Training Think Tank coaches a wide variety of people who don’t participate in the sport of CrossFit™. Some people are aiming for their own general fitness metrics, some are athletes who participate in other sports, and some came to us with a curiosity to learn but not a specific goal. While we take every individual’s goal seriously, we do spend a large part of our focus and resources each year on the development of professional and recreational athletes in the sport of CrossFit™.

Everyone reading this who is in the ‘CrossFit world’ knows that Open season is approaching. In about 2 months the first Open workout will be released and we will begin the 5-month long season that culminates in Carson, Ca in July. But, for most people, the end of the road in their CrossFit™ season will be the Open. In order to give everyone their best opportunity to succeed, I wanted to share some things we are doing for our TTT athletes. In the past we have kept these events limited to our current community, but this year we are opening up to non-TTT clients as a way to optimize performance in the open, and build our community.

Open Prep Camp. On Feb 6th and 7th TTT will be hosting an open prep camp for athletes in Alpharetta, Ga in our shared facility with Crossfit Passion. During the camp we will have 4 discussions, 3-4 workouts, and will conclude with catered food, spike ball, basketball and some time to socialize with the TTT coaches and community for anyone who has the time to stay.

Open Webinar Series. Last year Kyle and I created an open video series covering pacing strategies, weekly layouts, analysis of the games athletes who test the workout, potential limitations in the workout for different levels of athletes, and some cues/tips for optimizing performance during each workout. We will continue to do that for all of our TTT athletes this year, but will open it up as a product for anybody outside the community who would like an opportunity to get a glimpse into our thought process.

Click HERE to sign up for the Open Webinar Series

While the Open will provide some new tests and twists this year, our training philosophy and beliefs about optimizing athletic performance while balancing quality of life have not changed. Last year, I wrote an “Open tips” article where I covered the key things to focus on during the open. I believe all of those still hold true, and while I might amend certain details, I feel the major themes still apply. If you want the full post, follow the hyperlink from last years article. Below are bullet-points of the ten major things to focus on during the Open:

• Pacing
• Weekly planning of workout schedule
• Prepare for both success and failure to minimize fear in the workouts
• Plan to grind for 5 weeks, don’t give up early
• Prioritize health, training is a lifetime game
• Retain focus on your normal life obligations
• Avoid leaderboard obsession
• Maintain normal routines, chaos and novelty is stressful
• Learn from your mistakes and results
• Remember your “why”

Good luck in your preparation and have fun.

~ Max