Why Fear The Open?
When people start talking about stressing out during the Open, trust me, I get it.
I think stress during the Open in prior years may have actually shortened my life. But is that the Open's fault? NFW.
I think the Open can be stressful for three primary reasons:
1) I'm not as good as I want to be
2) I'm worried I'll let people down
3) I'm worried my friends will be mad if I beat them
If I'm not as good as I want to be it's typically because I have unrealistic expectations and/or because I haven't put in the work. If I've been inconsistent in my training, or in working on my weaknesses, that will become painfully clear in the Open. My weaknesses will be thoroughly exposed for all the world to see.
The truth is, I've learned that for the most part the world doesn't really care how I do, neither do my friends or my family. They will only be let down if I don't try, and/or if I'm devastated by my results. And truth be told, even then they won't really be let down, they'll just be hoping I stop talking about it soon.
My friends probably will be a little mad if I beat them, but not because I beat them, but because of #1 above for them - they aren't as good as they want to be. And same in the reverse when I lose. Nobody likes to lose, but channeled properly losing can be a great motivator.
So, is the Open stressful? Sure, if you focus on the wrong things, or if you've been shorting reps and range of motion and you actually have something to hide (note that you're the only one who thinks no one notices).
The Open is actually a wonderful opportunity to see how far you've come, how far you have to go, and, most importantly, to enjoy the camaraderie that comes from shared ambition, experience, exhilarating success, and devastating failure. It exposes our strengths and our weaknesses, and gives us a chance to support each other through it all.
An awesome video Brian C. put together of the first workout (15.1) of the 2015 Open
at Arena Ready.
WOD for 02-13-17:
2 Power Snatches + 1 Squat Snatch:
12 Minutes to Establish a Top Set (NOT Max)
-then-
AMRAP 7 Minutes:
3, 6, 9, 12, etc. Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
3, 6, 9, 12, etc. Chest-to-Bar Pul-ups
The reps for both power snatches and C2B pull-ups increase by 3 every round until 7 minutes expires.