Coach Rob: Why I'm Doing the 2019 Open

The 2019 CrossFit Games Worldwide Open officially starts on Thursday with the 5pm announcement of the first of five workouts ("19.1").  For a number of reasons -- not the least of which being the incredible environment at Arena Ready every year around this time -- it’s going to be an awesome ride these next five weeks.  As we've covered previously we will be doing the Open workouts as rolling heats during our Saturday classes over the next five weekends (just as we have done in previous years), so the energetic "Open Saturdays at Arena Ready" will be in full swing during this next month. 

In previous years, we’ve shared stories of AR members and coaches (and athletes from other affiliate gyms) and their reasons why they’re doing The Open… and why exactly they want to take part in the largest global competition of fitness.  I thought I'd share my thoughts once again this year as we approach the 19.1 announcement. 

I'm doing The Open for many reasons.  

First of all I'm doing The Open because I believe in measuring things.  What gets measured gets done.  What doesn't get measured becomes anecdotal speculation - "I could have...", "I would have...", "I was this..." or "I was that..." blah blah blah.  In those cases you'll never really know.  It's kind of like Uncle Rico saying he could throw that football over those there mountains, and if only coach would have put him in they woulda' won state.  I don't want to BS myself, I want to know.  I want to see where I am at this point in time, what I'm able to accomplish, and what I still need to work on moving forward - I want real numbers, not talk.  I understand that my scores don't define me as a person, they are simply data points which tell me how I'm doing right now - relative to others in the fitness world, relative to my friends at the gym, relative to my buddies in the broader CrossFit community, and most importantly relative to myself.  Am I fitter than I was last year, three years ago, five years ago?  Can I point to things/events/developments in my life that have influenced my training and fitness in positive or not so positive ways?  Can I rationalize that major life events had an impact on my fitness, and am I ok with that - or do I want to change the course of things moving forward?  Some years have been better than others for me, and I would say that the last few have been some of the most challenging (read: I laid a few eggs during the last several years in The Open).  But every year I play anyway, because I want to look at that board and see what I'm capable of... even if I think my best is still ahead of (or behind) me.  Sitting on the sidelines isn't my style, even if I can't be the star.    

This year will be very different for me than any other year -- I'm 14 months post hip surgery, 13 months in on an exciting new career challenge that has enriched my mental focus, and Sarah and I obviously have the little one who was born just after the 2018 Open wrapped up.  So while last year I was severely limited by what I literally COULD NOT do (i.e. was not actually allowed to), I'm motivated this year to find out what it is I CAN do in light of what life has thrown at me (and blessed me with) since the close of last season… i.e. I’m healthy and cleared to do almost everything, but my training and fitness have certainly not been a top priority.   

This will be my NINTH consecutive Open (I've participated in them all), and before my first one I even participated in the Sectional qualifier competition which, at the time, was the feed-in for the Regional level.  I was fortunate enough to compete on a Regional Affiliate Team twice, even though I look back now and think I still had no idea what I was doing in many ways.  Thanks to The Open and Sectionals, and the workouts/events they challenged me with, I can tell you what my fitness looked like every year for the last ten years - I know what I could do well and what crushed me.  I remember movements seeming impossible that now seem routine, and alternatively I remember certain workout combinations being great for me that perhaps today, for whatever reason, are harder than they should be.  It's safe to say that I'm more skilled in movements now than I ever was, that I move better across the board, that I understand strategy and pacing and training better than I did, but that my engine (my ability to "go" or to hit that 2nd or 3rd gear) and strength levels have seen peaks and valleys over the years.  And I'm OK with that.  I'm not a CrossFit Games athlete, far from it.  I'm not even anywhere near the universe of what would have been a Regional-level athlete anymore.  Some days I entertain the idea of competing as a Masters athlete, and I used to think I had a little time since the Masters divisions started at 40 until they changed the Masters starting age to 35 in 2017.  THANKS A LOT CROSSFIT… WHERE WAS THAT SIX YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS KILLING IT AT 35???!!!  Kidding, I wasn't actually killing it.  But it’s fun to sometimes think I was.  

If I ever want to be serious about being a competitive Masters athlete I'll need to get the ol' hip strong once again and then step-up my training big time.  But for right now I'm cool with my athletic competition career taking back seat to my family, my career, and honing my coaching craft.  As my ability to teach and understand fitness has improved immensely, my ability to compete (or even just hang) with the big boys in CrossFit has declined proportionally (haha).  But hey, I'm 41 years old and can still sniff a 6-minute mile, deadlift 2.5x my bodyweight, and play for days (assuming the activity or sport is not in the water) -- I'm the fittest one by far in my circle of friends I grew up with (you know, normal people... non-CrossFitters).  And even though I'm no longer the wannabe firebreather I once was, I want to celebrate what I know I'm still capable of, be thankful for it, and continue to make small, incremental gains for as long as I can... even as life sometimes makes that difficult.  

I'm doing the Open because I love the sound of my wife's voice when she tells me, "good job, babe" as I'm lying on the floor in exhaustion after giving everything I had (even if this year it's not that much).  I can hear the sincerity in her tone.  She's the elite CrossFitter, not me, but she knows that regardless of level, or how fit I am versus how fit I once was, that this stuff is hard as hell... and she appreciates that I still do it so that I can be a better version of me.  A better husband.  A better father.  Sarah and Avery are my reason, not my excuse.

I'm doing the Open because Arena Ready is my home, and it's also home to a lot of people I deeply care about.  Just as I can hear the proud tone in my wife's voice when she's telling me I did great, I can also hear the supportive cheers and screaming of my friends who understand the pain of being uncomfortable -- and who understand the growth and change that comes with putting yourself in that situation over and over again.  Without challenge there is no change.  This is my my crew -- I've been to their weddings (and once was even honored to officiate); I've traveled near and far with them to compete, cheer, coach, and support; I've spent years with them, learning and understanding, trying to make us all better.  These are the people I would call if ever I needed real help in life -- and no doubt they would be there for me.  This is my family.  No fucking way I would ever miss this experience with them.  I want them to hear my proud voice too, because I know the challenge they are undertaking.  Being comfortable with uncomfortable is a noble pursuit, and I stand in their corner. 

I'm doing the Open because I like to talk shit to my friends, and I like it when they return the favor.  I used to flirt with the idea that JUST MAYBE every single workout would have muscle-ups and/or handstand push-ups and thus I'd somehow finish ahead of Big Tony for once when all is said and done (ain't gonna happen).  And even though Grant has long since moved and recently added child #2 to his family -- and (much like Grant) Walker has continued to stay fitter than I would sometimes like even during fatherhood -- I still have plenty of friends at Arena Ready to chase.  My current state of fitness also puts me in a fun situation where I'll be trying to essentially chase everyone who's entered, and that should be interesting as I attempt to strategize my way through the workouts in a fashion that maximizes my score but also keeps me safe.  We have a long list of men and women who work their asses off and (even when I'm training regularly) can school me in any given workout on any given day, and it’s their dedication to bettering themselves that pushes me harder, and makes we want to cheer for them to blow me out of the water.  I could go on and on about the folks at AR that push me, and how much I enjoy jabbing at them in good fun, but this post is already too long and I don't want to start naming the dozens of people who should be mentioned. 

Finally, I'm doing the Open because I was taught that NO MATTER WHAT YOU KEEP SHOWING UP, especially when it comes to something you love.  So even though my fitness may not be where I want it to be -- and even though there is a laundry list of things I still want to be better at -- I'm ready to participate and do my best.  I can't wait to cheer, and coach, and high five, and I feel blessed to able to experience it all in our own gym.  I'm ready to try hard, not take myself too seriously, and be happy for my friends that smoke me (after I insult their shitty taste in shoes or ugly workout face, of course).  I could get wrapped up in the "stress" of The Open that people sometimes create for themselves, but I've never really been that type of competitor.  This is my Open, and my fitness, and my journey.  And really, the journey is all there is.

Bring it on, 19.1.

WOD For 02-19-19:

For Time:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Power Clean & Jerks @ 155/105 lbs

***Complete 1 Round of “Cindy” after each set of Clean & jerks (for a total of 10 rounds of Cindy)

(Compare to 02-20-18, 02-21-17, 02-06-16 @ 135/95 lbs, 11-29-14 Gladiators, 06-10-13, 01-24-13, 10-11-12)

Holiday Schedule + Lost & Found Last Call

Last call for our gym Lost & Found — please be sure to check and see if any of your loot is in there before we donate the rest.

Also, a reminder about our Presidents Day holiday class schedule on Monday:

The 6:00am and 7:00pm CrossFit classes are cancelled.

A special 1:00pm CrossFit class has been added!!!

You never really know what the Open will bring each week, and now that Open 19.1 is just around the corner (the WOD will be announced on Thursday evening, and we’ll be doing it as a gym on Saturday morning) we front-load the early part of the week with some “meat and potatoes” — AKA strength maintenance/endurance work and short-medium domain intensity. We uphold that basic concept every year at this time and it has served us well…

Enjoy!

WOD For 02-18-19:

Back Squat:

15 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Set of 8, Then…

5 Minutes For 2 “Drop” (or ‘Down”) Sets @ 85% and 80% of Your Heavy Set

-then-

For Time:

42-30-18

Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

21-15-9

Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

If you’re an Rx athlete then these wall balls should probably be unbroken. Don’t get too cute with your sets and gaming of the reps. Just sayin.

Presidents Day Schedule

First of all, is this day written as a possessive? Does it belong to said presidents and thus should be written with an apostrophe? Or is it an adjective and therefore not in need of the possessive form? Someone help me out because I’m too lazy to use the Google machine and I’ve seen it written in both forms multiple times.

OK, now that we have that out of the way please note our holiday schedule for Monday, February 18th:

6:00am CrossFit cancelled

7:00pm CrossFit cancelled

***If the 12:00pm CrossFit class registration is is full by Sunday evening at 5:00pm we will add a 1:00pm CrossFit class as well (i.e. if you want another mid-day holiday class then please sign-up sooner rather than later)

Here’s the FINAL TEAM/PARTNER WOD BEFORE THE OPEN (aka the last one for the next month and a half)!

WOD For 02-16-19:

With a Partner, 5 Rounds For Time:

500m Row

30 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs

30 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

30 Overhead Squats

Only one athlete working at a time, switch whenever you like (reps do not have to be split evenly).

Friday Fun Day?

Sure, if you like burpees (and jerks!).

Happy Friday, everyone.

WOD For 02-15-19:

Push Jerk:

5-4-3-2-1-1-1

No rack, cleaned from the ground. Climb as your technique allows.

-then-

For Time:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Push Jerks @ 115/80 lbs

Lateral Bar Burpees

Lost & Found Reminder

Another reminder to please check the gym’s Lost & Found over the next several days before we donate the contents on Monday, Feb 18th.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you (several times) when you walk in next week and see Molly or Kate doing burpees in your favorite sweatshirt. Yes, that’s happened.

WOD For 02-14-19:

5 Cycles of 2:30 Work / 2:30 Rest:

15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

15 Dumbbell Box Step-Overs @ 35/20 lbs (each hand) & 24/20 in

50 Double Unders

Goal is to complete all 50 double unders (DUs) every cycle within the 2:30 window, and your score is total DUs completed (best possible score = 250).

If you are cut-off on the DUs score that cycle by the number of DU reps completed.

If you are cut-off on the DB box step-overs then you picked the wrong scaling for the step-overs or the pull-ups OR both (not even close, in fact, so adjust on the next cycle!).

8 Days Out: The Announcement of Open 19.1

We’re just 8 days away from the announcement of “Open 19.1” folks!

To register/sign-up for the 2019 Open at Arena Ready check out this post and then click here to register.

To get the basic scoop on how the Saturday Open workouts will run for 5 consecutive weeks starting on Feb 23rd click here — get on it and sign-up!

Taking it back to Open 15.1 thanks to our friend, Brian Campbell

WOD For 02-13-19:

Every 90 Seconds For 7 Rounds:

2 Power Snatches + 2 Overhead Squats

Climbing as your technique allows. Touch-and-go reps not required for the power snatches.

-then-

For Time:

50 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

25 Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs

50 Hand-Release Push-ups

25 Power Snatches

50 Wall Balls

Tuesday Power Output

After Monday’s re-visit of Open 18.1 our AR barbell fanatics may be wishing for some good old fashioned weightlifting and high power output.

I got you fam.

WOD For 02-12-19:

Every 90 Seconds For 7 Rounds:

2 Power Cleans + 2 Front Squats

Climbing as your technique allows. Touch-and-go reps not required for the power cleans.

-then-

AMRAP 7 Minutes:

5 Box Jumps @ 30/24 lbs

3 Power Cleans @ 205/145 lbs

1 Front Squat

I Don't Just Rap, I AMRAP

Oh hey look, an Open workout.

Huh, imagine that.

And it’s scalable.

Weird.

WOD For 02-11-19:

“Open 18.1”

AMRAP 20 Minutes:

8 Toes-to-Bar

10 Single Dumbbell Hang Clean to Overhead @ 50/35 lbs (switch sides after 5 reps)

14/12 Calorie Row

Yeah, I’m calling it an “overhead” (like I usually do) and not a “jerk” since no re-bending of the legs was allowed in the Open. As for the “clean” well… I’ll just leave that one alone for lack of a better term LOL.

(Compare to 02-24-18)

The Open Is For All of Us! (And PS Check The Lost & Found)

Hey look, you’re going to do this cool WOD on Saturday. Because you like working out on Saturdays at AR… it’s fun, the energy is high, the place is bustling, people are happy & socializing, you get to see your gym buddies that you may not see during the work week, and the workouts are usually pretty tough (which you love).

Guess what, Saturday exerciser? For 5 consecutive Saturday’s starting on Feb 23rd there’s a cool little worldwide fitness event that lots of your AR homies will be participating in because, well… it’s fun, the energy is high, the place is bustling, people are happy & socializing, you get to see your gym buddies that you may not see during the work week, and the workouts are usually pretty tough (which you love).

You get my point.

Don’t be that person who works out on Saturdays at AR anyway but is not entered in the Open — trust me when I say that the handful of people that do that end up wishing they had just signed up to officially participate in the first place. And yes, you can do the Open workout on Sunday at Open Gym if you can’t make it on Saturday — and if you’re traveling for any of the weeks then one of the many (fourteen thousand now?) CrossFit affiliates around the world who are also doing the Open will surely be near your stay and can host you for that week’s Open workout.

Register this weekend and maybe I won’t torture all of you again with another week of Karen variations and burpee tick-or-treats. It’s from a place of love, people.

Speaking of a place of love— the gym’s Lost & Found is full of things that many of you must love and are sad they are missing from your life. I’ll tell you what’s not sad… me when we donate what’s left over in the Lost & Found to charity. I’m like the King of KonMari and if Marie Kondo left her first pair of weightlifting shoes here I’d have them out on the street faster than you can say “vertical fold” because, quite frankly, her weightlifting technique doesn’t spark any joy in my heart. Let’s be honest her cleans suck.

So please check the Lost & Found before we donate the items on Feb 18th. Thanks!

WOD For 02-09-19:

Remember the format of last Saturday’s WOD? Well this is a very similar format but with a different mix of movements. AND a little extra treat during your “rest” period… because A) who doesn’t love more wall balls and B) not enough of you are signed up for the Open.

In Teams of THREE…

AMRAP 27 Minutes:

40 Double Unders

8 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs

8 Lateral Bar Burpees

*Only one athlete working at a time and MUST COMPLETE ONE FULL ROUND before switching.

*During your rest" period you MUST COMPLETE 10 UNBROKEN WALL BALLS (Rx = 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft)

*The next athlete may start on her Double Unders as soon as the previous athlete completes his final Lateral Bar Burpee — but only if her set of 10 Wall Balls has also been completed.

Sit Up Straight!

In the gym we're constantly trying to get athletes to maintain good positions, whether it be during weightlifting, bodyweight movements, or even mono-structural conditioning elements (running, rowing, jumping, etc).   The cues you hear of "chest up" or "chest out" or "set yourself big and proud" are really just tools we use to get athletes in better positions to move external objects or their own body through space.  And really, posture is just a proper-sounding word for position.   

Good posture in the gym hopefully leads to an increased awareness around better general posture in one's daily life outside of the gym.  The folks at TedEd made this little video about the benefits of good posture - check it out:

Here are three movements (in Friday’s WOD) that are aided by good posture, and made very difficult if you generally spend time in bad postures…

I think they call that a segue.

Oh, and REGISTER FOR THE OPEN ALREADY!!!

I think they call that a non-sequitur.

WOD For 02-08-19:

2 Hang Power Snatches + 2 Overhead Squats:

12 Minutes to Build to a Top Set (NOT a max)

-then-

For Time:

21-15-9

Hang Power Snatches @ 75/55 lbs

Overhead Squats

Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

The Opposite of 100 Burpees For Time

Take a breath. I won’t even mention it this time. If you came in and did 100 burpees on Wednesday then good on ya… if you didn’t then instead of the barbell complex below you’ll be assigned 100 burpees for Thursday’s WOD.

I’m kidding. Or am I?

WOD For 02-07-19:

Every 90 Seconds For 14 Rounds (21 Total Minutes):

1 Halting Clean Deadlift +

2 Power Cleans +

1 Front Squat +

1 Squat Clean

******For the first 4 rounds perform a Halting Clean Deadlift to start the complex (then proceed without it for the next 10 rounds - i.e. simply start with the first Power Clean for rounds 5 through 14)

*This complex does NOT need to be touch-and-go

*Start at approximately 60-70% of your 1RM (or "light-moderate" in weight) and climb as your technique allows (climbing every round is NOT required)

The Open: What We Measure We Improve

Looking back at "Open 16.3" at Arena Ready:

I told you I was gonna starting bringing it. Just sign-up for the Open already!

Speaking (sorry not sorry) of the Open - are you registered?  Click here to read the main details of how we'll run the Open at Arena Ready, and then head over to the CrossFit Games page to register (please select Arena Ready as your affiliate when registering).

James Clear - entrepreneur, weightlifter, and travel photographer - once wrote a blog post on the value of measuring important areas of our life.  It's a quick read and an important message that resonates with those of us who follow CrossFit as an observable, repeatable, and measurable training & fitness program - and who use The Open as a measure of exactly how far we've come, and how far we still have to go.  The concept can extend beyond your training, and into other areas of your life which you deem important.

The blog post is published here, and is included below in its entirety:

Imagine this…

Someone walks into the gym, warms up, does a little bit of this exercise, does a little bit of that exercise, bounces around to a few machines, maybe hops on the treadmill, finishes their workout, and leaves the gym.

This isn’t a critique of their workout. In fact, it’s quite possible that they got a nice workout in. So, what is notable about this situation?

They didn’t measure anything. They didn’t track their workout. They didn’t count reps or weight or time or speed or any other metric. And so, they have no basis for knowing if they are making progress or not. Not tracking your progress is one of the six major mistakes I see people make in the gym.

But here’s the thing: We all have areas of life that we say are important to us, but that we aren’t measuring.

What We Measure, We Improve

Count something. Regardless of what one ultimately does in medicine—or outside of medicine, for that matter—one should be a scientist in this world. In the simplest terms, this means one should count something. … It doesn’t really matter what you count. You don’t need a research grant. The only requirement is that what you count should be interesting to you.

—Atul Gawande, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance

The things we measure are the things we improve. It is only through numbers and clear tracking that we have any idea if we are getting better or worse.

• When I measured how many pushups I did, I got stronger.

• When I tracked my reading habit of 20 pages per day, I read more books.

• When I recorded my values, I began living with more integrity.

Our lives are shaped by how we choose to spend our time and energy each day. Measuring can help us spend that time in better ways, more consistently.

It’s Not About the Result, It’s About Awareness

The trick is to realize that counting, measuring, and tracking is not about the result. It’s about the system, not the goal.

Measure from a place of curiosity. Measure to discover, to find out, to understand.

Measure from a place of self-awareness. Measure to get to know yourself better.

Measure to see if you are showing up. Measure to see if you’re actually spending time on the things that are important to you.

You Can’t Measure Everything

Critics will be quick to point out that you can’t measure everything. This is true.

• Love is important, but how do you measure it?

• Morality is important, but can it be quantified accurately?

• Finding meaning in our lives is essential, but how do you calculate it?

Furthermore, there are some things in life that don’t need to be measured. Some people just love working out for the sake of working out. Measuring every repetition might reduce the satisfaction and make it seem more like a job. There is nothing wrong with that. (As always, take the main idea and use it in a way that is best for you.)

Measurement won’t solve everything. It is not an ultimate answer to life. However, it is a way to track something critical: are you showing up in the areas that you say are important to you?

The Idea in Practice

But even for things that can’t be quantified, measuring can be helpful. And it doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.

You can’t measure love, but you can track different ways that you are showing up with love in your life:

• Send a digital love note to your partner each day (text, email, voicemail, tweet, etc.) and use the Seinfeld Strategy to keep track of your streak.

• Schedule one “Surprise Appreciation” each week where you write to a friend and thank them for something unexpected.

You can’t measure morality, but you can track if you’re thinking about it:

• Write down three values that are dear to you each morning.

• Keep a decision journal to track which decisions you make and whether or not they align with your ethics.

The things we measure are the things we improve. What are you measuring in your life?  

-James Clear

"It's Not About The Result, It's About Awareness."

I love that part.  

I know we are a group of individuals who value, among other things, the process of measuring our progress.  The beauty of the awareness that comes with measuring is the discovery of what you're capable of with consistent effort applied over long periods of time.

I, of course, would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to encourage every one of you Arena Ready members to PLEASE USE Beyond The Whiteboard to record your progress.  We pay for it so you don't have to.  Don't know what Beyond The Whiteboard is?  Well then read this old post and then email/message us so we can add you to our group.

No, the BTWB system isn't perfect and its app can sometimes be a bit difficult with some of our more creative workouts, but it is a powerful tool when used consistently (you can even see where you stand in popular workouts against the tens of thousands of other users in the world... even if privately to yourself after making your privacy settings as such).  Make it a habit - get on it, and when "19.1" pops up again (after this year) you'll be able to see how much you've improved, and how far you can still progress.   

WOD For 02-06-19:

3 Rounds For QUALITY (NOT For Time):

12 Dumbbell Bench Presses @ 50/35 lbs (per side)

10 Strict Pull-ups

60 Unbroken Double Unders

-then-

For Time (Including Rest minutes):

100 Burpees to a Target (at least 6 inches above your max reach)

***This is 1 MINUTE OF WORK then 1 MINUTE OF FORCED REST until you complete 100 total reps.

Your time includes the forced rest minutes (i.e. if you’re getting close you better hurry to finish or it will be another minute before you can do those last few reps).