The CrossFit® Open, a thrilling annual event in the fitness world, brings an electrifying atmosphere to gyms around the globe. The Open consists of three separate workouts spaced one week apart and marks the beginning of the CrossFit Games season. As gym members eagerly anticipate the challenge, camaraderie fills the air, creating an exciting buzz that transcends the typical workout routine.
These workouts are CrossFit Games qualifier workouts for competitive athletes competing in the sport of fitness. Only the top athletes will pass these tests and qualify to move on to the next level of the qualifiers for The CrossFit® Games. As much as The CrossFit Open is for competitive athletes, it is also for the everyday gym goer competing in the sport of life. For that reason, we say the Open is for everyone. Just because some members may not be competing to go to the Games, they compete against themselves, and they compete against others in their age group from all around the world to be the best versions of themselves. Nutrition plays a huge role in both of these demographics.
While spirits are high and that competitive vibe transcends among many members, as a gym owner and nutrition coach, now is the perfect time to leverage your nutrition program to send home the message that proper nutrition improves longevity and fuels performance in the gym. With Friday Night Lights and CrossFit® Open events happening in many different capacities, it’s the perfect time to celebrate how the basic principles of nutrition can make the difference between performing very well, or fizzling out at the end of a qualifying WOD.
Tip #1 - Leverage Goal Setting Sessions Ahead Of The CrossFit Open
Start marketing for goal setting sessions NOW! The Crossfit Open starts in just a few weeks!
Goal setting sessions or member checkins are a great way to touch base with your current members and find out where they are at with their fitness and nutrition. They are casual conversations centered around checking in with clients to make sure they are getting the most out of their membership, utilizing the services offered, and always working towards improving.
Using the CrossFit® Open as a marketing piece will bring in those competitive athletes who may not have been inclined to sign up in the past for goal-setting sessions. This will give the nutrition coach an opportunity to inform competitive athletes how the nutrition program can help then in addition to how it can help folks just looking to lose weight and be fit.
When marketing goal-setting sessions, remind people of the Open coming up and suggest they sign up for their session now to get ahead of “fueling for performance.” Run the sessions just like normal, but add a performance component into the discussion when giving out the “free” resource you give away normally suggested during these sessions.
This could be building a balanced snack option ‘pre workout’ guide or even a post-workout smoothie recipe. Another resource could be centered around sleep! Sleep is an overlooked component of maintaining a high level of physical performance.
Explain them you will be posting more free content around fueling for performance around the open workouts when they are announced, which leads to our next tip.
Tip #2 - Answer The Burning Question, "What Should I Eat Before a CrossFit® Open Workout?"
Every athlete asks this question, which will be the primary topic people will most likely want to discuss in their goal-setting sessions. A great way to keep nutrition present during this competitive time is to put out short, to-the-point nutrition tip videos the morning after the Open workouts are announced.
The video should be put in the gym’s private members group, on social media, and also emailed to the entire email list so everyone is exposed to the nutrition tip. There is no low carb, “diet foods” being talked about here! The focus of these short videos is centered around how to leverage eating quality foods containing carbohydrates and protein that fuel exercise. Other great topics could be related to sleep, and hydration.
Tip #3 - Celebrate The Nutrition Program With A "Nutrition Booth" At One Of The CrossFit® Open Events
This is often a slept-on strategy! When hosting Friday Night Lights or any other open event the gym hosts, the nutrition team needs to have a booth at the event, just like they would at a competition or a health fair. Make sure there is a QR code with a flyer on the table so members can book a free intro.
The body needs fuel! The booth should also offer pre and post workout snacks! These things make great options:
energy balls
samples of a post-workout recovery shake using the protein the gym sells
pre workout samples if the gym sells it
Also, offering recipe cards with the recipes used for the energy balls and shakes is a great marketing move. And, don’t be scared to add a QR code to book a free intro on these recipe cards too.
Wrap Up
It’s all about recognizing how to leverage opportunities to bring the nutrition program to the forefront of people’s minds. Most gyms I talk to bring the nutrition program into the gym, rather than bringing a gym to the nutrition program. Because of this, a culture shift needs to happen where the benefits of nutrition on training and longevity are consistently being talked about. The CrossFit Open is an amazing place start.
Who is already doing these things during the CrossFit open, or something similar?! I would love to hear! Shoot us a DM on Instagram or send me an email!
heather@healthystepsnutrition.com
