Five Quick Tips from Five Coaches before the Open starts

The 2022 CrossFit Open begins tomorrow. The reps are done, the nutrition is on point, and the chalk is ready to go. So what about the intangibles, the mental game? Doing well in the Open is as much between the ears as it is within the body. 

CrossFit coaches across the world are currently in overdrive helping their athletes, from the elites to the weekend warriors, prep for three weeks of what will be workout madness. We’ve scoured the planet and found five coaches, who will offer five tips on how you can smash the Open this year. 

Remind me: Tune in to the CrossFit Games website for the live 22.1 announcement on Thursday, February 24 at 12 PM PT. And as always, the Morning Chalk Up will provide workout strategy guides and full leaderboard coverage and analysis.

Ed Haynes, Coastal Fitness, Hong Kong

• “Adjust the volume and intensity of your training in the week, so that you’re saving the majority of your resources for the Open Workout each week. The closer you get to your Open Workout, the easier your training should get and vice versa. Also remember that Open workouts are more taxing on the mind and body than your normal training. Movement standards, a judge, a submission deadline, a global leaderboard. Make sure you are accounting for this additional stressor by A) removing other stressors in your life, or B) increasing your coping mechanisms to stress (sleep, nutrition, meditation, etc.)”

Ben Bergeron, CompTrain, United States

• “For those trying to maximize their performance, plan on doing the workout twice: Friday and Monday. Video your first attempt, and give it your full effort. Then review your video and record how long each round took. Chances are round one was significantly faster than the last rounds. Find the average time per round and next time you do the workout do it more as an Emom style, trying to keep your round times closer to the average.

Carlos Albaladejo, CrossFit Marvel, South Korea

• “Create a strategy based on your ability and try to stick to it until the end. If you have anything left, let it all out at the end. Also, warm up appropriately. Five to ten minutes of a general warm up, 10-15 minutes of a specific warm-up, 2-3 rounds of an abbreviated version of the workout at game pace to figure how fast or conservative you have to start.”

Keith Stillman, Port Tower CrossFit, Japan

• Trust your training. You’re gonna fail to the level of your training. It’s important to push yourself but you can’t replace preparation with determination. Knowing your limits will help you ride the line. Restraining from going over that line will ensure your best possible score … Watch your video, notice your splits. This sport rewards the pacer. If you’re not videoing your performance, ask your judge to note times. Use this information to learn what pace you can keep and what you can’t. This should inform any redos.

António Barrias, CrossFit XVI, Macau

• “The Open is the perfect time to put your metal to the test, it doesn’t matter what level you’re at. It gives everyone the opportunity to rise to a higher level through competition that isn’t seen in any other sport. So everyone should join and aim high because you can’t really fail or fall short … If you’re doing the open for fun, don’t do it alone, drag along a few friends and get at it together. The atmosphere is always something different doing an open WOD than class. People will die for points and I think everyone underestimates how much we will push to win over our buddies by that single rep.”