2016 Reebok CrossFit Games OpenMar 29, 2016 by Armen Hammer
3 Life-Changing Things You Should Learn From The Open
3 Life-Changing Things You Should Learn From The Open
The 2016 CrossFit Games Open is over and chances are you didn't qualify for Regionals. So now what? Here are the three most important things you can learn a
The 2016 CrossFit Games Open is over and chances are you didn't qualify for Regionals. So now what? Here are the three most important things you can learn and how to figure them out:
It's easy to slow down or give up in the middle of a workout like 16.5 if you don't have a solid hold of why you're putting yourself through so much pain and suffering. Chances are, you started CrossFitting because you wanted to look better naked, and that's a great goal. But somewhere along the way, your competitive nature really picked up on how good it feels to improve, learn new skills, and compete against other CrossFitters.
The most important thing, though, is to know your "why." It's easy to allow someone else's goals and motivations to become your own goals and motivations, but it's not the right thing to do. You need to know why you choose to CrossFit so you can truly embrace and enjoy it. Take the time to reflect on what it is about CrossFit that lights you up the most; what it is that gets you out of bed when it's cold and dark outside; or what it is that drives you to head to the gym after a long day of work. Find your why, and you'll be set for the long term.
Prioritizing the various parts of our lives is just about the most adult thing there is to do. For everything you choose to do, you are actively choosing to not do something else. So here's where you figuring out your priorities comes into play. You've gotta know how important it is to you to reach your goals and to honor your why or you'll never be happy with your choice of one thing over another.
If you think your fitness is a major priority, but you spend all your free time eating fro-yo and watching Netflix, I've got news for you: fitness isn't a major priority for you.
Not knowing your priorities or pretending to prioritize something only leads to disappointment. If you convince yourself that making it to regionals is a huge priority for you, and then spend a bunch of time hanging out with your dogs or watching Netflix with your spouse, you may end up resenting yourself ("Ugh, I'm not even disciplined enough to do this") or CrossFit ("I guess this just isn't for me"). And all that comes from setting the wrong priorities.
Here's the simplest truth: it's OK if you don't want to spend several hours a day working out. It's OK if you want to just get a good workout in; get a good sweat; feel good; and move on with the rest of your day. It's also OK if you really do want to train for regionals. You do you. The worst thing you could do is not do you.
CrossFit is about being as generally fit as possible. This means being able to spot and fix holes in your game over time. If you can't do a pull-up, you should work on that. If you're gassed after a few minutes of work, maybe you should work on your conditioning or your pacing. Or maybe you should work on developing new skills or polishing your existing ones.
Figuring out your weaknesses will also give you more things to develop and work on over time, which will give you specific and measurable goals to pursue, which in turn will give you a long term set of victories as you achieve those goals.
So there you have it. Use this time after the Open is over to figure out your why, your priorities, and your weaknesses and you'll be in a better position to succeed.
Your Why
It's easy to slow down or give up in the middle of a workout like 16.5 if you don't have a solid hold of why you're putting yourself through so much pain and suffering. Chances are, you started CrossFitting because you wanted to look better naked, and that's a great goal. But somewhere along the way, your competitive nature really picked up on how good it feels to improve, learn new skills, and compete against other CrossFitters.
The most important thing, though, is to know your "why." It's easy to allow someone else's goals and motivations to become your own goals and motivations, but it's not the right thing to do. You need to know why you choose to CrossFit so you can truly embrace and enjoy it. Take the time to reflect on what it is about CrossFit that lights you up the most; what it is that gets you out of bed when it's cold and dark outside; or what it is that drives you to head to the gym after a long day of work. Find your why, and you'll be set for the long term.
Your Priorities
Prioritizing the various parts of our lives is just about the most adult thing there is to do. For everything you choose to do, you are actively choosing to not do something else. So here's where you figuring out your priorities comes into play. You've gotta know how important it is to you to reach your goals and to honor your why or you'll never be happy with your choice of one thing over another.
If you think your fitness is a major priority, but you spend all your free time eating fro-yo and watching Netflix, I've got news for you: fitness isn't a major priority for you.
Not knowing your priorities or pretending to prioritize something only leads to disappointment. If you convince yourself that making it to regionals is a huge priority for you, and then spend a bunch of time hanging out with your dogs or watching Netflix with your spouse, you may end up resenting yourself ("Ugh, I'm not even disciplined enough to do this") or CrossFit ("I guess this just isn't for me"). And all that comes from setting the wrong priorities.
Here's the simplest truth: it's OK if you don't want to spend several hours a day working out. It's OK if you want to just get a good workout in; get a good sweat; feel good; and move on with the rest of your day. It's also OK if you really do want to train for regionals. You do you. The worst thing you could do is not do you.
Your Weaknesses
CrossFit is about being as generally fit as possible. This means being able to spot and fix holes in your game over time. If you can't do a pull-up, you should work on that. If you're gassed after a few minutes of work, maybe you should work on your conditioning or your pacing. Or maybe you should work on developing new skills or polishing your existing ones.
Figuring out your weaknesses will also give you more things to develop and work on over time, which will give you specific and measurable goals to pursue, which in turn will give you a long term set of victories as you achieve those goals.
So there you have it. Use this time after the Open is over to figure out your why, your priorities, and your weaknesses and you'll be in a better position to succeed.