results. Your trainers are always available if you need extra help.

Have you Registered up for the Open Yet?

Have you registered up for the open yet? What are you waiting for? You have one more day to get your name on that leaderboard and join in the event that has CrossFitters around the world shakin in their nanos with excitement, anxiety, and hopefulness. Lets show off what we can do, where we have come, and surprise ourselves with our best. So get on your computer, register for the open, and download the newest CrossFit Games app and get ready for the Open!

CFM will be judging will be judging the open WODs at all classes on Fridays then doing make-ups on Saturdays at 11:30 and Sunday upon request. 

Register for the open here.

Download the newest CrossFit Games app!

Countdown to the Open

You may have seen the countdown to the CrossFit Open on the CFM whiteboard recently. What’s that about you ask? Perhaps you already know and have your own countdown started, but for those of you who would like to know what the CrossFit open is and how to be part of it, this is for you.

 It’s amazing to see just how far your CrossFit community reaches outside your box. As a CrossFitter, you are part of big club where a handshake is done with your fist, and the secret password is “3-2-1 GO!” The open connects you with your fellow CrossFitters in a worldwide competition. Whether you are new to CrossFit or looking to be named the fittest on earth, the open is a chance to see where you stand and get a taste of what the CrossFit games physically and mentally require. 

The Crossfit open is your first step to the CrossFit Games. The open covers 17 different regions around the world, and last year consisted of 138,000 registered athletes. With CrossFit growing at such a fast rate, 2014 is sure to be the largest open yet. (Read: “How Fast Are the CrossFit Games Growing? The Numbers Tell the Story” by Tabata Times.)

The open is 5 weeks long and consists of 5 different WODS. The first WOD will be posted on Thursday February 27 and the following four will be posted each Thursday after. If you choose to participate, you will perform the WOD and be judged by one of the CFM coaches for reps and time. Every rep must meet the movement standard in order to count, and your CFM coach will validate your performance and enter your results. You can attempt the WOD as many times as you would like. You have until the following Monday to submit your best score. The 48 fittest athletes and 30 fittest teams will be asked to compete in the regional competitions; the top 3 from regionals are off to the games!

Registration will begin on January 15, 2014. You will need to register your information and pay a registration fee; probably between $25 and $30.  The sign up link can be found here. You will be asked to create an account before registering. 

Remember, the open is for EVERYONE. Just like becoming a CrossFitter, it doesn’t matter your age or skill level everyone is welcome to participate. You’re going to be CrossFitting anyways; so you might as well do the open WODs. It never hurts to see were you stack up, you may surprise yourself. Good Luck!