CrossFit Open

  I mentioned that THE Open started a few weeks back and it's kind of a big deal around here.  The open is the CrossFit Open which is a series of 5 workouts done over 5 weeks and scores/times are submitted.  There are Open Announcements each thursday at 5pm and the workout is given for the world to see and then try and then you have until Monday to submit your score.  You can do it once or as many times as you'd like.  Mike's got all of us into it and we gather around the iPad to watch on thursdays, usually after dinner because 5 pm is not a good time.  They also have two of the top athletes compete right after the announcement which is fun to watch and it's got the kids always asking, "who do we want to win?"

  So, this is Mike's 2nd time doing an open and it is a very fun event, even though it is a bit intense adding another thing to our plate.  His gym, like most, all get together and do the Open workout on friday nights.  We've been all going to watch him and his other buddies compete and cheer them on.

  Sometimes, the kids will sit and watch and cheer him on.  Most times, they are playing at the play structure nearby.  This particular workout that the boys are watching is when they had to do as many rounds of 7 muscle ups, 50 wall balls, and 100 double-unders as they could in 14 minutes.  The kicker here was the muscle ups, some people can't do very many let alone one, so they didn't even get to start the workout.  Mike did 314 reps, so he did two full rounds and was super close to getting one muscle up in the 3rd round.

  Since the workout is right at dinner time, I wrap up some burritos and we head to the club.  The first week of the open, it was freezing and it was before daylight savings time started so it got dark before Mike went and it was not the best experience.  The last couple of times it has been much nicer and way more pleasant!

  I had to capture Ava's little finger pointing.  One of her many new things.  So cute.

  These last pics are from the 4th workout and it was a combo of handstand push-ups and cleans at 185 lbs.  Mike is super strong and makes lifting weight look SUPER easy.  Since I've started lifting a bit with him, I now know how freaking strong he is and have a whole new appreciation for the numbers he puts up.  This particular workout was handstand push-up heavy and bodyweight movements are not his strong suit, but he still did amazing and ended up doing 51 handstand pushups and 21 cleans in 8 minutes.  They had to do it in a certain order, but adding up the totals just shows how crazy hard it is.

  Mike is the type to thrive when people are watching and cheering him on.  He likes me there with him, watching and coaching/motivating.  It's been a fun and new way for us to bond, and I certainly like to be there to support him.

  One workout to go this year and you can bet we'll be tuning in to find out what it is tomorrow.  After this week, a second Open will be in the books.  And I never thought I'd say it, but I'm going to miss our weekly ritual.

Go Mike!