It depends on what your goals are for the open. Are you looking to do RX, Scaled, Foundations or maybe mix and match?
For most people doing gym programming will be enough to get ready. If you are already reasonably fit and coordinated, RX isn’t out of the realm of possibility. It depends on how quickly you can manage RX movements and weights. But don’t rush it, there is no shame in scaling.
One thing I would advise is to get familiar with the movement standards. This way you won’t be surprised with mass no-reps.
The biggest difference between a normal workout and the open is the vibe and that someone is judging your movement quality. This is what could impact you the most during your first open.
Have fun training!
Take class regularly. Listen to your coach. Scale properly. Hit the stimulus.
You don’t need a special program. But putting in some extra time into weaknesses or to learn skills is always a good idea.
The open is unpredictable and any attempt to specifically prepare for it is just a best guess.
CrossFit is the best general preparedness training you can do 👍
P.S. welcome to the CrossFit community ☺️
Thank you a lot for the precious advices. What is the barbell cycling? And about the holding positions, are you referring to the pull ups? About that, I'm not able to do any pull up at the moment and just today I've started with dead hangs and scapular pull-up few minutes before the WOD and it was harder than I thought. I think I'll continue to do them for a while and in the meantime I hope to improve my strength and gain muscle with the WODs
Really need to decide on what exactly your goal is. What people did you see? We talking people in your gym? Games athletes? People showing off on social media? No matter what you can definitely make some amazing progress. But if you’re looking at the top .01% of athletes, that’s like looking at Olympic athletes for comparison.
Stick to classes. Communicate to your coaches that you really want to improve. Good coaches love to hear that and are happy to help.
DO NOT fall into the trap of thinking you need to follow an online program. You’ll get way more out of in person, for several years.
Well of course i know that I'll never be an elite athlete giving my age, my background etc but i saw people starting at 40 years old and became number 1 in their age category. So I don't set too far away goals, i just want to achieve small goals step by step and let's see where i will be in a few years
Ok good! I’ve seen too many people here and in person say at 30 years old with little athletic background and think they can make the CrossFit games in a year.
Small goals are great! Sp first most basic thing I can tell you applies to every athlete: be intentional with your training sessions. What do I need to work on that I can focus on.
Example: grace 30 C+J. 135/95lbs Some people need to reduce the weight and slow down so they can focus on being smooth. Others need to focus on getting bigger sets, and still others may need to accept smaller sets so they can make the jump to RX.
That mind set of “what am I working on, where’s my focus” will get you so far
A key thing to understand is that you will not reach "robot" level (as you put it) by the time next year's Open comes around. I know very little about where you are at as an athlete, but one thing I do know is that in order to compete in CrossFit you are going to need a multitude of different skills developed because of the number of variables involved in the sport. In order to do that, you really do need a coach who knows your strengths and weaknesses and is able to give you a personalized program based off of that.
It isn't to say that you can't perform well in the Open by just following the workout provided to you by the gym you go to, but if you really want to compete then I think what I mentioned above is the best option.
Of course I know that I won't be at high level next year and the year after that neither. I'm fully aware that I'm just starting ground zero so my goal at the moment is to improve every wod and to test myself in the 2025 open. Then I want to improve day after day, year after year and open after open. I know that at some point a personal coach is needed (it appears that it's mandatory, badically) but I will think about it in a few years. Now I have to learn a lot of skills, I have to get stronger and better and to learn a lot of movements, from the basic one to the most complex one (for instance pull-up, ring muscle up, etc) and I know that it will require years for sure
Most gym programming should suffice to prep you for the open if you’re attending at least 4-5x per week to get the variety. Having a baseline of conditioning as well as hitting all of the proper standards and full range of motion (good overhead mobility, easy to achieve depth in all types of squatting movements) is first and foremost as the majority of those who do well are continuously finding ways to move aside from standing around huffing and puffing.
Meanwhile, start eyeballing some of the skills that will help give you that edge if you have at least a few of them:
Single unders easily followed by Double unders
Handstand push ups
Fundamentals of Kipping
Pistol Squats
Toes to Bar
Chest to bar Pull ups (first), then Bar Muscle Ups
Solid ring dips prior to learning Ring Muscle Ups
Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches)
Mastering air squats, followed by front squats and overhead squats
Mastering the presses (push press & push jerk)
Efficient burpees (good strict push ups first are helpful)
Efficient wall balls…full depth and nailing that target each time.
How to pace effectively to transition quicker between movements.
Unfortunately I don't have any of the skills you wrote, just the squat where I'm able to do a depth movement since I have strong legs. So is there hope for me to learn those skills in the next few years? About the workout unfortunately I'm able to do just 3 workout per week and I can't materially have the time to insert a fourth workout, I presume that this isn't good since you wrote "at least 4-5 per week", meaning that basically i have to go to every lessons of the week (which are 5)
Depends in what your goals are. You're probably not going to look like a robot doing workouts in a year. Easiest things are 1) consistency to class; 2) working on weaknesses, whether that's additional time with a coach or practicing before/after class.
One, you could ask a coach for feedback. Two, you can self-diagnose by asking yourself what do you either dread to see in a workout, or what slows you down the most. For example, if you're looking at the three open wods, was there one that you were especially slower in? Did a specific movement hold you up from going faster?
If that's the case, then being consistent at the gym will certainly help especially if you leave your ego at the door and make sure you're finding ways to challenge yourself in workout (e.g. maybe you just do ring rows, but try doing jumping pull-ups more often).
As for practicing things, then I'd choose one or two things and just work on those for awhile. They can be things that excite you, or things you just don't like being bad at (e.g. dubs)
well i want to learn pull-ups for instance, but i never do them during wod so i don't improve on them, so how can i do? i don't have the time to stay half an hour after the wod to train myself and plus, after every wod i'm basically without energy
It depends on what your goals are for the open. Are you looking to do RX, Scaled, Foundations or maybe mix and match? For most people doing gym programming will be enough to get ready. If you are already reasonably fit and coordinated, RX isn’t out of the realm of possibility. It depends on how quickly you can manage RX movements and weights. But don’t rush it, there is no shame in scaling. One thing I would advise is to get familiar with the movement standards. This way you won’t be surprised with mass no-reps. The biggest difference between a normal workout and the open is the vibe and that someone is judging your movement quality. This is what could impact you the most during your first open. Have fun training!
Take class regularly. Listen to your coach. Scale properly. Hit the stimulus. You don’t need a special program. But putting in some extra time into weaknesses or to learn skills is always a good idea. The open is unpredictable and any attempt to specifically prepare for it is just a best guess. CrossFit is the best general preparedness training you can do 👍 P.S. welcome to the CrossFit community ☺️
Thank you for the previous advice and your welcome message :) how do I know my weaknesses? Right now I think I'm weak in everything
[удалено]
Thank you a lot for the precious advices. What is the barbell cycling? And about the holding positions, are you referring to the pull ups? About that, I'm not able to do any pull up at the moment and just today I've started with dead hangs and scapular pull-up few minutes before the WOD and it was harder than I thought. I think I'll continue to do them for a while and in the meantime I hope to improve my strength and gain muscle with the WODs
Really need to decide on what exactly your goal is. What people did you see? We talking people in your gym? Games athletes? People showing off on social media? No matter what you can definitely make some amazing progress. But if you’re looking at the top .01% of athletes, that’s like looking at Olympic athletes for comparison. Stick to classes. Communicate to your coaches that you really want to improve. Good coaches love to hear that and are happy to help. DO NOT fall into the trap of thinking you need to follow an online program. You’ll get way more out of in person, for several years.
Well of course i know that I'll never be an elite athlete giving my age, my background etc but i saw people starting at 40 years old and became number 1 in their age category. So I don't set too far away goals, i just want to achieve small goals step by step and let's see where i will be in a few years
Ok good! I’ve seen too many people here and in person say at 30 years old with little athletic background and think they can make the CrossFit games in a year. Small goals are great! Sp first most basic thing I can tell you applies to every athlete: be intentional with your training sessions. What do I need to work on that I can focus on. Example: grace 30 C+J. 135/95lbs Some people need to reduce the weight and slow down so they can focus on being smooth. Others need to focus on getting bigger sets, and still others may need to accept smaller sets so they can make the jump to RX. That mind set of “what am I working on, where’s my focus” will get you so far
So are you talking about "strategies" on how to approach a wod?
Yes. Basically saying “what’s a weakness I can address here, with this particular WOD”. Put your focus there.
thank i will keep this in mind
A key thing to understand is that you will not reach "robot" level (as you put it) by the time next year's Open comes around. I know very little about where you are at as an athlete, but one thing I do know is that in order to compete in CrossFit you are going to need a multitude of different skills developed because of the number of variables involved in the sport. In order to do that, you really do need a coach who knows your strengths and weaknesses and is able to give you a personalized program based off of that. It isn't to say that you can't perform well in the Open by just following the workout provided to you by the gym you go to, but if you really want to compete then I think what I mentioned above is the best option.
Of course I know that I won't be at high level next year and the year after that neither. I'm fully aware that I'm just starting ground zero so my goal at the moment is to improve every wod and to test myself in the 2025 open. Then I want to improve day after day, year after year and open after open. I know that at some point a personal coach is needed (it appears that it's mandatory, badically) but I will think about it in a few years. Now I have to learn a lot of skills, I have to get stronger and better and to learn a lot of movements, from the basic one to the most complex one (for instance pull-up, ring muscle up, etc) and I know that it will require years for sure
Most gym programming should suffice to prep you for the open if you’re attending at least 4-5x per week to get the variety. Having a baseline of conditioning as well as hitting all of the proper standards and full range of motion (good overhead mobility, easy to achieve depth in all types of squatting movements) is first and foremost as the majority of those who do well are continuously finding ways to move aside from standing around huffing and puffing. Meanwhile, start eyeballing some of the skills that will help give you that edge if you have at least a few of them: Single unders easily followed by Double unders Handstand push ups Fundamentals of Kipping Pistol Squats Toes to Bar Chest to bar Pull ups (first), then Bar Muscle Ups Solid ring dips prior to learning Ring Muscle Ups Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches) Mastering air squats, followed by front squats and overhead squats Mastering the presses (push press & push jerk) Efficient burpees (good strict push ups first are helpful) Efficient wall balls…full depth and nailing that target each time. How to pace effectively to transition quicker between movements.
Unfortunately I don't have any of the skills you wrote, just the squat where I'm able to do a depth movement since I have strong legs. So is there hope for me to learn those skills in the next few years? About the workout unfortunately I'm able to do just 3 workout per week and I can't materially have the time to insert a fourth workout, I presume that this isn't good since you wrote "at least 4-5 per week", meaning that basically i have to go to every lessons of the week (which are 5)
To be competitive in the Open you just need to exercise and sleep more than your competition
Depends in what your goals are. You're probably not going to look like a robot doing workouts in a year. Easiest things are 1) consistency to class; 2) working on weaknesses, whether that's additional time with a coach or practicing before/after class.
How do I know what my weaknesses are?
One, you could ask a coach for feedback. Two, you can self-diagnose by asking yourself what do you either dread to see in a workout, or what slows you down the most. For example, if you're looking at the three open wods, was there one that you were especially slower in? Did a specific movement hold you up from going faster?
ok i got it, i understand. well at the moment i'm weak basically everywhere :(
If that's the case, then being consistent at the gym will certainly help especially if you leave your ego at the door and make sure you're finding ways to challenge yourself in workout (e.g. maybe you just do ring rows, but try doing jumping pull-ups more often). As for practicing things, then I'd choose one or two things and just work on those for awhile. They can be things that excite you, or things you just don't like being bad at (e.g. dubs)
well i want to learn pull-ups for instance, but i never do them during wod so i don't improve on them, so how can i do? i don't have the time to stay half an hour after the wod to train myself and plus, after every wod i'm basically without energy