We’re two weeks into the Crossfit Open and I’ve been having quite a bit of fun with the workouts so far.  I’ve worn two small holes in my hands during the pull-ups last week but otherwise my body is holding in there pretty well.  The Open is a great time of the year to see what you’re made of and compare yourself against athletes all across the globe.

Inevitably, every year people do get hurt.  Sports injuries more commonly occur during competition and I believe the Open is no exception.   Your adrenaline is high, you’re pushing your limits, you’re pushing to hit the rx workout and often times we’re more apt to ignore aches and pains when the stakes are higher.  Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy during the open and reduce your risk of injury.

1. Remember your goals

Some of you have been competing for years and have a serious shot at doing well in the open and potentially making it to regionals and beyond.  If that’s you, then by all means go for it.  You’ve trained hard for this moment and it’s your time to work.

If you aren’t looking to make it to regionals or just aren’t in shape to give it a shot then it may be wise not to push the envelope.  This is something I discuss with my patients.  I’ve had several people tell me they have some nagging or recent injuries and didn’t know what to do going into the open.  You’ve got to remember my bias as a physical therapist but if you’re having pain and don’t have aspirations of becoming the next Rich Froning Jr. or Sam Briggs it may be wise to shut things down.  If you’re the next champion coming out of the woodwork then it …read more

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I hope everyone had a great first open workout.  I know I did (sort of, it felt rather terrible but satisfying in a strange way).  We’re now in open territory and it’s time to showcase all of your hard work from over the past year.   I just released some new programming to optimize your performance through the open while keeping your body fresh and helping to minimize the risk of injury.

To purchase this month’s programming click HERE:

Changes and additions to this month’s programming:

• More modifications per workout – Depending on how beat up your body is from the open workout you can adjust accordingly
• More conditioning specific to the demands of the open.  We have a good idea of what we’ll be seeing and we need to be ready for it.
• Strength training maintenance – Strength work is kept at a maintenance level to maximize conditioning.
• Optional work specific to addressing exercises that have most historically shown up in the open.

My thoughts on last month’s programming:

• I felt the program addressed the specific demands of the open.  I routinely felt as if I was better able to handle higher volume workouts with less fatigue.
• My strength went down during this cycle.  This was expected but I was ready to accept a dip in strength for improved conditioning.
• A bit too much work in general.  I had an idea this was going to happen.  Last month was almost all open workouts which tend to be pretty challenging.  Both myself and several clients spoke to how drained they felt over the course of the month.  Overall I felt that this adequately prepared everyone for the open but was teetering on too much.
• Boring – The open is has been fairly predictable over the past few years.  The program reflects this.  Because of that there wasn’t as …read more
  
  

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