[vc_row padding_top="0px" padding_bottom="0px"][vc_column fade_animation_offset="45px" width="1/1"][text_output]Seven Things to Know/Do Before the Open Written by Brandon, Fixed by Jess (And every day, really.) The open is right around the corner, and it’s time to start becoming more aware. Aware of your goals, your body, the clock, the reps you have left, the plan you are sticking to, what your are telling yourself in your head. It’s normal to not be terribly aware of your surroundings in a workout when you’ve been training less than a year and it takes a while, so don’t worry - it comes with practice. Even with practice, it’s important to be aware of negative habits that can slip into your training sessions and your mind.   7. The coaches see it all, the shaved reps intentional and unintentional Keeping count of your reps when extremely fatigued is hard. You may not notice missing a rep or two (and let’s be honest, there are times when you do) but the Open is when you’ll regret getting into the bad habit of bad reps. So start paying attention and start now. Count out loud if you have to, if you have a hard time keeping count - use a marker board to track them. Grab your phone, and record yourself so you can see if you’re hitting the standards. Judges won’t turn a blind eye to bad reps. Bad reps don’t count in the Open and one rep can make a big difference.   6. Know the difference between Scaled, Modified, and RX The difference is not that Carl is better than Brandon in all of life because Carl just did that workout RX and Brandon did not. The difference is in the form, the mechanics and consistency. Our goal first and foremost (and what yours should be too) is to avoid recipes for injuries. The RX score is something to be earned. It means you did every rep to the RX standard of that movement, and the full amount of repetitions in that workout. It’s okay to scale a workout to preserve the stimulus we are trying to accomplish with that workout - even in the Open. If you can’t get a muscle up, those chest-to-bar pull ups are going to feel just as nasty. Don’t leave anything to chance. We will (in any workout - not just the Open) tell you if you weren’t touching your toes to the bar or hitting the wall ball targets and your workout is, therefore, scaled.   5. Know your goal, know your goal, know your goal We aren’t talking life goals, or full on yearly athletic goals, that’s a talk for another time. Let’s talk smaller. Goals for the WOD at hand. Be Specific: Give yourself a range of what success would look like to you in each WOD. Adjust them for each workout. Bad Goal: I want to win the open / crush everyone in this workout Good Goal: I want to try to perform a 1 round per every 2 minutes during this workout. Be Realistic: Base this goal off of prior data and knowledge. Know your  numbers, what you can squat, how many pull ups you can do unbroken. You will often shoot too low with your goal, but more often you’ll shoot far too high. This is why numbers are important, know how your rep schemes and how to thingk them up. Pay attention to that stuff and write it down.   4. Get Some … Motivation Set your goals too far out of reach and your plan will go to shit, making it hard to stay motivated through the WOD, and the rest of the Open. The words you are speaking to yourself should be positive, affirming, and instructive. Research has found certain forms of self-talk is most useful for movements that require fine motor skills such as Olympic weightlifting or Challenging Gymnastics movements. What you say to yourself can improve focus, mental readiness, self confidence, and help you cope with difficult circumstances. Psych yourself up and find what helps you maintain your drive to succeed. Motivational self talk can also reduce the rate of perceived exertion in athletes, for improved performance during strength and endurance events. Get a mantra, sing a song, whatever. Need some suggestions? Here: Focused self talk: “Chest Up,” “Knees out,” “Extend” Motivational self talk: “Light weight!” “All day!” “Just one more rep...”   3. Lose the Attitude It’s not just about the words you say, it’s the attitude you have. Understand where it’s coming from. There is no time for negativity when the clock is running. Identify what is going on in your head so that when you hear it, you can overcome it. If this negativity is happening while you are not in the middle of a workout, take some time to meditate. Imagine that you sitting down, and your mind is a television. Now imagine you can see the negativity drift in front of you. Be aware of it, but allow it to pass in front of you and continue on its way, separating yourself from it. Quiet Down: Imagine you are turning the volume down on your t.v. so all that shit is silenced. Replace it with the positive self talk above, repeat.  2.5  Control Yo’ Self: Ever see someone who trains great but chokes in competition? It’s about controlling your anxiety. Side Note: Learn how to control your breathing (click here and follow this gif to control your breathing rate). The app “Headspace” is a fantastic app for that. Avoid postures of defeat: Pick your chest up and fuckin’ smile! Fake it until you make it. Slumped shoulders, frowning, hands on knees, will start to play into your psyche and in turn bleed into your performance. Click here to check out a really good TED talk on your body language. Don’t focus on how much it hurts, focus on small chunks of the workout, and how you can overcome each as its own individual obstacle.   2. Be Confident Don’t make excuses for yourself: I’m too short, too old, too weak, I’m not good enough. These are all a means to justify you to not take action. They become ingrained in your mind as self limiting beliefs. Don’t show off, don’t whine, don’t complain just to seek external validation. Confidence comes when you stop seeking approval of others and learn to validate yourself. Face your fears. Fear is part of the human conditioning, allowing it to control you is not. Challenges and setbacks are inevitable. You have the choice to view them as positive or negative. As obstacles to success or opportunities to learn and grow. Visualize your success and make that a part of your daily routine.   1. Develop a growth mindset, not a fixed one In a fixed mindset intelligence is static, this leads to a desire to look smart and therefore a tendency to… Avoid challenges / Gives up easily / See efforts as fruitless or worse / Ignore useful negative feedback / Feel threatened by the success of others / Lie about results With a fixed mindset you’ll plateau early and achieve less than your full potential. In a growth mindset, intelligence can be developed, fueling a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to... Embrace and seek out new challenges / Persist in the face of setbacks / See effort as a path to mastery / Learn from constructive criticism / Find lessons and inspiration in the success of others As a result, you will reach higher levels of achievement giving you a greater sense of free will and a will to give your all in every WOD and everything you do.[/text_output][/vc_column][/vc_row]