The last week of the Open has come and gone. All the scores have been validated, torn hands have started to heal, lungs and legs are finally working again and Workout Warriors have been deemed the champions of the 2022 Intramural Open. With all the excitement of the Open behind us, you may be asking yourself “Now what?”. We’ve got you covered! Read on for some tips the coaches at CFN have put together to help keep your momentum moving forward now that the Open is over.
- Change How You Train
During Open workouts our main focus is getting a score. As much as it is fun, the Open is a competition-either with our previous year’s rankings, our personal expectations, another person in the gym, or some random person you follow on Instagram. Our class workouts are not competitions. What this means is that a score isn’t the most important aspect of what we’re doing.
Now that the Open is over, you can adapt the intent and goal of your training.
Perhaps you’re sick of the barbell. Come to Endurance and become friends with the rower and the sled. Maybe you avoid the Air Assault Bike and now is a good time to always seek it out. Or, maybe during the Open you went singles with the gymnastic movements simply to get a few more competition reps and now is a good time to always strive for the “touch-and-go” method of stringing reps together. Maybe you sign up for Summer Hype, our upcoming strength and hypertrophy course. Maybe we always go “full send” on a workout and now we set specific pacing intentions. The options of approaching workouts are endless.
One way to stay fit and interested after the Open is to change, adapt or modify how you train.
- Stay Connected to the Community
Part of the reason why we do CrossFit and the Open is because of the relationships. After the Open, stay connected to the awesome folks at FCF. Come to class, even if you aren’t planning on working out super intensely. Just be around people. Go to the community events (like Bring A Friend Day, Lake Day, or Chicken ‘N Pickle). Check the CFN Members’ Page on Facebook to keep in touch with people’s Bright Spots and to post your own.
Part of staying fit and interested is staying connected to people who are also pursuing health and fitness.
- Set a New Goal
A good way to keep momentum after the Open is to have another goal lined up. It could be doing a competition in the summer, or learning a new skill like Double Under’s, kipping pull-ups, or rope climbs.
Perhaps there was one movement that got you stuck during the Open (such as strict Bar Muscle Ups, Double Under’s, or Walk Walks). This next cycle or period in the year would be great to address those and work past what got us stuck.
Intentionally focus on them during class, or book a Personal Training session to speed up the process.
Maybe the goal is attendance driven, such as committing to coming to class at least 2 times each week for the next six weeks, or nutrition focused.
Part of world-class fitness is learning and playing new sports and developing new skills.
Maybe we set a goal to hike the Colorado mountains this summer, or head to RoKC and rock-climb, or play some pick-up basketball, or run a local race. Coach Brooks shares some more advice and discusses how he shifts his mindset following the Open in a video here.
The Open is a short-burst of intense fitness and a lot of fun. Here’s to keeping the momentum going even though you’re no longer submitting scores to a judge and wearing a ridiculously awesome costume.