CrossFit has exploded across the globe since 2000, only really taking hold in the last six years. Its high intensity, work as hard as you can approach is pushing people to become stronger, fitter and leaner.
No weight machines are found anywhere near their gyms known as “Boxes”. Barbells, pull up bars, ropes and lots of white chalk are commonplace, with the emphasis on everyday functional movements such as pulling, pushing, and squatting. This rawness has attracted everyone from
highly trained athletes to those looking to get back in shape after years of doing nothing.
This is exactly the problem that CrossFit is faced with. Can complete rookies cope with its intensity and safely enjoy the benefits without suffering serious injury?
You have signed up for your CrossFit session. You have paid your monthly fee and now you are ready to invest your first portion of time into this new and strange regime. After an introduction by your certified trainer it’s time to face the first WOD of your CrossFit career.
The beeper sounds and those around you burst into life. Barbells are flying (in a controlled fashion of course!) and your adrenaline rises. You are in the thick of it now as sweat starts to run from your forehead and down the bridge of your nose before dropping onto the cold dark floor.
You push as hard as you can, struggling to control both effort and form. There are shouts of encouragement as bodies pause for breath. Three reps, two reps, one rep, done.
Lying on the floor you look up at the clock and see that only ten minutes have past. You thought it had been double that at least. You steady your balance, exhausted, as your heart beats out of your chest. Welcome to CrossFit.
Your first WOD is always an experience that you’re going to remember. The intensity is higher than many have ever experienced. The competitor in you can’t help but race the man or woman closest to you and this is both the strength and weakness of this type of training.
Form is always a concern when repeatedly lifting weight with speed. Those with weightlifting experience can handle this neuromuscular assault but what about the beginners? Their muscles have yet to be programmed for these movements.
Coaching is always important but especially so in CrossFit. A beginner must be guided step by step and be closely watched. Once form is compromised the movement has to stop and the exerciser has to rest before attempting more reps.
This can be difficult in a group setting. Your peers are moving forward while you are resting. What’s worse is that the guy you were sure you’d beat, has just passed you! Experience counts for a lot here. It is vital to not let your body overrule your mind. Form is your guide so once it starts to buckle then you know it’s time to rest up. Controlling this urge is what separates the rookies from the veterans.
CrossFit is fun, challenging and very social. It’s sense of community pushes people to pay higher than normal monthly fees (approx. €75 to €110) just so that they can continue helping each other to get better.
With our lifestyles being busier than ever before, CrossFit allows us to mix workout time with social time. It is the closest many people come to being a part of a team.
However, it certainly isn’t for everyone. A base level of fitness is essential to tackle some of the movements and truly knowing what you’ve signed up for will mentally prepare you.
Here are five essential things to do and get used to before beginning CrossFit and committing to your Box:
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Get comfortable using a barbell
Technique is everything when it comes to Olympic lifting. You will get good advice from your CrossFit coaches but arriving with some experience under your belt will help you progress faster and be more comfortable in your first few weeks.
Exercises such as Thrusters, Cleans and Deadlifts won’t be as taxing with proper execution. Doing a few sessions with a certified weightlifting coach or personal trainer would be well worth the investment.
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Increase your intake of vegetables
The one thing about CrossFit is that it’s intensity will immediately smack you across the face. This intensity is what will bring your gains in fitness and strength but it is also what will allow colds and flus to come knocking if your unhealthy eating habits are not properly addressed.
CrossFit advises eating meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch (breads, pastas etc.) and no sugar.
How can you start today? Buy a bag of spinach and eat your main meal on a bed of raw spinach leaves. You will hardly notice it and you will be getting a powerful punch of vitamins A, C and some fibre. A small amount of yogurt mixed with almonds, seeds and a chopped up pear is also a fantastic snack and a great tasting breakfast.
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Wear the right workout clothes
You are certainly asking for trouble arriving to your local Box wearing the free t-shirt you received after completing your first ever 5km run. Add your favorite track and field shorts from high school into the mix and we have an unfortunate reunion going on.
These clothes simply won’t cut it! Those shorts will burst into pieces during your first set of front squats while that t-shirt will feel like you’re wearing a weighted vest twenty minutes into the session. You are going to sweat like never before while doing big compound movements. This means you need flexibility and cooling from your workout clothes.
Men usually go for, almost knee length, loosely fitting shorts along with a 100% polyester t-shirt while women prefer tight fitting flexible shorts or three quarter length pants along with a polyester t-shirt. Worrying about your pants exploding is not what you need during your first WOD!
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Focus
Getting distracted is commonplace these days. We have almost come to expect it in most areas of our life. The gym, however, should be kept as distraction free as possible.
There are too many variables that could go wrong that may lead to injury. This can happen by simply turning your head to check out who the guy screaming into his phone is, while doing leg extensions next to you.
Thankfully there is not much time for phones in the Box. Leave your phone in your locker and focus on what you are doing. Listen to the coach, wait for the beep and then think of nothing but your next rep.
Just doing this alone will increase your performance, connect you to the other Box members, allow you to immerse yourself in what you are doing, and lead to a much more satisfying experience.
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Maximize your next workout by recovering well
Once you pick yourself off the floor after that last rep, no matter what type of session you’ve completed, it’s recovery time. Your muscles are now nice and warm so use this time to stretch them. This will help your flexibility and consequently improve your performance. That’s step one.
Step two involves fueling those tired muscles by eating something with a mix of carbohydrates and protein. Some chocolate milk and a banana or an orange works well. Eat this once you finish your stretches.
Step three, and the final step, is to hydrate and get warm. As I’ve mentioned, you will sweat a lot and therefore will need to drink at least one litre of water over the next few hours to replace the fluids lost.
Finally, do not let a lot of time pass before showering. Once your sweat cools you can quickly become very cold which can lead to illness.
CrossFit thrives on building unique communities of exercisers and it is excellent at this. It’s an environment that pushes you to new heights and allows you to make new social connections. Arriving at the Box both as physically and mentally prepared as you can will help ease the stress and nervousness associated with trying something new.
For those with drive, grit and buckets of motivation there is plenty of room to fit nicely into the CrossFit Box.
Get out there, complete your first WOD and let me know how it goes! Not a Newbie? How was your first Box experience?