The One-and-Done Approach to CrossFit Open Workouts

When the Open workout drops each week, how many times should you plan to redo it? None. Go in with the goal to be “one and done.”

Sure, take a mulligan if you have an equipment malfunction, cramp, callus tear, or your strategy is way off the mark from the outset. Otherwise, to quote Eminem, go in with the mindset that you have “one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment.” Here’s why.

Don’t Let the Weekend Ruin the Week

The Open fits into our workout week. It shouldn’t obliterate it. Doing the same workout full throttle three or four times and going into the week so sore and fatigued that all your workouts suffer up to the next Open workout is not a good plan. We don’t want to have to take a month off after the Open to recover. We want to be invigorated and ready to keep crushing our routine.

Test Your Fitness, Not Your Learning Curve

The Open is designed to test your fitness, not how well you learn to set up equipment and plan workouts through repeated attempts.

You Probably Won’t Score Much Better

It’s quite likely you won’t score much better in the workout, if at all, by redoing it multiple times. Often, people do worse on subsequent attempts.

Game Time

There’s huge value in learning to step up at game time. Don’t approach your Open workouts by dipping your toe in the pool on the first attempt, thinking you can always redo it. Treat it like the championship game, feel the nerves, and throw down your best performance for that day. That’s how we test our mettle, mental toughness, grit, perseverance, guts.

When You Need Your Fitness in the Real World, You’ve Got One Shot

The physical challenges we encounter, especially the life-and-death ones, don’t often come with second chances. You have to step up in the moment and perform. Train this skill with a “one-and-done” mindset in the Open.

Good luck, and I’ll see you on the leaderboard.

About the Author

Stephane Rochet is a Senior Content Writer for CrossFit. He has worked as a Flowmaster on the CrossFit Seminar Staff and has over 15 years of experience as a collegiate/tactical strength and conditioning coach. He is a Certified CrossFit Trainer (CF-L3) and enjoys training athletes in his garage gym.