CrossFit Open....oh vay!

So I decided to sign up for the CrossFit Open. I am super excited to try these workouts no matter the difficulty or how I will have to scale, but I am a completely different athlete than last year at time, which might be where you are at.

So last year it cost 10 dollars to sign up. Someone told me I should do it, so I did. I had no idea why I was paying 10 dollars or what I was spending 10 dollars on. NO CLUE! Once the open finally started, I wondered why I threw away ten dollars. I didn't complete a single workout, NOPE not one. I'm going to make an excuse and say it was because I was skiing and was laid off from my job at the beginning of it, but in reality I was way to scared to compete.

I looked at the weights, the skills, the movements...I couldn't even do a pull-up and they want me to do chest to bar pullups, why embarrass myself? I wish I knew then what I know now. Before you start the open you have to make some feasible goals for yourself. Short-term, Long-term, etc. All I did was say. I can't do that..bad attitude, because actually I could have. Just because you are scaling doesn't mean you aren't getting a good workout or achieving a goal. Looking back I wish I could have done a few workouts, scaled them as necessary, but still been in the atmosphere of competing and going as hard as I can. Sure you are supposed to do that day in and out, but I feel like the adrenaline you have when your score REALLY counts is different and somehow you have extra power.

This year I have a complete different attitude. I want to give each workout my best effort, even if I have to scale, when I'm done I want to know I gave it my all because next time that workout might show up, I could be able to do it RX. I was watching The Biggest Loser the other night (yea i don't really watch TV, but I heard that Bob Harper, the main trainer on the show really loves CrossFit) and I saw them doing FRAN!!! You are probably thinking, "how are morbidly obese people doing Fran?" Great example how you can scale for anyone! They did jumping pullups and decreased the weight on the thrusters and all of them got an amazing work out.

Great motivations video:
I guess in the short run, don't be afraid to start CrossFit, be confident and realize that if you can't do the workout RX'd (required), don't get down on yourself. Scale the workout by asking your coach what is best for you and then give it everything you got! That is the beauty of CrossFit, anyone can do it, you just have to have the attitude that you can. If you do this every workout, you'll be surprised how much faster you learn movements and skills. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself, CrossFit doesn't just help you in your fitness level, but in life too! Good luck on your WODs!