Don’t fear the “NO REP.”

Guest article by Coach Andy. 

Embrace it.

It’s going to happen. NO REP!

Athletes are going to hear it.

You’re going to get tired and your movements won’t always meet the standard. It’s called intensity and it’s ok. But how do you recover from a no rep?

1. Don’t blame your judge. Anger will only mess with your head and you need to focus on the rest of your workout. I will tell you first hand, the very best way to prevent any confusion is to perform about 3 reps of each movement for your judge before the workout begins so they can give feedback. You will both know what to expect from each other from the get go. If you think you’ve been no rep’d in error, refocus and continue each movement as if you were Rich Froning himself (when he’s not getting no rep’d). Remember that saying, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

2. Don’t stress. “No rep” is not a dirty word(s?), it’s the truth. Try to think of it as a helpful cue from your judge who is holding you to the high standard you deserve to be held to in this sport. Have you ever been no rep’d by a coach? That’s how we show you that we care. A “no rep” is better than a “bro rep” any day. Take it, correct it and be better because of it.

Judges are going to say it.

The judges course was tough wasn’t it? If you’re like me, you had to re-take a module or two. It’s strict business, but don’t worry, I just told the athletes not to get mad at you. Even still, how do you make sure The Open is a good experience for the athlete while doing right by the standards?

1. Talk to them. Without to many words, tell them what they did wrong… “no rep – get lower,” “no rep – stand tall at the top,” “no rep – touch the bar,” etc. If you gave feedback on thier movements prior to the workout, they would understand what you were looking for with minimal need for explanation.

2. Don’t give athletes reps they didn’t earn. Some athletes may be working really REALLY hard, but are not able to complete a certain rep. This is part of any competition at any level of fitness. Sometimes athletes run out of gas or are presented with a movement that is beyond their scope. They may have worked harder than most to even get close to a good rep, but “almost” still doesn’t count. No competitor wants to be given a courtesy rep they didn’t deserve. As frustrated as they might seem, it’s not at you. These are either moments when people learn something valuable about themselves as an athlete or moments when people rise to the occasion and do something they didn’t think they could. Do right by them.

Embrace it.

If this is your first time in a competition setting, enjoy the experience! We are one enormous team of panda saving fools at CrossFit Incendia and I guarantee that when you hear that clock beep 3-2-1, all you’ll hear is your own breath and your friends cheering you on. Besides, when was anything easy worth doing?

Let’s do this.