My 2014 CrossFit Open Experience By Ashlee Mann

My experience participating in the Crossfit Open 2014...

When I signed up for the Open, like most first timers I had no idea what to expect. I signed up because of the coach’s encouragement and my friends at the gym were participating. I assumed I would last maybe one workout because of my skill level and the fact that during the Open there is very little modification allowed.  I knew the Open workouts were designed to be challenging for the top athletes so my mind set was to do the portion of the workout that I could do and if I got to a point where I couldn't do the outlined exercise then I would simply stop and wait until the next week's workout. Little did I know, Paul had a completely different plan and I was about to challenge myself more than I ever thought?

I have never been one to enjoy seeing the workout posted before going to the gym for the simple fact I can usually talk myself out of going or convince myself that there's no way I can do "that" workout. I was surprised to find myself constantly checking Facebook and Instagram and looking forward to the workouts being posted on Thursday evenings.

There was an arrangement at Starke for everyone doing the Open to get together and do the workouts together. I was a little hesitant on that idea only because it's embarrassing when you can't do an exercise and struggling in front of an audience isn't my idea of fun. It was bad enough there was going to be a judge watching my every rep to ensure it counted. I dreaded the words “no rep”.

The first workout was announced, 14.1- 30 double unders and 15 power snatches for as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes. My first thought was this is going to be pretty straight forward, 10 minutes of attempting to do 1 double under. Up to that point, I had pretty much given up on even getting one double under. When it came to the workout, I practiced for about 45 minutes before, with only minimal success and watched everyone else do their workout. When it was my turn, I went as hard as I could with minimal breaks for 10 minutes to get as many double unders as possible. I got 10 reps! I was really surprised and happy. Right after my 10 minutes was up; I went to the bar and did the power snatches. Even if the reps didn’t count, I had to lift that bar. 

After week 1, that is when my mindset changed. I really enjoyed watching and cheering on the other participants, it was amazing and inspiring to see how everyone fed off the energy of the group, preformed the workouts and really pushed themselves beyond what I’d ever seen them do in our regular classes. I realised the judges were there to cheer you on and hold you accountable to every rep, not just to say “no rep”. It made me want to push myself beyond what I thought I could do to see what I could do. 

Week 2- 14.2 10 overhead squats, 10 chest to bar pulls ups etc. Going into that week I assumed I would drop by the gym to cheer on my fellow participants and do my 10 overhead squats. Paul informed me that I was doing the whole workout, even if only the first 10 reps counted. Lori provided me some pointers for my modified pull ups and it really helped me to improve my form for not only that workout but now every time I do pull ups. I counted 10 reps for this workout as well. 

Reporting your weekly reps/score to the Crossfit Open website was really cool. It was interesting to look over the standings on a regional and worldwide scale. It proved to me what a great community Crossfit is becoming all over the world and that it caters to all ages, demographics and skill levels of people. 

Week 3- 14.3, deadlifts and box jumps/step ups. This week was the hardest workout for me because the deadlift weight was challenging, step ups were even more challenging and I could do the workout to the required standards. I put absolutely everything I had into this workout and I felt like I was at my max the entire time. Paul was my judge for this workout and if were not for his encouragement I would have never attained the 94 reps I reported. This was by far my favorite workout of the Open. 

As the Open workouts progressed, the more challenging they became and the more I felt I pushed myself. Even though I was doing the Open for “fun”, I felt a sense of responsibility to push myself to get the highest score I could, for my gym, for my fellow participants and most importantly, for myself. 

For 14.4 I reported 60 (for the 60 calorie row) and completed the rest of the workout, without the muscle ups, on a modified scale.  For 14.5 it took me 28:58 to complete the thrusters and burpees which wasn’t bad for 6:00am, in my opinion.   

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Open, I loved cheering on my “team” and having the motivation from the judges at Starke. It was a great challenge and I learnt lots about pushing my own limits. Watching my fellow participants and the videos on the internet were inspiring to say the least. I am looking forward in participating in next year’s Open and by that time I would like to have an unassisted pull up, 20 double unders, a prettier burpee, be more efficient on my wall balls and a 290lb deadlift.