6 Ways to Keep Calm and WOD on During the #CrossFitOpen

It’s that time of the year again. The 2014 CrossFit Games Open is upon us!

I don’t get to play this year do to a shoulder injury, but I get to do a lot of coaching, cheering, and judging, One thing that I have noticed this year is that a lot of people really freak out before they are about to do the open WODs, or just when they doing comps in general. I used to experience the same thing before my fights, so although I don’t get nervous before comps, I definitely understand the feeling. Maybe you have never competed before, and that’s totally OK! That is what's so awesome about the open, anyone can do it! Pre-competition jitters are pretty common, even the best if the best still get nervous before they go out to compete. There are a few things you can do to reduce nerves though...

[caption id="attachment_14429" align="alignright" width="280"]Relax, Have Fun!![/caption]

Here's 6 Ways to Keep Calm and WOD on During the #CrossFitOpen

1. Don’t be afraid

Nothing will sap you of energy, and strength more than fear, and anxiety. There’s not going to be anything here that you haven’t seen before., so you have nothing to be afraid of. Remember everyone else is doing all the same workouts that you are doing, and there are probably going to be a bunch of other people there cheering you on. Use that energy to push harder. Take a deep breath and be confident. Nerves will make you perform with less intensity, and with more tension, which will cause you to tire faster. Try and stay as relaxed as possible.

2. Compete against yourself

Don’t worry what everyone else is doing, just do the best that you can do. Don’t let that voice in your head get the best of you. Your body can do a lot more than your brain thinks it’s capable of. When your brain tells you to stop, don’t listen to it. Keep going! When you concentrate on how other people doing, you aren’t concentrating on the task at hand, which will hamper your performance. You’ll find out how everyone else did soon enough. Focus on your technique and keep moving!

3. Know you got this

4. It's OK to be a little cocky, just keep it to yourself

You've been doing these type of workouts day in and day out at your gym, the only difference now is that a ton of people are going to see how you did. No big deal. Ok, maybe that’s a big difference, but still not that big of a deal. Really once you get going you’re not going to be thinking about any of that anyway. All of the people who will see your score online will be proud of how you did. Unless they are assholes, and no one cares about them anyway. Be confident and go ahead and tell yourself that you got this, that you are the shit, that you are great. Whatever it takes to boost your confidence. Just say it in your head, and not out loud so no one thinks you’re crazy, or super cocky. No one likes cocky people.

5. Visualize

Visualize yourself doing well. Especially since you know what the workout is going to be. You have 5 days to do the workout, and turn in your score. Use that time see yourself doing exactly what you want to happen, and your brain will tell your body what to do when its time to go. All great athletes use visualization in one way, or another. Plus who doesn’t like to think about themselves doing awesome stuff? If you have done the workout once, and are going to do it again, try to visualize improving on the parts of the workout that you know you could have done better on.

6. Have fun

At the end of the day, competing should be fun. Sure everyone likes to win, and I’m one of the sorest losers I know. But I’m getting better at just trying to enjoy the journey. If you don’t put so much pressure on yourself, and just try to enjoy what’s going on you’ll do a lot better, and you’ll probably have a better time doing it. Take this time to see what you are capable of, and most importantly use this time to build community with all the other people who love CrossFit and what it's all about as much as you do!

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Author Bio:

Jeff Prescott is a Level 1 Coach and Co-Owner of El Dorado Hills CrossFit. He loves CrossFit, and motivating people to be better versions of themselves. You can follow him kettlebeard.com where he gives an inside view of what it’s like to own a CrossFit gym, and gives a few tips on being a better CrossFitter. Be sure to follow and connect with him  at www.KettleBeard.com, on Twitter @kettlebeard and Instagram too.