What was, and what will be…

The 2017 Open is only about a week away… and looking back, it's hard to believe Team RedShed qualified for Regionals in 2011… but like all things in life and sports, evolution occurs.

What was once considered to be strong, tactical and technically sound becomes almost obsolete, or considered antiquated.  The sport of CrossFit is no different!

Here is a great example for all of you fitness/sports people who like to geek-out about this stuff… consider the Fosbury Flop… in the sport of track & field, the high jump was traditionally performed jumping head on, until Fosbury won the gold medal in 1968 with his unorthodox method of jumping with his back to the bar.  The classic method of jumping head on was considered to be the most efficient technique, but now the Fosbury Flop has proven to be more efficient, powerful and technically sound than any other method of high jumping… and to this day, the most elite of high jumpers are performing the Fosbury Flop!

In the 2011 Open, we were asked to perform a workout for 5:00 using a 165/110 barbell.  Athletes were required to move the bar through a squat clean for 1 point, and then overhead for an additional point… essentially performing a squat clean thruster, or a squat clean and push jerk.  In 2011, the weight of this barbell for a fitness competition was consider almost unprecedented… but more aptly put… it was just considered "heavy".  Many of us struggled mightily for only a single digit score!  Now let's consider the evolution and progressive nature of CrossFit… throw this workout into The Open now, and you will see athletes crush it… and dare I say… some athlete's may even go for multiple sets of unbroken reps!!

Today… we see things changing and evolving to a level that used to seem untouchable.  A 165/110 clean to overhead seems obsolete… where now a 225/155 snatch seems to be the challenge that separates the men and women from the boys and girls. 

Our sport of CrossFit is moving ever closer to the borderline between safety and efficacy… but in my opinion, The Open is not the place to push those limits… hence the scaled division! 

Yes, I know nobody gets a medal for winning the scaled division, and there are no "scaled" CrossFit Games… but when you look at the weekly tests, and you know where you stand in your strength and skill sets, sometimes the scaled workouts are the best options for fitness, safety and efficacy.  I know it doesn't matter to HQ what I think, but I congratulate them for creating the scaled division so we, as coaches, can continue to teach and preach the true value of training for health and longevity, as opposed to creating opportunities for injury or adrenal fatigue through high intensity competition training and volume.

In addition, I also believe the age divisions are another valuable evolution of our sport… and I eagerly wait to see how they continue to adjust the training loads per age group, if at all.

So what was once considered to be for the elite, is now almost viewed to be fundamental… like double unders, muscle-ups, all of the Olympic Lifts, and other gymnastics movements like toes to bar, handstand push-ups and walking on your hands (so dumb!).  We know this to be true, and do our due diligence to program enough touches so if you choose to participate in The Open, there are no excuses (with the exception of hspu and handstand walking… I will never put athletes in such a proven position for neck injury).

As we get closer, consider these points…

• When they added rowing into the Open… there were hundreds of gyms without rowers.
• When they asked us to perform overhead walking lunges… there were hundreds of gyms that were hamstringed by lack of square footage to perform the WODs efficiently… logistical nightmare!
• This year dumbbells are required… and hundreds, if not thousands of gyms don't have dumbbells or enough of them to perform a WOD efficiently for ALL of their members.
• And don't forget that Assault Bike is a games sponsor, and now a staple in Regional and Games competition…

So, as awesome as it was to be part of a grass-roots movement… it's not so awesome to be held hostage by the unknown and unknowable 5 weeks of The Open, when it's clear that the engine is fueled by ingredients that are less than organic!

Instead of condemning it, let's embrace it and it's original intent… to bring a gym together, to challenge ourselves, and to lift each other up!  Embrace the fact that we will be challenged to perform tasks and skills we haven't mastered, test our physiological limits and question our psychological strength!  Be at peace and thoroughly enjoy the experience of testing ourselves once a week for 5 weeks!  Maybe we have a goal… or maybe we don't… and that's OK!!  Maybe this is your first year doing it, and have no idea what to expect… and that's awesome!! 

I can tell you from my own personal experience and journey as an athlete and coach, that no matter what drives you to train and compete… you shouldn't question it.  Your feelings, your drive, your motivation and your reasons are yours… and whatever drives you… accept it, nurture it, embrace it and use it as fuel to keep your fire inside alive!!

As a coach, I much appreciation and gratitude for what The Open was, what it is and where it's going… but that doesn't mean I have to buy a ticket, or jump ship!!  My responsibility is to you and my partners, and to provide the best opportunities to learn and grow RedShed as a strength and conditioning community… The Open is just one of the puzzle pieces in 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle we call RedShed CrossFit.  I am looking forward to lots of help from everyone in finding where the piece fits!!