Anyone doing CrossFit is familiar with pushing boundaries. Coming in for training every day means you’re in a battle against the only opponent that really matters: you. If you’re willing to push yourself a bit, to give just a little bit more, you’ll find that “sweet spot.” Outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens.
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
If there is one thing the CrossFit Games Open can bring out, it’s that ability to push just a little more outside of your comfort zone. It might be intimidating, sure; nerve-racking even. However, it also motivates us to go beyond what we would normally do, letting people see what we are truly made of and find that we can be even more awesome than we thought.
Take 17.3, for example. As soon as it was announced, this WOD generated mixed feelings among crossfitters. Some were scared, some were excited, some were scratching their heads and not sure which version of the WOD to do. The workout was:
WORKOUT 17.3 Rx’d (Ages 16-54)
Prior to 8:00, complete:
3 rounds of: 6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 squat snatches (95 / 65 lb.)Then, 3 rounds of:
7 chest-to-bar pull-ups
5 squat snatches (135 / 95 lb.)*Prior to 12:00, complete 3 rounds of:
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
4 squat snatches (185 / 135 lb.)*Prior to 16:00, complete 3 rounds of:
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
3 squat snatches (225 / 155 lb.)*Prior to 20:00, complete 3 rounds of:
10 chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 squat snatches (245 / 175 lb.)Prior to 24:00, complete 3 rounds of:
11 chest-to-bar pull-ups
1 squat snatch (265 / 185 lb.)*If all reps are completed, time cap extends by 4 minutes.
Source: https://games.crossfit.com/workouts/open/2017/17.3
Squat snatches? They get heavier and heavier? Oh, more pull-ups each round? What? I have to do what by when? huh …We know the feeling. It looks a little “out there.” As coaches needing to get a class through this WOD, it was definitely challenging! But in hindsight it was one of our favorite WODs. (If you have to ask why? Did you see the video at the top of the page??!)
Some of our athletes chose the RX version, but many of our athletes smartly chose the Scaled version. The scaled version switched out the chest-to-bar pull-ups for jumping chin over the bar pull-ups. The weight on the barbell was reduced to:
Squat snatches or power snatches with overhead squats permitted
Men use 45-75-95-115-135-155 lb.
Women use 35-55-65-75-95-105 lb.
However, all in all, this is THE WOD that pushed a lot of us out of our comfort zones, enough for us to hit new PRs! Hitting a new PR is always exciting, but doing it during a CrossFit Open WOD? That’s even better!
Looking Forward to the Next Open
We are so proud and excited for all of you who decided to take on this journey with us, those of you who had done it before and wanted to see how much you’ve progressed in a years’ time, and those of you who are new to it. If this was your first Open, we can’t wait for you to take on the challenge again next year so you can see how much you’ve improved. It might be tough, but it’s super rewarding.
Good job, CFJC family! Take pride in how far you’ve come!!
(Meanwhile, scroll back up to the top and watch that video again! It’s the face of a hard-won PR.)
